News that Geeks Care About

The FaceTime Bug Fix Has Been Delayed Till Next Week

Apple officially acknowledged and apologized for a Facetime bug that could allow bad actors to spy on you with just a few simple steps. While it promised a fix this week, that fix is delayed till next week....

Josh Hendrickson Feb 1st

How to Get an iPhone-Like AirPods Experience on a Mac

AirPods are pretty impressive; there’s little doubt of that. But even though they connect to iOS devices without any fuss, their integration with macOS can be altogether more fiddly. This utility fixes that, and it look...

Oliver Haslam Feb 1st

How To Make Chrome “Open As Window” Shortcuts (Now That Google Killed Them)

Chrome has the useful ability to open a website as a window that doesn’t show the browser interface or open external links in a new tab. Or, rather, it did: in a late 2018 update, Google disabled this functionality on ...

Michael Crider Feb 1st

Streaming Services Are Beginning To Look Like Cable Companies

We’ve often thought of streaming services as our salvation from cable, but the world of streaming is starting to adopt some distinct cable television characteristics. How far will it go?

We’re Looking for General Interest Writers

Are you an experienced writer who has life skills you want to share with the world? We’re looking for general interest freelance writers for another publication, and we’d like to hear from you....

Walter Glenn Jan 31st

Something Happened: Windows Setup Error Messages Will Finally Be Useful (Maybe)

Microsoft Community

Josh Hendrickson Jan 31st

Here’s How to Save Your Google+ Data Before It Shuts down on April 2nd

Pour one out for Google+, the latest Google social property to be axed. There aren’t many who care to keep their Google+ history saved—that’s part of why it’s dying!—but if you want yours, here&#...

Michael Crider Jan 31st

“Pause Ads” Are Coming to Hulu, Here’s What You Need to Know

Late last year, it was revealed that Hulu would start showing ads when users pause a stream. While this sounds absolutely terrible, how this is going to work in reality doesn’t sound so bad.

Cameron Summerson Jan 31st

Linux’s GNOME Shell 3.32 Will Bring Major Speed Improvements

GNOME Shell 3.32 is set for release on March 13, 2019. This new release brings some real performance improvements, making this heavy Linux desktop environment more lightweight. GNOME Shell is used by default on Ubuntu and ma...

Chris Hoffman Jan 31st

Beta Test New Firefox Features with Mozilla’s Reference Browser for Android

Years ago, Mozilla’s “Test Pilot” initiative encouraged users to beta test mobile versions of the Firefox browser. Now, Mozilla is asking users to use its new Reference Browser to help bring a new generatio...

Andrew Heinzman Jan 31st

UltraViolet is Shutting Down on July 31st, Here’s How to Transfer Your Movies

UltraViolet, one of the largest digital rights locker for your movies (at one point, anyway), is shutting down on July 31st. You don’t have to lose your content though; you can connect VUDU and move your library to Movi...

Josh Hendrickson Jan 31st

Bluetooth 5.1’s Presence Detection Could Be the Future of Smarthome

Bluetooth 5.1 lets devices track each other down to the centimeter. But Bluetooth 5.1 isn’t just for finding your keys—this precise position tracking will let your smarthome know who you are and where you are in ...

Bluetooth 5.1: What’s New and Why It Matters

Bluetooth 5.1 brings new “direction-finding” features that will let Bluetooth devices pinpoint physical location to the centimeter, aiding in indoor positioning. This latest version includes features that will mak...

Chris Hoffman Jan 31st

Why Face ID Is Much More Secure Than Android’s Face Unlock

Unlocking your phone using your face is the new hotness, mostly thanks to Apple’s Face ID. Android has had a similar feature since 2015 called Trusted Face, but it’s not even close to the same thing....

Cameron Summerson Jan 30th

How to Do Your 2018 Taxes Online For Free

The IRS is now accepting 2018 tax returns, and they’re due on April 15, 2019. Popular tax programs often advertise “free” returns before hitting you with an upsell, but here’s how you can do your taxes...

Where to Find the Requests Folder After Facebook Messenger’s v4 Update

When you get messages from non-friends on Facebook Messenger, they go to a “requests” folder. The thing is, this folder isn’t really easy to find, especially after Messenger’s recent update to version ...

Cameron Summerson Jan 29th

Looking for a Microsoft Signature Edition PC? Here’s What to Do Instead

Microsoft’s Signature Edition PCs were one of the Microsoft Store’s best offerings since Microsoft used a clean copy of Windows with no bloatware on these PCs. Microsoft no longer makes Signature Edition PCs, but ...

Josh Hendrickson Jan 29th

How Do Foldable Phones Work, And When Will I Get One?

Foldable phones might be the strangest and most revolutionary tech of 2019. But how do these things work, and when will we get the chance to buy them?

There’s a Huge Bug in FaceTime. Disable It Now

Anyone can call you on FaceTime and hear audio or see video from your phone before you answer. This bug is going viral on social media, and the only protection is disabling FaceTime.

Chris Hoffman Jan 28th

Chrome OS Instant Tethering Comes to More Android Phones, Here’s How to Do It

Google’s “Better Together” pairing of Chromebooks and Android phones allows Pixel and Nexus users to share a data connection from the phone to Chromebook automatically, but now it’s getting a broader r...

Cameron Summerson Jan 28th

Why Are iPhones Still Limited to 9 Apps Per Folder Page?

With all the apps we have on our iPhones these days, organizing them into folders is pretty much a requirement. But why does Apple still only show nine apps per folder page, especially with screen sizes getting bigger?...

Craig Lloyd Jan 28th

What Are Dolby Dimension Headphones?

Dolby is a trusted name in audio, but its latest product is a little different. “Dolby Dimension Headphones” isn’t an audio standard, like 5.1 Surround or Dolby Atmos, but a new wireless headphone set you can buy....

Michael Crider Jan 28th

Everything New in Windows 10’s April 2019 Update

Windows 10’s next update is the April 2019 Update, which is version 1903 and was codenamed 19H1 during development. It features a light theme, speed improvements, and lots of polish. There are no crazy new features like...

How to Sign Up for Vizio’s AirPlay Beta

At CES 2019, many TV manufacturers announced built-in Apple AirPlay for their TVs. Vizio promised many existing TVs going back to 2016 would receive these features, too. Now, you can join the beta and get AirPlay early....

Chris Hoffman Jan 27th

What Are the Different Self-Driving Car “Levels” of Autonomy?

Self-driving cars seem like a promise that is here, almost here, and not coming for years all the same time. Those statements are all true because there are different “levels” of autonomy. Here’s what those ...