News that Geeks Care About

The Amazon vs. Google Feud, Explained (and How It Affects You)

Users shouldn’t have to know about tech company feuds. In an ideal world, where the user experience is the top priority, your ability to watch videos would not depend on how well two multinational corporations are getti...

Bitcoin Is Not a Currency, It’s an (Unsafe) Investment

If the creators of Bitcoin wanted it to act like a currency, they sure made a lot of weird decisions. Bitcoin doesn’t function well as a currency, for reasons that are inherent to its design. It’s an investment pe...

How to Set Up and Use Apple Pay Cash on Your iPhone

The latest feature to hit iOS is Apple Pay Cash, which gives iPhone users a quick and easy way to send money to one another (as well as a way to spend money at stores without using a credit or debit card). Here’s how to...

Craig Lloyd Dec 7th, 2017

What Is Bitcoin, and How Does it Work?

Bitcoin. the digital currency, has been all over the news for years. But because it’s entirely digital and doesn’t necessarily correspond to any existing fiat currency, it’s not easy to understand for the ne...

Michael Crider Dec 7th, 2017

Smartphone Keyboards Are a Privacy Nightmare

Both Android and the iPhone allow you to replace the standard keyboard with a third-party one. By its very nature, though, a keyboard has full access to everything you type on it—from private messages to passwords and c...

Chris Hoffman Dec 6th, 2017

There’s No Great Reason to Buy an Amazon Fire TV Anymore

Amazon has a history of using hardware platforms to make people buy stuff. The Kindle and the Echo are both useful on their own, but Amazon’s long-term plan for both is all about selling things. Amazon’s Fire TV ...

How to Lock Down TeamViewer for More Secure Remote Access

TeamViewer is a great free program, whether you want to access your computer from afar or help out friends and relatives with their computer. But its default settings are remarkably insecure, instead favoring ease of use. H...

Jason Fitzpatrick Dec 6th, 2017

What Is Windows 10 on ARM, and How Is It Different?

Microsoft just launched a version of Windows 10 that will run on low-powered ARM hardware. Unlike Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 that powered the original Surface and Surface 2, this is a full version of Windows 10 with...

Chris Hoffman Dec 5th, 2017

Is Facebook’s New “Messenger Kids” App Safe for My Kids?

When it comes to online safety, “Facebook” isn’t the first name any of us generally think of. But they just launched Messenger Kids, a kid-focused messaging app (similar to Facebok Messenger or Snapchat) tha...

Cameron Summerson Dec 4th, 2017

Is Wireless Charging Slower Than Wired Charging?

Look, Apple is making wireless charging cool again with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. I’m glad! But there are things you should know about this technology—like how fast it’s going to charge your phone. You kn...

Cameron Summerson Dec 4th, 2017

Four Alternatives to YouTube Kids (That Aren’t Full of Creepy Fake Videos)

So you don’t want your kids on YouTube. That makes sense. There’s a lot of garbage on that site, and that’s before you even get to the comments.

Justin Pot Nov 30th, 2017

How to Monitor (and Reduce) Your Data Usage on Android

Increasingly sophisticated phones and data-hungry applications make it easier than ever to blow through your cellphone plan’s data cap…and incur nasty overage charges. Read on as we show you how to manage your da...

Cameron Summerson Nov 30th, 2017

How to Block Cryptocurrency Miners in Your Web Browser

Cryptocurrency miners are a new scourge on the web. Web pages can now embed JavaScript code that runs in your web browser to mine themselves Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies using your computer. The website keeps the crypto...

Chris Hoffman Nov 30th, 2017

How to Get the Simple, Lightweight YouTube Go App in Any Country

YouTube is great, but only if you have a consistent data connection and unlimited bandwidth. That’s the norm for city dwellers in rich countries, but not for most people on planet earth.

Justin Pot Nov 29th, 2017

Huge macOS Bug Allows Root Login Without a Password. Here’s the Fix

A newly-discovered vulnerability in macOS High Sierra allows anyone with access to your laptop to quickly create a root account without entering a password, bypassing any security protocols you have set up....

Justin Pot Nov 28th, 2017

HP Just Installed Bloated Telemetry Crapware on Your PC. Here’s How to Remove It

Not to be outdone by other terrible PC manufacturers, HP has been quietly, remotely installing a telemetry service known as “HP Touchpoint Manager” on its PCs since at least November 15, 2017. It’s sending...

Chris Hoffman Nov 28th, 2017

What Is UEFI, and How Is It Different from BIOS?

The BIOS will soon be dead: Intel has announced plans to completely replace it with UEFI on all their chipsets by 2020. But what is UEFI, and how is it different from the BIOS we’re all familiar with?...

Chris Hoffman Nov 27th, 2017

A Short History of the Blue Screen of Death

It’s iconic, but Microsoft wishes it wasn’t. In the 90s it was as core to the Windows experience as Paint and Solitaire, but these days it’s not seen very often.

Firefox Quantum Isn’t Just “Copying” Chrome: It’s Much More Powerful

Sure, Firefox has become more like Chrome in a few ways, but it’s still more powerful and customizable than Chrome is—which are integral to Firefox’s DNA.

Which Amazon Echo Should I Buy? Echo vs. Dot vs. Show vs. Plus and More

The Amazon Echo started off as a simple device, but now there are more than nine different Echo products out in the wild and on Amazon’s virtual shelves. So what’s the difference between them all, and which one sh...

Whitson Gordon Nov 24th, 2017

Which Roku Should I Buy? Express vs. Stick vs. Stick+ vs. Ultra

So you’ve decided you want a Roku, but there are so many choices. There are currently five different models (not including full TVs with Roku built-in), and it’s not at all clear what the difference between them ...

Justin Pot Nov 24th, 2017

Intel Management Engine, Explained: The Tiny Computer Inside Your CPU

The Intel Management Engine has been included on Intel chipsets since 2008. It’s basically a tiny computer-within-a-computer, with full access to your PC’s memory, display, network, and input devices. It runs code...

Why I Switched From Chrome to Firefox Quantum

I’ve been using Firefox Quantum non-stop for more than a week now, starting from before its official release. For years, every Firefox release has felt slower than Chrome to me. But Firefox is now a real, speedy, modern...

Chris Hoffman Nov 20th, 2017

Why Firefox Had to Kill Your Favorite Extension

Firefox 57, or Quantum, is here, and it’s a huge improvement. Firefox has finally caught up with Chrome in terms of speed, the interface is a lot cleaner, and there are some great new features to boot. There’s not...