5 days, 5 killer tech tips You just bought a new Windows laptop, built a new desktop, or are simply clean installing on a new SSD. Gotta love the smell of a fresh new machine, but now you have to get back to productivity zen by recovering your files and installing programs. We've compiled a list of essential programs to get you started.
Keyboard shortcuts can be found in virtually every modern operating system, app and service. They may only shave off a second or two at a time but trust me, the savings can quickly add up when used on a regular basis. Such is the case with Gmail, one of the world's most popular e-mail clients.
5 days, 5 killer tech tips Filters can help automate many of the tasks you may perform daily, and can streamline your inbox to show just the emails you want, while removing those you don't. And while Google does some basic filtering by default, creating your own can take inbox organization to the next level.
5 days, 5 killer tech tips Even in today's connected world, there will be times when you find yourself stuck offline. But there's no need to panic in these situations; you can still read, search, and reply to your Gmail messages without an internet connection. We'll also recommend a way for you to send messages at scheduled times and postpone incoming emails.
5 days, 5 killer tech tips When Gmail debuted 12 years ago it made a shift in how we thought about email. Instead of deleting, the idea of archiving messages indefinitely became plausible. This has been helped by good UX and powerful search capabilities. Gmail search is also speedy which makes it practical. Here I'll cover a few of my favorite and most useful Gmail search operators.
5 days, 5 killer tech tips Gmail has a remote log out feature that's quite handy in situations where your account could be exposed to prying eyes, allowing you to end all active sessions from any computer or mobile phone. Some of you might not be familiar with it but it sits right there at the bottom of your inbox and is just a single click away.
#ThrowbackThursday What's more appealing than a shortcut? It's a quick way to take a task and make it less painful and easier to accomplish. If you save three minutes a day for a year, that's a little over 18 hours. You could binge-watch the entire show Freaks and Geeks with four hours to spare. So, shall we get started?
OS Keyboard Shortcuts
Browser Shortcuts
Mobile Shortcuts
#ThrowbackThursday For all its popularity Chrome is also notorious for its habit of consuming a lot of RAM and draining battery life on laptops. Google is continually improving in this area, but there are some things you can do to curb memory usage and keep Chrome from becoming slow and annoying. We'll also share some 'hidden' features to get the most out of your web browsing experience.
The clipboard has evolved significantly throughout the years, but for all its usefulness, operating systems like Windows and macOS seem content with offering basic functionality and letting power users with more specific needs use third party clipboard managers. Here are our favorite options in a few distinct categories for both desktop and mobile.
Netflixing alone can get lonely, so can we combine the best of both worlds? Yes, by watching the same Netflix program together in different places. Win, win, my friends. But it's not the most clear cut thing to achieve.
Many of Windows 10's key features have been talked about at length, but the operating system actually comes with a lot of great features that aren't as immediately obvious to everyday users and even enthusiasts. These features don't get the attention that they should, so without further ado, let's get on with the top 10 hidden features of Windows 10.
One of the worst things about growing up is that you never seem to have any time left over for yourself. Sure, you may still watch a bunch of television shows and go to concerts, but video games? Video games could be kicked to the curb. In an attempt to convince more people to at least try to make gaming more a part of their life, here are some tips for time management that will help them do so.
Recently we took a look at the hardware that makes up your smartphone camera, and while it's certainly interesting to understand the tech behind a digital camera module, that won't help you getting great shots. That's why we've put together this guide and get you on your way to produce awesome shots using your smartphone.
There are a number of uses for running live Linux environments from a USB drive, from simply test driving Linux to troubleshooting a Windows PC, or working on the go securely from someone else's computer. There are two options when it comes to running Linux from a USB drive: from within Windows using virtualization software such as VirtualBox, or creating a boot disk. This quick guide details both methods in a few easy steps.
Many of us here at TechSpot use Droplr on a daily basis to quickly share screenshots. While this simple app is great at what it does, since it moved to a subscription-only model I decided to look for a replacement. It's just hard to justify paying $4.99 a month when there are quite a few options out there that work just as well.
For those unfamiliar with the service, Droplr offers a quick and easy way to share not just screenshots, but also text snippets and any type of files. No folders, no syncing. It excels at simplicity. But if, like me, you feel it's not critical enough to your workflow to pay a monthly subscription, here are some free alternatives you should look at.
Finding subtitles for ripped or downloaded videos isn't terribly complicated, but there are a few handy apps that can save you some time by making the whole process extremely easy, as simple as dragging and dropping a video file. Why not take it to the next level and make subtitle downloads 100% hands off? With the help of a couple handy tools we certainly can!
Windows 8 received a decent amount of enhancements on the desktop side that I tend to appreciate versus running Windows 7. One such area of improvement is notification management and how it handles updates and system restarts. Running the final version of the OS for a few months now, it's been a painless affair until this past weekend.
Unable to boot all of sudden, after some troubleshooting I settled on the idea that it wasn't a hardware problem. With a long history of dual booting different versions of Windows over the years, finding a corrupt MBR, boot sector, or Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is nothing new, but it took me longer than usual to come to a solution.
Besides not offering a way to bypass the new Windows 8 Start screen (not without the help of third-party utilities), surprisingly Microsoft is also limiting your options when it comes to customizing its appearance. You can choose from a couple color schemes and 10 stock background images, but that's about it. We've seen some workarounds before but they are cumbersome and the results are less than optimal.
Enter Decor8. Stardock's Windows 8 customization app removes this limitation by giving users the ability to pick any picture they want as the Start screen background.
IFTTT (If This Then That) lets you automate tasks between popular web services such as Dropbox, Twitter, Evernote, Facebook, Instapaper, and many others. IFTTT works by telling it what task you want carried out, what will trigger this task, and it will put it into action for you.
A common example would be to have your Instagram pictures automatically backed up on your Dropbox or Box account. Certainly useful, but there's also more specific things you can do with it. For example, say I want to keep up with how a certain country is doing in the London 2012 Olympics.
I've been running the Windows 8 Consumer Preview for a few months and although I'm okay with Metro replacing the Start Menu, I hate seeing the new interface by default every time I reboot. When Windows 7 starts, you hit a login screen (assuming it's enabled) and then you're brought straight to the desktop.
When Windows 8 starts, it displays a lock screen that you have to move out of the way before entering your credentials, and then you have to dismiss the Metro interface before accessing the desktop. Like I said, I'm cool with Metro, but I have no desire to see a full-screen Start Menu when I log into my PC.
Whether you just bought a new system with bloatware or you're just seeking greener pastures, you'll eventually have to uninstall security software. Shady business tactics aside, making security software tricky to remove increases the chances that clueless users don't mistakenly scrap their protection.
It can also wreak havoc if the same inexperienced user installs new security software without removing their previous solution. Fortunately, most companies provide tools and guides on properly uninstalling their products and we thought it'd be handy to provide a consolidated resource with links to removal tools and/or removal instructions.