Tips

Consoles might be the most popular gaming platform these days, but there are still many advantages to playing games on a PC. If you’ve been thinking about getting your first gaming PC, here are six things to consider before you make any purchases. 1. Build Your Own Computer vs. Buying a Pre-Built The first thing

In our final show of 2019, the Really Useful Podcast helps you navigate the deals, risks, tricks, and scams of Black Friday. Don’t click on that Black Friday bargain until you’re sure it’s the tip-top deal you think it is. Plus, we take a brief look at Google Stadia, the new console-standard cloud gaming platform

Nowadays, most computer users jump online daily without a second thought. But have you ever wondered what types of internet connections actually allow us to connect to the internet? Let’s walk through the different types of internet connections used throughout the years and today. We’ll see how internet access has evolved over time, and the

There is a currency, online and off, more valuable than cash. It’s even worth more than your data. What companies increasingly want (ours included) is your attention. How do we make money when you aren’t paying us, and why is this a big deal? What Is the Attention Economy? Image Credit: taha ajmi /Unsplash When

New cars come connected, with some even offering Wi-Fi to passengers. But what about those of us who cannot afford a connected car? What options are available for getting Wi-Fi in your vehicle? Whether you want live updates from Google Maps as you drive, listen to Spotify, or simply keep your kids entertained, here’s how

Smart plugs come in all shapes and sizes and at prices to suit all budgets. They’re also the most basic element of any smart home. Forget internet connectivity, home networks and gadgets enabling remote management—smart plugs are where it starts. Here’s everything you need to know about smart plugs and how they can help improve

The GNU Image Manipulation Program (or GIMP for short) is a popular open source image editing application that’s been around for awhile. While GIMP is considered a free Photoshop competitor, and there’s a lot it can do, there are some areas where it still falls short. If you’re torn between the two programs, here’s a

When people talk about breaking the internet, they are probably referring to a viral social media post or news story. However, it does make you wonder if it would be possible for the internet to really break. After all, websites and even our networks go down all the time. So, what does breaking the internet

While Android is the most-used operating system in the mobile market, many people don’t know the difference between stock Android and other versions of the OS. As a result, you may miss out on the multiple benefits of using stock Android. So what is stock Android? And why should you consider using it on your

Cleaning your smartphone or tablet screen is easy—but you need to make sure you’re doing it the right way. This means employing the right type of cleaner, as well as a material suited to cleaning. After all, if you don’t know what to avoid, you might end up damaging the touchscreen. This can potentially render

If you’ve had your Xbox One for a while, the chances are it’s running low on storage space. Most Xbox One models come with 500GB or 1TB drives, which isn’t much to work with. Thankfully, you can add some additional space using an Xbox One external hard drive. In this article we detail everything you

Dual SIM phones come with a variety of benefits, making them a must-have for many people. However, not everyone understands what dual SIM means or how dual SIM phones work. We’re here to explain everything you need to know about dual SIM phones, their benefits, and how eSIMs fit into this picture. What Is a

If you follow security news, you’ve likely heard people talking about big companies suffering data breaches. And you might worry about how these breaches can affect you as a user. So what is a data breach? That’s what we’ll explain below, with advice on how to protect yourself from future breaches. Security Incident, Security Breach,

If you’re the owner of a new digital SLR or mirrorless camera you can improve your photography instantly by using different photo lenses. However, while there’s an almost endless supply of options to buy, it isn’t always obvious what lens to use to get the shot you want. Here are five common camera lenses, what

We take a look at a bunch of new features on popular services, the Disney+ Europe launch, Android apps on Windows, lowering your rent, how to scan old photos, print your own board games, and more… Really Useful Podcast Season 4 Episode 12 Shownotes This week’s Really Useful Podcast features Christian Cawley and Megan Ellis

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are among the best wearable tech accessories for upping your exercise routine. From tracking your steps and heart rate monitoring to specific workout logs and activity statistics, these devices can help you achieve your fitness goals. However, while they are often grouped together, smartwatches and fitness trackers are not the same

Did you know that most of the images, music, and other content on the internet are not free to reuse for your own purposes? In most cases, unless you have permission to use a piece of media, doing so is illegal. This is where the Creative Commons license comes in. The system allows creators to

Wireless internet is one of the quietest developments in the broadband world, yet millions of people depend on it every day. So, what is wireless internet and how does it work? Let’s explore this relatively-unknown technology and how it helps people. How Does Wireless Internet Work? [embedded content] You may be confused about why we

You hopefully aren’t wondering how to destroy a laptop so that you can actively ruin your machine. But it’s a good idea to know the most common sources of laptop damage so you can keep yours as long as possible. Because we carry laptops around more than a desktop computer, they’re more prone to accidents

In a world where your kettle can be connected to the internet, why is voting still done on paper? While voting from the comfort of your own home seems appealing, there are electronic voting pros and cons that have to be considered first. Let’s take a look at what electronic voting is and if it

TV audio used to be inevitably muddy and low quality unless you were willing to spend big bucks and plenty of time installing a full stereo system. But these days, you can improve your TV audio quickly and easily by installing a soundbar. We’ll explain the advantages that a soundbar offers. And we’ll give you

Christian Cawley and Ben Stegner bring you a host of tips, tricks, and news that matters to everyone in the tech podcast for technophobes. This week, we learn about Britbox’s UK launch, YouTube’s homepage redesign, and Netflix’s “skip politics” options. There’s also an early look at Google’s Stadia gaming platform, some recommended videos, and our

WhatsApp groups are excellent for keeping in touch with friends and family, or with people who share similar interests. However, anyone could add you to WhatsApp groups without your permission, which does get annoying really soon. When WhatsApp has nice features such the ability to send a link inviting you to join a group, why

Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world. While there’s a lot to like about the social network, it still lacks certain features that some people would like to use. One of these is the ability to track who’s unfollowed our account. Unfollowing someone is a very personal choice and if

iOS 13 is loaded with a tonne of new features, and one of those new features is now available for the stock iOS keyboard. Apple calls this feature QuickPath and it allows you to swipe across the iPhone keyboard to type. While certain keyboard apps for iOS, such as Gboard and Swiftkey, already support this

First announced at WWDC in June, iOS 13 is the next big update of Apple’s mobile operating system, and it’s now out for compatible iPhone models. For the first time, iPad users will not get this update, as Apple has announced iPadOS, a new operating system for iPads. While iOS 13 is out now, iPadOS

There have been some big gaming-related updates to iOS 13. Apple Arcade is the most prominent of these changes, but that’s not the only one. Now the Dualshock 4 controller for PS4 and some official Xbox controllers are also supported on iOS 13. Controller support has been available on iOS for a few years now, but

Google is pushing civilization closer to quantum computing, a development which will change computing and most likely, the world. A Google-developed quantum computer, called Sycamore, solved a problem in seconds that would take a “normal” supercomputer 10,000 years. Is the age of quantum computing upon us? Has Google achieved “quantum supremacy?” And what does quantum

iOS 13 adds a few much-needed features to the Files app and one of these is the ability to open ZIP and other compressed files, as well as the ability to create such files on your device. Now that this feature is baked into Files app on iOS 13, it is much closer to how

Your computer’s operating system may or may not be designed with security in mind, but without ongoing software updates, your computer is vulnerable. How do operating systems handle sending out these updates and which approaches are the most secure? Why Do We Need Software Updates? There are three key reasons software updates are important. New