Social media has put us all literally in the public eye. Every time you post a picture or status update to Facebook, make a tweet, check-in to a location, etc, you could be sharing your location with potentially a huge audience. Here’s why that’s not always a good thing. Where You Are and Where You Aren’t Not only does your social media status update or location check-in information tell somebody where you currently are, but it also tells them where you aren’t....

The Octatrack comes from Sweden’s Elektron, and is perhaps one of the weirdest electronic musical instruments ever built, from its design to its music-mangling results. The Octatrack is hard to describe. It’s a step sequencer with eight tracks, but it’s also a sampler, an eight-track recorder, a MIDI sequencer, and an effects box. You can use it as a guitar looper pedal, or just as a mixer for other gear....

Apple recently said it would improve AirTag safeguards after reports of people being tracked surreptitiously using AirTags. However, some experts say Apple’s efforts won’t be sufficient to protect users. “Even with the personal safety guide released by Apple, consumers are still subject to increased risks, as it only gives consumers some tools to use if they suspect their device has been compromised,” Nabil Hannan, managing director at cybersecurity firm NetSPI, told Lifewire in an email interview....

Xiaomi has revealed its first quad-curved waterfall display. The new smartphone concept features an 88-degree curved display that Xiaomi says will let visual interfaces flow over it naturally, like water. Unlike previous phones that have featured a curved display, the unnamed concept from Xiaomi features no ports or physical buttons. Instead, the entire device is made up of this new display. “It is quite nice from a purely visual standpoint,” Andreas Johansson, a UX specialist, told Lifewire via email....

Microsoft is steadily moving towards introducing Windows 11. Numerous leaks—including an optical image file (ISO) of the OS—as well as a special event happening later in June, all have been pointing toward the update. The company also added an official end-of-support date to Windows 10, noting it no longer will provide support starting in 2025. While the end of Windows 10 might seem daunting, experts say most users really don’t have anything to worry about, at least not yet....

Xbox 360 Family Settings The family settings available on the Xbox 360 allow you to restrict access to game or movie content that you don’t want your kids to see. You can set the console to only play games below a certain ESRB rating or movies below a certain MPAA rating. If you want to use the system yourself, or you want to allow your kids to view something that is blocked, you just tap in a password that you set when you set up the family settings....

Why Won’t My Xbox Series X or S Turn on? When an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S won’t turn on, there is usually a problem with the hardware, corrupt software or firmware, or a power issue. Hardware problems can be related to the power supply, power button, and other internal electronics that are best left to the professionals. Most other issues, including power, software, and firmware, have potential fixes that you can do yourself....

Why Use Xbox Video Marketplace Instead of Netflix? The obvious question is why buy or rent videos through the Xbox Marketplace instead of just using Netflix. Selection is the biggest thing. Just about every movie or TV show you could want is on the video marketplace, but not necessarily on Netflix. It also gives you the option of buying a movie and keeping it forever if you want. Both services are great, so we recommend taking advantage of both....

What Is an XLK File? A file with the XLK file extension is a backup file created in some versions of Microsoft Excel. It’s built automatically while an XLS file is being edited. Excel does this in case something goes wrong with the document. If, for example, the file is corrupted to the point that it can’t be used any longer, the XLK file acts as a recovery file. XLK files may also be created when exporting information from Microsoft Access into Excel....

Much of what was shown in September’s Nintendo Direct was on display here, yes, but it’s a solid lineup all the same. Not everything was familiar, though, which was a nice surprise. Out this Friday, we’ve got Metroid Dread, which still looks fantastic; the OLED Switch; and something I wasn’t expecting—Tetris Effect: Connected. This new Tetris supports cross-platform play and features some new gameplay options, including the time-stopping Zone Battle and cooperative Connected Mode....

9to5Google pointed out that some Reddit users have been seeing a new Cast icon appear in the menu bar of their YouTube Music web client. While it was previously possible to stream YouTube Music to Chromecast, it required sharing the whole screen. According to Reddit user Ploppy_, official Cast support also means you can use your phone to control audio, with “…much better performance and audio quality.” YouTube Music users who have access to the feature say selecting the Cast icon will create a drop-down menu, which can be used to select a device to connect to....

How to Create a Windows Homegroup To create a new homegroup, follow these steps: By design, a Windows 7 PC cannot support creating homegroups if it has Home Basic or Windows 7 Starter Edition. These two versions of Windows 7 disable the capability to create homegroups (although they can join existing ones). Setting up a homegroup requires the home network to have at least one PC running an advanced version of Windows 7 such as Home, Premium, or Professional....

Castillo is the founder of HmntyCntrd, curator of a UX masterclass and community focused on transforming the status quo of what it means to be human-centered. Castillo previously worked at big corporations like Google, Weight Watchers, and Salesforce before deciding to take her talents elsewhere. “I got into my current business because I felt like a lot of the ideas that I have weren’t acknowledged, recognized, or valued in the corporate setting,” Castillo told Lifewire in a phone interview....

Your Phone App for Android The Microsoft Your Phone app for Windows 10 (formerly Your Phone Companion) helps you connect and set up your Android phone to your Windows PC. Your Phone installs Microsoft apps that keep your phone and your PC in sync, including: OneDriveMicrosoft OfficeOutlookSkypeMicrosoft Photos With the Your Phone app, you can access Windows 10 apps from your phone, and you can read text messages and make calls on your computer....

The HP Pavilion Wave was made for people who know the beauty of simplicity. For those looking to minimize the apparatuses clogging their cluttered desk or console, the Pavilion Wave gives them the opportunity to chuck their bulky desktop PC and their dusty speakers. The Pavilion Wave’s integrated Bang & Olfusen speakers produce amazing, clear, deep sound, but it is a little lacking on the low end. With enough power for a home movie server, the Pavilion Wave’s loud sound is particularly attractive for a home theater....

On Tuesday, HP revealed two new Chrome OS-based computers, including a Chromebook featuring a detachable keyboard and stylus, as well as the world’s first Chromebase all-in-one desktop with a rotating display. The first of the new devices, the HP Chromebook x2 11, includes a CNC aluminum unibody design with a magnetic keyboard and kickstand which offers up to 170-degree positioning. Those looking for a less portable solution can purchase the new HP Chromebase 21....

The Omnicept, announced today and aimed at businesses and developers, joins a growing number of virtual reality gear aimed at online collaboration. With millions of people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, companies are increasingly looking to virtual reality as a workspace. Omnicept’s face camera captures the user’s expressions, making it easier for people to connect online, HP claims. “Facial expressions actually account for up to 50 percent of effective communication,” Anu Herranen, HP’s Director of New Product Introduction, Advanced Compute & Solutions, said in a news briefing....

Competing computing systems offer similar capabilities, but one thing that sets the Mac’s Recovery HD system apart from others is that the operating system is installed using the internet to download a fresh install of macOS or OS X when needed. Which Version of the OS Does Recovery HD Install? When you buy a new Mac, it has the most current version of the operating system installed on it, and that’s what is tied to the Recovery HD....

Insert an Image Inline in a Message To send a picture or graphic within the body of an email, compose a new email as usual. Drag and drop the desired image from the desktop or a Finder window to the desired place in the message. Or, position the cursor where you want the image to appear in the body of your email and select File > Attach File to insert an image....

According to TechCrunch, Instagram will begin a test that recommends posts from accounts you don’t follow within your regular feed over those from people you already follow, but have a relatively small number of users. If you don’t want to see this feature, the social network will let users remove the feature from their feeds for 30 days. Instagram is asking testers to provide feedback when a Suggested Post does not interest them in a bid to fine-tune its algorithm....