How Kickstarter Works Kickstarter is driven by creators and backers. Creators present creative project ideas, and backers fund those projects. Creators set up a page to display their project’s details and prototypes using text, video, and photos. Project creators set a funding goal and a deadline. The creators also create reward levels for backers who pledge specific amounts. The more a backer pledges, the bigger the reward. When enough backers have funded the project, the creator can develop and produce their vision....

How Spotify Connect Works Spotify syncs to the Spotify cloud server. When you stream music, it’s sent from the cloud unless you use Spotify’s offline mode. What You Need to Use Spotify Connect Before you can transfer Spotify music from one device to another, you need the following: A Spotify account Connect your Spotify-compatible devices to the same Wi-Fi network An up-to-date Spotify app or current software on all compatible devices...

Defining the Dial The mode dial is one of the most important parts of the camera, giving you access to the shooting modes. It helps to know what each icon means to achieve the best results when shooting. Most advanced interchangeable lens cameras include a mode dial, as well as some point and shoot cameras. Most of the time, the mode dial is on the top panel of the camera, although it sometimes is aligned on the back panel....

Xbox Features The original Xbox console launched with the following features: Four controller ports for easy couch co-op gaming.Multi-signal audio/video connections for simple and easy hookup to TVs and home theater systems.Ethernet port for online gaming.Hard drive for game saves, mp3s, and saving downloaded game content. DVD player (requires separate DVD Playback Kit). Parental lock on DVD player so you can choose what content is suitable. 32-bit 733 MHz Intel Pentium III processor....

Where Can I Download the Vero App? The Vero app is available to download for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The app’s full name is Vero–True Social, and Vero Labs Inc creates it. The iOS Vero app will only work on an iPhone or iPod Touch running iOS 8.0 or later. It does not work on iPads. The Android version of Vero requires a smartphone or tablet running Android 5....

Generally, it refers to the types of cables, ports, and connectors used to connect monitors to video cards. While this technology is still in use today, it’s rapidly being replaced by newer interfaces like DVI and HDMI. VGA Technical Details Below are some technical features of VGA, helpful for identifying cables and ports: VGA Pins VGA cables have 15-pin connectors: 5 pins at the top, 5 in the middle, and the other 5 at the very bottom....

When a piece of hardware or software has passed WHQL, the manufacturer can use a “Certified for Windows” logo (or something similar) on their product packaging and advertising. The logo lets you clearly see that the product has been tested to standards set by Microsoft, and is therefore compatible with whatever version of Windows you’re running. Products that have the WHQL logo are included in the Windows Hardware Compatibility List....

Wireless Speakers Wireless surround sound speakers are popular speaker solutions for home entertainment systems, but don’t let the term wireless fool you. A wireless system may eliminate long wires that connect speakers to a stereo or home theater receiver. Still, you must connect the wireless speaker to a power source. For a speaker to function, it needs access to an audio signal in the form of electrical impulses and a physical connection to a powered amplifier or outlet....

The file is permanently located in the \Windows\System32\ folder and is used to enforce security policies, meaning that it’s involved with things like password changes and login verifications. While the file is extremely important for normal Windows operations and should not be tampered with, malware has been known to either hijack the real lsass.exe file or pretend to be authentic to fool you into letting it run. How to Spot a Fake lsass....

What Was SurDoc? SurDoc was a free online storage service that started every new user off with 100 GB of storage, enough space to keep thousands of photos and music. Letsupload is similar in that it offers a whopping unlimited space, though if you visit the link above, you’ll find several others that we prefer, like Degoo and MEGA. File sharing was also supported, and your account came with free software for your computer and phone....

Jones Soda has cultivated its “The People’s Craft Soda” image over the past 25 years by way of each bottle’s unique label, which customers often submit. Recently, the beverage company merged that concept with augmented reality to create special labels that unlock videos about their depicted subjects. This enables it to impart more information than a static print label could, while also encouraging consumers to interact with the product more directly....

The Framework Laptop is almost absurdly configurable, right down to which ports appear on its sides. Want four HDMI ports on a single laptop? No problem. But useful as this is, the configurability is almost a byproduct of something more important. The Framework Laptop is totally repairable, and completely upgradeable. There’s no longer a need to buy a whole new computer, just because the screen is cracked, or you ran out of storage space....

E3 has come and gone, bringing with it a ton of new game announcements. One of the most exciting revelations from the Nintendo E3 Direct, though, was the reveal for Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, a complete remaster of one of Nintendo’s most iconic strategy games. It’s been over 20 years since the release of the first Advance Wars, which means there are plenty of strategy lovers who haven’t had a chance to try it out yet....

Older Kindle models will start to lose their built-in internet access in December. The change comes because mobile carriers are ditching 3G networking technology in favor of newer 4G and 5G networks. Aging Kindles without Wi-Fi won’t be able to connect to the internet at all. Cutting the Cord Don’t worry if you’ve bought a Kindle reading device recently. The newest Kindle devices with 4G will still work, but for older devices that shipped with support for 3G and Wi-Fi, including the Kindle Keyboard (3rd generation), Kindle Touch (4th generation), Kindle Paperwhite (4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th generation), Kindle Voyage (7th generation), and Kindle Oasis (8th generation), only will be able to connect using Wi-Fi....

The OP-Z really is a marvel of design, a masterclass in building a modern musical instrument. It has no screen, but it’s easier and faster to use than many devices that do. Play and program by pressing combinations of its tiny buttons, and yet it is intuitive, fast, and easy—once you’ve learned the basics. It has its own personality and plenty of quirks, but the OP-Z might be the most intuitive and fluid sequencer around....

Netflix just upgraded the audio in its Android app to “studio-quality,” with tweaks to the audio codec that make it easier to hear in noisy environments and stop things going bad when your cellular connection falters. With this in mind, what kind of audio experience do we get from other streaming services? Letter Soup The Netflix Android update adds “Extended HE-AAC with MPEG-D DRC (xHE-AAC).” This seems aimed entirely at improving the mobile audio experience, by “improving intelligibility in noisy environments,” and adapting to variable cellular connections....

Phone codes are vulnerable to interception by hackers, Alex Weinert, director of identity security at Microsoft, wrote in a recent blog post. Text-based codes are better than nothing, observers say. But users should replace phone-based authentication with apps and security keys. “These mechanisms are based on publicly switched telephone networks (PSTN), and I believe they’re the least secure of the MFA methods available today,” he wrote. “That gap will only widen as MFA adoption increases attackers’ interest in breaking these methods and purpose-built authenticators extend their security and usability advantages....

Since the original hardware reveal, many users have spoken out about the odd design choices Sony has made with the PlayStation 5. Concerns about the look of the PS5 jumped back into the spotlight recently when a video detailing the internal layout of the PS5 was released by Sony. In the video, Sony tears down the PS5 completely, showing just how easy it should be for gamers to upgrade the internal components....

The idea behind Rich Communication Services (RCS) was to create an Android equivalent to Apple’s iMessage. By expanding on the services offered by traditional texting systems, users would be able to send higher-quality images, read receipts, and more. In short, it would make texting more like using an instant messenger. Now that major carriers are backing out of the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI), experts say the future of RCS could be more limited than before....

The original HomePod sounded great but sold in such low volume that when Apple stopped selling it in 2021, the remaining stock still showed a manufacture date of 2018. And yet now that it has been discontinued, the price for used speakers is rising. What’s going on? “For a small category of users—too small for the full-sized HomePod to continue as an ongoing product—the HomePod was the right combination of features,” writes Apple journalist Jason Snell on his personal blog....