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What Is an AirCard? An AirCard is a wireless modem that connects mobile devices to the internet through cellular networks. AirCards provide access to the internet from laptop computers that are outside the range of Wi-Fi hotspots. They can also be used as an alternative to home dial-up internet service in rural areas or areas without high-speed internet service. AirCards typically require a contract with a cellular provider in addition to an existing cellular contract....

What Are Some Examples of Spam? Unless you use filters judiciously, there’s a good chance your inbox contains at least a bit of spam right now. Spam consists of: Email messages you did not ask for from senders you don’t know. Unsolicited commercial email messages sent in bulk, often using a purchased (or stolen) mailing list that includes your address. Counterfeit messages that look like they were sent by reliable sources and attempt to trick you into supplying your personal information....

Generally, IDE refers to the types of cables and ports used to connect some hard drives and optical drives to each other and to the motherboard. An IDE cable, then, is a cable that meets this specification. Some popular IDE implementations that you might come across in computers are PATA (Parallel ATA), the older IDE standard, and SATA (Serial ATA), the newer one. Why You Need to Know What IDE Means It’s important to be able to identify an IDE drive, cables, and ports when you’re upgrading your computer hardware or buying new devices that you’ll plug into your computer....

Dongles for Wired Networks A primitive network dongle supports wired networks and features a short cable with connectors on each end. Dongle cables typically are no longer than about six inches. Wired dongles first became popular with mainstream consumers many years ago as the way to connect PCMCIA “credit card” adapters in laptop computers to a local network. One end of the dongle fits the thin PCMCIA connector while the other end featured either:...

One technology used to deliver sound is a Bitstream (aka Bitstream Audio, Bit Stream, Digital Bitstream, or Audio Bitstream). What Is Bitstream? A bitstream is binary bits of information (1s and 0s) that can transfer from one device to another. Bitstreams are used in computer, networking, and audio applications. For audio, a bitstream can convert sound into digital bits, and then that information is transferred from a source device to a receiver, and, eventually, to your ears....

Faster Speeds Like each iteration in RAM standards, DDR4 arose primarily to address faster processor speeds in computers. DDR3 was around for so long that the speed jumps were larger than the previous bump in RAM. For example, at the time of DDR4’s introduction, the fastest JDEC standard DDR3 memory ran at 1600 MHz. DDR4 memory speeds start at 2133 MHz, a 33 percent speed increase. The JDEC standards for DDR4 also specify up to the 3200 MHz speed, which is double the current DDR3 1600 MHz limit....

What Is Freeware? Freeware means there are no paid licenses required to use the application, no fees or donations necessary, no restrictions on how many times you can download or open the program, and no expiration date. However, it can still be restrictive in some ways. Free software, on the other hand, is completely and totally void of restrictions and allows the user to do absolutely whatever they want with the program....

Google Play Apps The Google Play Store is home to millions of apps and games. Some apps take advantage of your device’s hardware capabilities, such as motion sensors (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling). Google Play Pass is a subscription service that gives you unlimited access to hundreds of games in the Google Play Store. Google Play Books The Books section of Google Play is an e-book distribution service where you can read or listen to e-books and audiobooks on your Android device....

You pay a monthly subscription fee for access to the full Kindle Unlimited library where you can read and enjoy as many Kindle books as you want. That’s exactly why it’s called “Unlimited.” Kindle Unlimited Explained Just like you don’t own movies you watch on Netflix or songs you listen to on Spotify, you don’t own any books you read through Kindle Unlimited. You’re essentially borrowing them until you’re finished reading them and decide to remove them from your account—or until you decide to end your Kindle Unlimited subscription....

Office 2019 Requirements You’ll need Windows 10 to install the new suite. The main reason for this is that Microsoft wants to update its Office apps twice a year from now on, in a similar manner in which they currently update Windows 10. In order for it all to work seamlessly, the technology needs to mesh. Additionally, Microsoft aims to eventually phase out earlier versions of Office because they are not on the twice-a-year cadence....

What Is Photoshop? Photoshop was first invented in 1987 by two brothers, Thomas and John Knoll, who sold the distribution license to Adobe in 1988. The product was originally called Display. Photoshop is available for both Windows and Mac computers. It is considered a raster graphics editor, which means users can create and edit images and save them in one of many formats. Edit individual images or large batches of images in Photoshop....

The Definition of ‘Bearing’ The term predates GPS. Mathematicians were calculating bearing by hand for centuries before satellites made navigation as easy as pressing a button. Traditionally, bearing is measured in degrees and calculated clockwise from true north. It’s typically represented as three figures. For example, the bearing for the direction of east is 090°. Bearing is sometimes called “true bearing” because of its relationship to true north. In GPS navigation, bearing is sometimes referred to as the “bearing to next waypoint....

The camera’s image buffer storage area is important for determining the operational performance of any camera, especially when you’re making use of a continuous shot mode. Capturing Photo Data When you’re recording a photograph with a digital camera, the image sensor is exposed to light, and the sensor measures the light that strikes each pixel on the sensor. An image sensor has millions of pixels (photoreceptor areas)—a 20-megapixel camera contains 20 million photoreceptors on the image sensor....

What the Roku Channel Offers The Roku Channel combines select free, live, and premium subscription content within a single channel with an easy-to-use, Netflix-like onscreen menu. This makes it easier to browse, search, and watch specific content without switching between several apps to find something to watch. An added bonus is you don’t always need a Roku device to access it. In addition to Roku devices and the Roku Mobile App, the Roku Channel can be viewed on compatible web browsers and select Samsung TVs....

By treating Windows as a service, Windows 10 operating system updates and new features roll out to users continually throughout the year as soon as they’re ready to launch. Previously, Windows was treated more like a stand-alone product, and Microsoft would typically bundle updates into a significant software release or a new version of the OS. The Windows as a service approach allows Windows 10 to evolve and grow at a faster pace than previous Windows operating systems....

What Was Windows RT? Most editions of Windows have been developed to work on x86 and x64 processor architectures, and for many years you could purchase either edition depending on your computer’s internal components. With the rise of mobile computing on smartphones and tablets, manufacturers began designing System on a Chip (SoC) circuits specifically for mobile devices. Some of the most popular SoCs use the 32-bit ARM architecture, leading Microsoft to choose this configuration for their Windows SoC support....

The Alternator’s Role The burden of producing all that energy falls on the alternator. The alternator is the part of the engine that charges the battery and runs the electrical systems. Most factory alternators aren’t designed to handle loud, high-fidelity sound. If you install a big, powerful amp without making the necessary power adjustments, the car compensates by restricting power to some of the car’s electronics. This usually presents as flickering dash lights, dimming headlights, and a weak bass response from the subwoofer....

Turn Off Your Phone ASAP Don’t just turn off the screen; power the smartphone down completely. Unplug it if it’s on the charger, and don’t plug it back in. If possible, open the case and remove the battery. Generally, phones don’t die because of water, but because the water causes a short in the wiring. For that to happen, the phone must have power. If you can power down the phone and dry it out within 48 hours of water exposure, the chances are good that the phone will continue to work....

This buying guide will help you determine which gaming PC to buy based on your specific needs, budget, and tastes. What Is a Gaming PC? While at its heart, a gaming PC is just a PC it’s not like most other computers. While the average PC can run office-based software, browse the internet, and allow for basic photo or video editing, a typical PC isn’t capable of running more than simple games at low resolutions....

Why You Should Know Which Version of Windows You Have Everyone should know three things about the Windows version they have installed: the major version of Windows, like 11, 10, 8, 7, etc.; the edition of that Windows version, like Pro, Ultimate, etc.; and whether that Windows version is 64-bit or 32-bit. If you don’t know what version of Windows you have, you won’t know what software you can install, which device driver to choose for an update—you may not even know which directions to follow for help with something!...