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These devices might also be referred to as external peripherals, integrated peripherals, auxiliary components, or I/O (input/output) devices. What Defines a Peripheral Device? Usually, the word peripheral is used to refer to a device external to the computer, like a scanner, but the devices physically located inside the computer are technically peripherals, too. Peripheral devices add functionality to the computer but aren’t part of the “main” group of components like the CPU, motherboard, and power supply....

What Is a SIM Card Used For? Some phones need a SIM card to identify the owner and communicate with a mobile network. For example, an iPhone on the Verizon network needs a SIM card so that Verizon knows who the phone belongs to and that they are paying for the subscription, and also so that certain features work. This is important in resale situations, where a used smartphone is missing a SIM card....

The BIOS firmware is non-volatile, meaning that its settings are saved and recoverable even after power has been removed from the device. What Is the BIOS Used For? BIOS instructs the computer on how to perform basic functions such as booting and keyboard control. BIOS is also used to identify and configure the hardware in a computer such as the hard drive, floppy drive, optical drive, CPU, memory, and related equipment....

Portal TV is meant to connect to a primary display, such as your living room TV, and will rest discreetly on an entertainment center or shelf below. It includes Alexa built-in, for smart voice commands, as well as the necessary features to participate in video calls: such as a microphone, webcam and speakers. What Is Portal by Facebook? Before we get deeper into Facebook Portal TV, let’s review Facebook Portal....

How Does Gigabit Ethernet Work? It was once believed that achieving gigabit speeds with Ethernet would require the use of fiber optic cables or other special network cable technology. Fortunately, those are only necessary for long distances. For most purposes, Gigabit Ethernet works well using a regular Ethernet cable (specifically, the CAT5e and CAT6 cabling standards). These cable types follow the 1000BASE-T cabling standard (also called IEEE 802.3ab). How Fast Is Gigabit Ethernet in Practice?...

What Is HD Voice? HD Voice is high-definition voice calling. It’s a wideband audio technology that offers a superior standard for calls. By extending the frequency range of audio signals, HD Voice does two things well: Produces clearer, vibrant, and natural-sounding audio.Reduces background noise in any environment. With HD Voice, calls are clearer and crisper. This provides a better experience for everyone on a call, whether you’re talking to friends or family or teleconferencing with business associates at work....

How Intermodulation Distortion Works Similar to Total Harmonic Distortion, Intermodulation Distortion is measured and represented as a percentage of the total output signal. And as with Total Harmonic Distortion, lower numbers are better for improved performance. Intermodulation Distortion can occur when two or more signals are mixed through a non-linear amplifier device. Each of the tones interacts with one another, producing altered (or modulated) amplitudes. This results in the formation of frequencies (often referred to as “sidebands”) not present in the original signal....

How Does Microsoft Continuum Work? Once you launch the Microsoft Continuum app, you can project your phone to an external monitor or big screen in one of two ways. You can use a wireless adapter to cast what’s on your phone with or without an internet connection, with your phone functioning as a virtual trackpad and keyboard. It’s good for web browsing and viewing photos, but not much else. The second option is to use a wired adapter like the Microsoft Display Dock to connect your smartphone to external peripherals like a monitor, mouse, and keyboard....

While Microsoft Access, MySQL, and other databases serve the similar purpose of housing data, their uses are vastly different. What is MySQL? MySQL is a relational database. This means that the data housed within the structure is capable of recognizing relationships among stored items of information. Every database contains tables. Each table (also referred to as a “relation”) contains one or more data categories stored in columns. Each row contains primary and foreign keys for the categories defined within the columns....

What Films Does Kanopy Offer? Kanopy offers a searchable catalog of more than 30,000 films, with an especially strong selection of independent films, documentaries, and thought-provoking entertainment. The offerings include nearly 400 titles from Janus Films (The Criterion Collection), as well as titles from A24, an independent film company known for titles such as “Moonlight”, “The Florida Project”, and “Ex Machina”. Explore the Kanopy catalog at https://www.kanopy.com/catalog/. Kanopy Kids provides a variety of classic stories intended for children, such as “Curious George” and “Where the Wild Things Are”, along with access to many educational shows....

Users can stream music tracks or podcast episodes via the SoundCloud website in any web browser on a computer, smartphone, or tablet or via one of its official apps. Those who pay for the premium monthly SoundCloud Go or SoundCloud Go+ memberships can also download files for offline listening when using the SoundCloud apps. SoundCloud has released an app call SoundCloud Desktop app, however, someone talking about SoundCloud Desktop could be referring to a number of different things on different devices....

The Basics of Online Security In its basic form, online security—the security that takes place between a computer and a website—is performed through a series of questions and responses. You type a web address into a browser, and then the browser asks that site to verify its authenticity. The site responds with the appropriate information, and after both agree, the site opens in the web browser. Among the questions asked and the information exchanged is data about the type of encryption that passes the browser information, computer information, and personal information between the browser and the website....

It differs largely from YouTube because of its “artsy” distinctiveness. That’s not to say that artists shouldn’t promote their work on YouTube, because they should if their audience is there. It’s just that YouTube is so huge that it encompasses everything you could point a camera at. Vimeo, on the other hand, is very much known specifically for creative artistry — not casual vloggers, people who like to create tech tutorials or gamers who like to show off their video gaming skills....

Below is everything you need to know about Steps Recorder—what it’s used for, which versions of Windows it’s compatible with, how to open the program, and how to use it to record your steps. What Is Steps Recorder Used For? Steps Recorder is a troubleshooting and assistance tool used to record actions taken by a user on a computer. Once recorded, the information can be sent to whatever person or group is assisting in the troubleshooting....

What Is a Streak? A streak or a “snapstreak” is a representation of how many days in a row you’ve managed to send photo or video snaps back and forth with a specific friend. For example, if you sent snaps to a friend every day for five days and they also replied to you with snaps each one of those five days, your snapstreak would be at a count of five....

“What Gurman describes is a frustrating jumble of à la carte offerings,” writes Apple-watching writer John Gruber, “that seems no different than the current situation, where every Apple subscription offering is a standalone service.” What Does Apple One Mean for You? Before we get into the problems with Apple One, let’s take a look at exactly what you’ll be getting. Currently, if you subscribe to Apple’s various TV, news, video, and gaming services, you have to sign up and pay for each one separately....

If you write a note and email it, then you edit that note, shouldn’t the copy update itself? If you save an email or web page as a reference for a project, shouldn’t you be able to click instantly back to that page or mail? That’s the promise of contextual computing. Apps like Notion, Roam Research, Obsidian, Devonthink, and Craft treat everything within them as a linkable item. Instead of maintaining many copies of one piece of information, you can link to the original, or embed it in other apps....

Running a 64-bit operating system on your computer is smart: it enables your computer to process data in 64-bit chunks, rather than the standard 32 bits, which leads to better performance. Get that same performance from iTunes by downloading the 64-bit version. iTunes Versions Compatible With 64-bit Editions of Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista Download current or older versions of iTunes 64-bit directly from Apple: iTunes 12.10.11 (this is the current version of iTunes for 64-bit Windows) iTunes 12....

Shutterstock is set to acquire TurboSquid, a marketplace for 3D assets and imagery. It’s paying $75 million, and the deal will make Shutterstock “the world’s largest 3D marketplace,” according to the press release. The goal, presumably, is to completely own the stock imagery market, no matter how that imagery is created. “I believe that photography and 3D can and will co-exist as marketing tools in product photography,” Eugenia Gangi, founder and CEO of NOLA Real Estate Marketing & Photography, told Lifewire via email....

Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a new version of Edge built on Chromium—the same platform Google Chrome and other browsers use. Edge quickly gained popularity among internet users, and now Microsoft is looking to sweeten the deal with a new performance mode. Experts say it could be enticing for users tired of Chrome using so much of their computer’s resources. “Performance mode is simply the cherry on top in helping Edge get the upper hand and streamline their RAM and CPU usage,” Eric Florence, a cybersecurity analyst at SecurityTech, told Lifewire in an email....