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Lighting is about so much more than convenience. The type of lighting you have speaks to your sense of style. In the same way that a chandelier tells a different story than a fluorescent overhead light, certain kinds of smart lights separate themselves from the competition. In our article about the best smart lights on a budget , we focused on utility and cost. This guide will be entirely the opposite and instead focus wholly on the best smart lights with style with no regard for cost....

Microsoft maintains an important tool for Windows users called the Malicious Software Removal tool. If you’ve been running a Windows system (including Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows 11) without any antivirus software for a while, it’s a good idea to use this tool to scan for malware your system may be infected with. It’s more of a spot-check tool when you know your system has been at risk of getting malware....

Apple Reminders is one of the really useful apps that come preloaded on your iOS and Mac-based devices. As the name suggests and as you may already know, it lets you create reminders that you want to be reminded about on your devices. You can use it to get reminders about the tasks that you think you’ll forget if you don’t put them on a list. Most people who use the Apple Reminders app only use its basic features of it....

Windows displays the “Install error – 0x80070103” when it encounters issues installing driver updates. This usually happens when Windows attempts to install an incompatible or existing driver update on your computer. Low storage space and corrupt system files can also trigger the Windows Update install error 0x80070103. You can eliminate this error code by rebooting your PC, deleting temporary files, or running the Windows Update troubleshooter. Take the troubleshooting steps below to eliminate the underlying problem causing the 0x80070103 Windows Update error....

When you perform a task that requires administrative privileges in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008, the User Account Control ( UAC ) dialog box displays. User Account Control limits applications to standard user privileges, even in a user account with administrator privileges assigned to it. When you run applications, they are run as a standard user, unless they are specifically approved to have administrator privileges. User Account Control approval happens on a per-application basis....

There is a little known feature in word that allows you to gather groups of text and/or graphics from different locations in a Word document and then paste all of that text into another location. It is called the Spike and it is different in than the Clipboard, which allows you work with only one copied set of text at a time. The Spike is named after an old-fashioned paper holder onto which people poked papers as they were done with them....

The mantra “sharing is caring” seems to have soared to a whole new level in recent years with the multiple ways to share things on our devices. From photos and videos to songs and albums to your location and availability, you can share anything from your computer or mobile device. If you’re someone who shares often, you can make the process easier than ever. Using the Shortcuts app for Mac (new with macOS Monterey), iPhone, and iPad you can share just about anything; we’ll show you how....

A virtual machine is a great way to use different operating systems, like Windows, Linux, or macOS, without buying another computer. But which is best: VMWare or VirtualBox? What Do VirtualBox and VMWare Do? VMWare and VirtualBox are machine virtualization solutions, also known as hypervisors. They let you run a full virtual computer with its own operating system in a virtualized machine on another computer. But why would you want to do that?...

If you’re new to Macs and OS X, you may have noticed that some of your app icons in the Dock have a small black dot under them. The black dot is normally always under the Finder icon no matter what. The black dot basically indicates that the application is running. It’s kind of like when you launch a program in Windows and it shows up on the taskbar with a grey line underneath it....

Have you noticed a little text notification saying “dial assist” when you make a call on your iPhone ? This feature is enabled by default for all iOS users, whether on an iPhone 5, iPhone 7, or iPhone 14. This little feature helps to ensure calls connect quickly and easily. In this article, we’ll help you better understand dial assist and how to turn it off or on. Android phones have a similar feature called “Assisted Dialing....

The IP address 192.168.0.1 is the most common address to access and configure wireless routers from a web browser. It’s a default address because specific IP address ranges are reserved for different types of networks, and 192.168.0.1 is reserved for networks such as your home LAN. The story of this IP address is deeper than you might think, but before we get into that we’ll cover the bare basics of what an IP address is....

Google uses several techniques to prevent unnecessary traffic from abusing its search engine. One technique that can cause problems is the Google “unusual traffic” message that you might see, for instance, if you’ve performed too many searches in a short space of time. There are other reasons for this message to appear, however. If this particular Google error is preventing you from using the Google search engine effectively, you can troubleshoot the issue by following the steps below....

Starting with iOS 14, Apple bolstered iPhone privacy with lots of exciting additions. Most of them—such as App Tracking Transparency (ATT) —made constant headlines and significantly impacted the way apps function. But a feature that mostly flew under the radar was MAC randomization. Its built-in functionality goes a step beyond by helping you preserve your anonymity from unscrupulous Wi-Fi networks. If you want to figure out what MAC randomization does and how you can use it to set up or change your private MAC address on the iPhone, then keep reading....

Home 3D printers have now been on the market for many years and are affordable to anyone who wants one. They’ve grown from a hobbyist curiosity to useful tools that can help you fix small problems around the home, create art pieces or help you prototype parts for projects. The uses for a 3D printer are only limited by your imagination! Now, however, an entirely different type of 3D printer is entering the home market....

There is a lot of hype surrounding DirectStorage, a new feature that developers can use to eliminate loading times and improve the overall experience for gamers. But what is DirectStorage, and will it live up to the rumors? In this article, we’ll cover what DirectStorage is, how it works, and how you can use it on Windows 11. What Is Microsoft’s DirectStorage? DirectStorage is a feature included in the latest DirectX 12 iterations designed to make the gaming experience better by accessing the full capabilities of newer generation SSDs....

If you are interested in sound quality, you should learn about the Harman Curve. On the other hand, if you are looking for the perfect headphones , you must have heard the term Harman target curve. Maybe you have read reviews praising the headphones tuned to hit this target. Truthfully, headphones tuned to the Harman Curve are not everyone’s cup of tea. This article will help you understand what the Harman Curve is and the science behind it....

You may have heard about applications running in “kernel” or “user” mode. It’s all down to how operating systems work when they do their jobs. Once you understand that, it’s easy to grasp the difference between user mode and kernel mode. Understanding What an Operating System Does A computer consists of hardware, the electronic components, and software, the computer code executed by that hardware. But what may be less clear is how they work together....

A common issue many Apple users encounter is a mysterious charge from Apple/iTunes with a phone number listed alongside. If you’re an iPhone, iPad, or Mac user or have family members who are, you might have seen this and wondered what it’s all about. In this article, we’ll examine why the Apple/iTunes charge shows up on your credit card bill, how to verify its authenticity, and how to steer clear of scams disguised as Apple/iTunes bills....

Linking a debit or credit card to Apple Wallet is straightforward. However, some people encounter one issue or another during the process. If you can’t add a card to Apple Wallet, we’ll explain why that happens and how to fix the issue. Why Can’t I Add My Card to Apple Pay? 9 Ways to Fix 1. Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection Is your Wallet app displaying a “Could Not Connect to Apple Pay....

Windows 10 Game Mode is designed to improve performance when gaming, even for lower-end computers. It can help stabilize the frame rate in games that demand more system resources, even if your computer can’t normally handle it. If you’re running a newer game on an older computer and want to see improved performance, let Windows 10 Game Mode do the work for you. This guide will cover how it works, how to enable it, and how to get the most benefit out of the tool....