How-To Geek

Cameron Summerson

If you’re running a Google Pixel handset, your phone is safe from a security hole that could let a PNG file completely wreck the system. If you’re using nearly any other Android handset, then your phone is vulnerable. This is a problem.

Google recently released the February security update for Pixel devices, which closes a hole that would allow malicious PNG files to “execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process.” In simpler terms, the code can run at a high level and steal your info—all you need to do is open the file. That’s it.

That means any PNG that comes to you—be it in an email, a messaging client, or even over MMS—could potentially hijack the system and steal valuable data. That is, on any phone that isn’t a Pixel, because they’re protected now. Samsung, LG, OnePlus, and most other manufacturers’ handsets are still susceptible to this bug. We have to start holding manufacturers to a higher standard when it comes to security updates. Period.

I currently have four Android phones within arm’s reach: Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 1, Samsung Galaxy S9, and OnePlus 6T. The two Pixels are patched and protected with the February update, but the S9 and 6T are only on the December security patches. That means any newer vulnerabilities—like this PNG one, for example—are unpatched on both of these handsets. Considering that Samsung Galaxy devices are among the most popular phones on the planet, this is troubling.

Cameron Summerson

But it’s not just an issue because of the current problem. This is a dynamic problem that is a constant concern—or at least it should be. As long as there are new vulnerabilities, delayed security updates will always be an issue. So, to put that in simpler terms: this will always be an issue because vulnerabilities are guaranteed.

While Android “fragmentation” has long been an issue (since the platform was introduced, essentially) when it comes to full OS updates, this should not apply to security updates. These are not “new features are cool, and I want them” updates, these are crucial data-protecting updates. Regardless of whether they’re small or not, this isn’t something that should be overlooked by any consumer. Ever.

RELATED: Fragmentation Isn’t Android’s Fault, It’s the Manufacturers’

Currently, manufacturers are doing a terrible job of protecting their users, full stop. While not getting full OS updates (or even point releases) is annoying at best, not getting security updates is unacceptable. It sends a message that can’t be ignored: it says that your phone manufacturer doesn’t care about your data. Your info isn’t important enough for them to protect.

Security updates aren’t huge like full OS updates or even point releases. They’re released monthly by Google, so they’re much smaller and easier to bake into the system—even for third-party manufacturers. Again, there’s no real excuse not to make this a priority.

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Apple’s Original Logo Featured Which Famous Inventor?

1. Sir Isaac Newton
2. Thomas Edison
3. Nikola Tesla
4. Alexander Graham Bell

Think you know the answer?

Tired of racing people to the overhead compartments? Maybe it’s time to start shoving that carry-on luggage under the seat.

Underseat bags, while not as big as overhead bags, are incredible pieces of luggage. They’re compact, lightweight, and the best of them can totally replace your overhead bag. An underseat bag can take the hassle out of a short flight, but it can also smooth the edges of a long flight.

Not to mention, replacing (or supplementing) your overhead bag with an underseat bag can provide you with in-flight access to the snacks, games, and books that would usually be thumping around above somebody’s head. You won’t have to scramble together what you need while boarding, and you won’t have to beg an attendant to let you dig around in the overhead compartment mid-flight.

A lot of underseat bags have found their way to store shelves and online retailers, but none of them are created equal. Some of them are just big, pocket-less nylon tote bags. What’s the point in buying a piece of luggage that isn’t durable or organized?

That’s why we’ve taken the time to find the best underseat bags in a variety of shapes and sizes. All of these bags are durable, organized, and suited to a modern flyer’s needs.

Samsonite Underseater With USB Port ($90) Samsonite

Samsonite Underseater is a strange, exciting little bag. It’s a bit roomier than most underseat bags, and tows the line between a backpack and a serious piece of luggage. The Underseater has four organized pockets, and the main pocket is big enough to hold a 15″ laptop. It has a set of wheels and a retractable handle, but it can still slide onto the handle of a larger bag. The Underseater also has a USB port that can be linked with a portable battery, for easy in-flight phone charging.

Really, anyone can get some use out of the Underseater. It’s a great primary bag for short flights, as it can hold a lot of clothes and electronics. But it’s also a good piece of supplemental luggage for longer flights, because it has so many organized pockets for your laptop, your portable battery, snacks, books, and games.

Buy on Amazon Samsonite Advena Travel Bag ($55) Samsonite

If you’re looking for a deep and durable underseat bag, then you should check out the Samsonite Advena. It’s a duffel-styled bag with two large pockets, a shoulder strap, and a sleeve that can slide over the handles of a larger bag.

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Smarthome gadgets are convenient, but what happens when the power goes out? Can you unlock an electric smart lock? Will all your smart lights come on at 3 a.m. when the power returns? And what about your garage door.

Power Outages Aren’t Much Worse For Smart Homes

Power outages happen, and they’re annoying to everyone. Every home depends on electricity to power climate control, lighting, internet, appliances, and so many other modern conveniences. A power outage is a problem in a smarthome, sure—but it’s a problem in every home.

Let’s be honest: Losing power in a smarthome isn’t different from losing it in any other home these days. Most smart devices will stop functioning just like most “dumb” devices, but there are some things to keep in mind—especially for smart locks and some smart lights.

Smart Locks Are Battery Powered, and May Have A Backup

Just because you’ve lost power doesn’t mean a smart lock has completely stopped working. Smart locks are battery powered, so the locking mechanism can keep working even when the rest of your home loses power. However, any remote capabilities that rely on the internet or a connected hub will not work. And that includes battery notifications, so if the power outage is expected to last you might want to replace your batteries as a precaution.

Batteries dying won’t be a concern if your smart lock includes a keyhole. In that case, make sure to have your key, but if your smart lock features only a keypad or Bluetooth connection then go ahead and replace the batteries or at the very least test their charge. Some smart locks have terminals to receive a charge from a 9V battery as well; if that applies to you, then it may be worthwhile to store one in your car in the glovebox. For example, both the Schlage Z-Wave connect and the Kwikset Kevo have keyholes, while the Yale Assure Lock features a 9-volt battery backup option.

Smart Lights Might Wake You Up

While your power is out, your smart lights are the same as any other light—off. They won’t do much of anything until you get power back, which is no surprise. The bigger question is what happens when the power comes back on. Many smart lights will stay off until you explicitly turn them back on. But some lights, like Philips Hue bulbs, can act differently. Depending on the current setting, these bulbs may turn on as soon as your power returns.

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Which Computer Engineer Is Best Known For Giving The Mother Of All Demos?

1. Bill Gates
2. Tim Berners-Lee
3. Douglas Engelbart
4. Steve Jobs

Think you know the answer?

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A good quality car shampoo is key for starting off your car cleaning experience just right. The best car shampoo will clean off all the dirt without leaving a mark or stain in sight. We’ve looked at some of the best options out there for you.

In all cases, we’ve focused on gentle formulations that are pH neutral and guaranteed to not damage your car’s clearcoat or underlying paint. We’ve also looked at some options that work great without water, or that don’t require you to wax separately afterwards. After all, not everyone wants to spend hours detailing their car, right?

Here’s our favorite car shampoos for every situation.

Best Overall: Adam’s Car Wash Shampoo ($45) Adam’s Polishes

Adam’s Car Wash Shampoo is a perfect one-stop destination for washing your car. It’s pH neutral, guarantees to never scratch, cause swirls, or leave water spots, and it’s easy to use. Its formulation is safe on all vehicle surfaces including paint, rubber, vinyl, glass, and plastics.

You can use it with a bucket of water to create a rich, thick head of foam or you can opt to pair it with a foam gun or cannon for a snow like consistency. It smells nice too which is always a welcome bonus. Simply add a few ounces of the gel to your water and you’re set up to wash your car without any hassle. It’s sure to become a favorite of yours.

Buy on Amazon Best Wash And Conditioner: Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash ($30) Meguiar’s

Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash is a dependable all in one solution if you want something that both cleans and conditions your car. Because not everyone wants to do that in separate steps. Meguiar’s formulation does a good job of foaming away tough dirt and road grime, while also adding ultra-rich conditioners to your paintwork. Somehow, it does all that without stripping away wax protection.

Like the Adam’s solution, you can slip it into a bucket or foam gun so it’s pretty easy to apply, although generally, you’ll get better results from this via the bucket and scrub method than foam gunning it. Bear that in mind if you want minimal effort when washing. Still, it’ll last you a while thanks to its high concentration levels of about 1 ounce to 1 gallon of water.

Buy on Amazon Best Concentrate: Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss ($45) Chemical Guys

Chemical Guys is always a great brand for car washing products so we couldn’t skip mentioning its Citrus Wash and Gloss. It smells as nice as it sounds with a biodegradable formula that out performs any shampoo that uses more aggressive chemicals. Its fast penetrating lubricating foam lifts and holds soil, so you won’t have to put much effort into your wash.

It also goes a long way with 1 cap of the shampoo combining with 5 gallons of water. It works equally as well via the bucket method or using a foam gun or cannon. Just make sure to shake it up before use as otherwise the agents can separate in transit.

Buy on Amazon Best For Waterless Wash: Adam’s Waterless Car Wash ($54) Adam’s Polishes

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A time-lapse is the opposite of slow-mo: instead of slowing down fast-moving activities they speed up slow ones. They’re perfect for showing the movement of clouds, crowds, traffic, and the like. You can even use them to show slow moving things like blooming flowers.

The great thing about time-lapses is that they’re very easy for photographers to shoot. Each frame is a single still image. Let’s have a look at the basics of shooting one yourself.

Before You Start

While it’s possible to shoot a time-lapse with your iPhone, for this article we’re going to look at using DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. They give you the most control.

RELATED: How to Select and Use a Tripod

As well as your camera, you need a tripod to keep everything locked in the same position. You also need an intervalometer so you can take photos at the same interval; some cameras have one built in, but if yours doesn’t, any decent remote shutter release will work.

RELATED: How to Remotely Control Your Camera

The final thing you have to do before starting is to work out how many images you have to shoot. There are calculators that can help, but I find it’s worth doing the math yourself.

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Cel-Shading Was First Used In Which Video Game?

1. Robotech: Battlecry
2. Jet Set Radio
3. Mega Man X7
4. Cel Damage

Think you know the answer?

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There are a lot of reasons for wanting to boot from an external drive. If you’d like to keep files synced between a desktop and laptop, expand your storage, or have a bootable backup copy of your system, there’s a hidden feature in Disk Utility that makes it easy.

Generally, booting from an external drive will be slower, even with new Thunderbolt and USB-C drives. Those are still much slower than the solid state drives (SSDs) found in most new Macs. So while this isn’t recommended for daily use, it’s still possible.

Straight from Disk Utility, No Third Party Apps Required

Fire up Disk Utility from Spotlight (Command+Space) or the Utilities folder in your applications. You’ll be greeted with a list of all of your volumes, including your internal hard drive (probably called OS X or Macintosh HD) and your external hard drive.

Here’s where we get to that hidden feature we mentioned.

The “Restore” button in Disk Utility will copy the files from a backup to your main drive. It’s intended to be used from Recovery mode to restore your hard drive after a failure.

But, if you choose your external drive as the restore target, you can flip that action around and copy files from your main drive to the backup. Select your external drive in the sidebar, click “Restore” in the menu, and then select your main drive as the “Restore From” option. You can also choose an ISO image, but that doesn’t have much use here.

Click “Restore,” and Disk Utility will start the copying process. This can take fairly long, depending on the speed of your external drive and its connection to your Mac, so it’s best to have a fast hard drive with Thunderbolt, USB-C, or USB 3.0 connections.

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Spotify updated its terms of services to prohibit ad blockers, bots, and fraudulent streams. If you use an ad blocker on the streaming service, you should stop, or you may be banned from the service.

Spotify sent out an email to its users notifying changes to its Terms of Service. Helpfully, it included some plain English summaries in the email. While the usual boilerplate points were present, promising easier to understand language and updated information about third-party subscriptions, applications, and devices, one section of the summary stood out:

We’ve updated our User Guidelines, making it clear that all types of ad blockers, bots, and fraudulent streaming activities are not permitted

Spotify is like any other company, with the need to make a profit. But profitability has been extremely difficult, so much so that it just posted the first profitable quarter in the streaming service’s twelve-year history. That’s an enormous amount of time to lose money quarter after quarter.

So these changes are designed to accomplish two things. Ensure that Spotify receives all the money it should (no ad blockers), and prevent Spotify from paying out money that it shouldn’t (no fake streams). Unfortunately for Spotify, in addition to ad blockers for browsers, there are apps for Windows and Android designed to block the streaming service’s ads. If you’re using any of these options, you should probably stop immediately, lest your account gets terminated.

Spotify makes clear in its wording that you accept the new Terms of Service by continuing to stream, and the only way to opt out is to close your account. If you keep using ad blockers, Spotify says it will ban your account. The best way to avoid ads on Spotify is to pay for the premium service. If you don’t want to pay for premium, then you’ll need to stop using ad blockers and accept the ads.

There’s nothing better than a new iPad. And now might be your only chance to grab a new iPad for $100 off before Valentine’s Day.

Right now, Amazon is selling the 128GB iPad 6th Gen for just $330—that’s the same price the 32GB model usually goes for, making this a killer buy. This iPad is part of Apple’s newest iteration of tablets, and it’s one of the best tablets for professionals, mobile game players, musicians, and visual artists. Oh, and it makes a great Valentine’s Day gift.

The iPad has a 9.7″ retina display, fingerprint sensor, HD 8MP camera, and a 10-hour battery life. It works really well with an Apple Pencil, and it can be paired with a Bluetooth keyboard for typing on the go. It’s one of our favorite tablets, and it can even compete with some laptops for many people.

Of course, deals like this are few and far between. The iPad is an incredibly popular device, and it usually retails at a competitive price of about $430. If you’re interested in an iPad, now is a great time to pick one up at a ridiculous $100 discount.

Buy on Amazon

Still trying to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift? You could save a bit of money by buying one on Amazon.

Right now, Amazon is discounting most of its tablets and smart devices, including the Echo Show and the Kindle Fire. And these aren’t some puny little deals, some products are 50 percent off. If your Valentine is a big fan of e-readers and smart home products, now may be the perfect opportunity to impress them.

Of course, you could always buy these products for yourself if you’re Valentine-less this year. Amazon won’t know the difference. Keep in mind that less expensive products, like the Echo Input, work best when you buy a bunch of them. Grabbing one for every room of your home can make your smarthome setup even more efficient.

Here are the best Valentine’s Day discounts on Amazon products:

• Echo Input – $20
• Amazon Echo – $70
• Amazon Echo Plus – $120
• Kindle Paperwhite – $100
• Kindle Fire 3-Pack – $108
• Echo Dot Kid’s Edition – $35
• Echo Show – $180
• Echo Spot – $100
• Ring Alarm System – $160
• Buy Two 4K Fire TV Sticks – $85

These discounts won’t last forever (and Valentine’s Day is approaching quickly), so don’t wait too long to make your big purchase.

Buy on Amazon

Epson

Can a label maker bring you joy? Kind of. It can certainly help you organize your life a little better and make it easier to find things—we’ve got a selection of great label makers for aiding everything from everyday items to crafting or outdoor use.

There comes a time in every life where you suddenly realize just how useful having your own custom labels are—or would be if you had a label maker. Whether it’s because you need to label some power adaptors so they’re easier to identify, or you want to set up an intricate Tupperware storage system to organize hobby supplies, there’s a label maker for you. Our list encompasses label makers of varying abilities and prices, but all are high quality and sure to improve your organizational skills in some way. Even if the idea of them sparking joy might sound unlikely.

Here’s the pick of the best label makers.

Best Overall: Brother P-touch PTD210 ($25) Brother

If you need a label maker for mostly everything in your life then you can’t go wrong with the Brother P-touch PTD210. It’s suitably versatile for many different situations. With one touch keys, you can easily gain quick access to fonts, frames, symbols, as well as templates. It also has an easy access memory system so you can store up to 30 labels for quick reprinting.

14 fonts are available with 10 unique styles, 97 frames, and more than 600 symbols. Because of all that, it works just great for boringly responsible tasks like organizing tax records, as well as more fun projects like arranging your herb garden pots nicely.

Buy on Amazon Best For Rugged Or Outdoors Use: Brady BMP21-PLUS Handheld Label Printer ($88) Brady

A rugged label maker is necessary if you plan on heading outside a lot with it or to more industrial locations. That could be if you’re in the server room labeling up cables, or if you’re simply delving into the attic to tidy up some wires. Even if you just need a tough label maker to survive clumsy drops in a warehouse then the Brady BMP21-PLUS Handheld Label Printer is for you.

This handheld label maker is sturdy and will fit alongside your toolbox nicely. It skimps on an extensive array of ‘pretty’ features for the text but there are still over 100 symbols to choose from. It’s suited well for working on irregular or rough surfaces thanks to the labels’ aggressive adhesive. Each of them has superior chemical resistance too.

Buy on Amazon Best For Postage Labels: DYMO LabelWriter 450 Turbo ($86) DYMO

For small business owners, the DYMO LabelWriter 450 Turbo is well worth checking out. That’s because, through the DYMO Stamps software, you can print USPS-approved postage directly without any extra hassle. It’s also possible to print up to 71 address, shipping, file folder, barcode, and name badge labels per minute.

Additional options also mean you can create customized labels directly from your PC or Mac, which is great if you want to show off your business name and reputation. It’s a neat touch particularly if you’re still establishing yourself.

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Have you been telling yourself to buy a Raspberry Pi for the past few years? Well, today might be the day that you actually do it.

Building a Raspberry Pi media center or retro gaming console can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. You need to find the right parts, and often you can end up spending more than $100 for a project that should’ve been relatively cheap.

That’s why starter kits are a great starting point for new Raspberry Pi builders. Starter kits tend to be inexpensive, and they can be a good way to source all of the parts that you need without too much work.

Right now, Woot is selling a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Ultimate Starter Kit and a Super Retro Gaming Kit for $70 each. That’s $20 off of an already inexpensive kit. Both kits come with a Raspberry Pi 3 B+, a power supply, heat sinks, a 32GB Samsung SD card, an HDMI cable, and building instructions.

The Ultimate Starter Kit is geared toward novice programmers or people who want to build a tiny media center for their TV. It’s packaged with a clear case, jumper wires, LEDs, ribbon cables, an ethernet port, and a dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless LAN connector. Not to mention, it comes preloaded with NOOBS, an easy OS installer, so you can hit the ground running.

The Super Retro Gaming Kit is, obviously, targeted toward retro gamers. While it doesn’t come preloaded with any games, it does come with two SNES style gamepads, a SNES style case with a built-in fan, a RetroPie download wizard, a Bluetooth connector, and a Wi-Fi connector.

Buy on Woot

Roku TVs sometimes use a technology they call “Action Smoothing” to artificially speed up the framerate of video, but it often ends up looking fake and ruins the cinematic look of movies.

What Is “Action Smoothing” Anyway?

Action Smoothing is Roku’s implementation of motion smoothing, a common feature on high-end TVs. Motion smoothing works by increasing the framerate of the video on the TV. More frames make motion feel smoother, but there’s a problem: since there’s no way to create new frames out of nowhere, it has to take two frames and attempt to figure out what the “in between frame” is. This leads to a lot of motion-blurred frames and a fair number of artifacts.

Roku says “Action Smoothing” reduces “motion blur,” which is true as far as it goes. It can help you to see fast moving objects easier, but it adds a bit of motion blur to the in between images to make them smoother. That can be good for fast-action live events like sports, but it can make movies and TV shows look weird

This feature isn’t included on all Roku TVs. We couldn’t find it on any of our TCL Roku TVs, but some manufacturers do include it.

RELATED: Why Does My New HDTV’s Picture Look Sped Up and “Smooth”?

How to Turn Off Action Smoothing

Luckily, you can disable this feature on your Roku TV. Roku hides the option under “Advanced Picture Settings” in the menu, which you can open by pressing the “*” button below the direction pad on the remote. Note that how this button press works changes depending on what’s on your screen. It doesn’t work on the Roku home page or on the home pages of streaming video apps, which all use the “*” button for other things. You must be playing a video in a streaming app to access the menu. You can also access the menu by simply pressing “*” when you’ve selected a specific HDMI or other input on your TV—no need for a video to be playing then.

If your Roku has motion smoothing, you’ll see “Action Smoothing” options under Advanced Picture Settings. There are four different levels of Action Smoothing you can select: High, Medium, Low, and Off. If you just want to get rid of the motion smoothing effect, select “Off”. The other levels will use less motion smoothing, but will still interpolate the content. (If you don’t see the Action Smoothing options, your Roku TV doesn’t have motion smoothing.)

Your Roku TV will save your settings, but it has different settings for different types of content. Here’s what Roku says:

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If your Google Home or Amazon Echo has trouble controlling multiple lights or devices in a room, you probably haven’t set up groups correctly. Giving each item a unique name and then grouping those items makes your Voice Assistant work better.

Naming Devices Quickly Becomes Complicated

A smart bulb is one of the most natural things to add to a growing smarthome. You need light bulbs, and these are incredibly easy to install, requiring no wiring on your part. But you’ll quickly run into an issue with voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa: everything needs a name. As you add on other types of devices like smart switches or smart outlets, those names multiply, and it becomes harder to remember what to say when.

Unfortunately, Voice Assistants don’t truly understand you; they only listen for expected commands. So if you stumble over “turn on the study… I mean office window light” there’s a better than decent chance it will mishear you and do nothing at all, or do the wrong thing. If your device names aren’t memorable, then you’ll run into this issue frequently. But coming up with lots of different easy to remember names is hard, so you’re better off grouping your devices instead.

Naming Groups Reduces Device Name Complications

Voice assistants still aren’t as smart as they should be. The less “thinking” you make your voice assistant do, the better. Groups provide a convenient shortcut for both you and the voice assistant.

When you group your devices, the names of the individual devices matters less. You can name them Study1, Study2, and Study3—or you could call them Window Light, Wall Light, and Ceiling Light if you prefer—but you’ll seldom actually use these names. Instead, you will be using the group’s name when you speak to Alexa and Google Home by saying something like “Alexa, turn off the study lights.” If your three lights are all in a group named study, that will turn off all lights in that group. This will also help avoid confusion if you’ve named a smart light study and a smart outlet study (but you should avoid doing that).

Better yet, if you associate a voice assistant device in the room to that group, then you can say “turn off lights,” and it will know which lights to turn off based on that association. That is if you name a group. You may still want to choose unique names for the devices based on their location in the room, so if you ever do want to control just a single device remembering the name will come easier.

We recommend creating groups even if you have only one device you want to put into that group. The reason for this is that you might add more devices to the group in the future and changing your own habit of what you say can be difficult.

How to Set Up Groups for Amazon Alexa

We’ve covered setting up groups in Alexa before, but it’s a pretty straight forward process. Just tap the devices button at the bottom of the Alexa app, and then either tap your existing group or tap the plus sign in the upper right corner followed by “Add group” to create a new group. Then tap on the devices you want to add to the group.

RELATED: How to Control Your Smarthome Products with the Amazon Echo

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In our interconnected world a power outage is particularly frustrating. But if you have an electric power station on hand, then you never have to worry about dead cellphones or gadgets again.

Large capacity batteries are becoming more affordable and more efficient. It’s gotten to the point that a shoe-box sized electric power station can, in the right contexts that is, give you more mileage than a loud, gas powered generator.  And you could use a power station to go off the grid for awhile, you’d just have to pair it with some solar panels.

It’ll be a long while before you can toss out the gas generator at your cabin and replace it a backpack friendly power station, of course, but the current generation of power stations are pretty amazing and you can easily stay juiced up at a remote campsite for days and weather minor power outages with your cellphone and laptop still going strong.

But there’s a lot to take into account before buying a power station. If you want a power station for outdoor or auto work, then you should find one that has a large capacity and a lot of AC or DC ports. But if you’re just looking for something to charge a couple of phones on a camping trip, then you’ll want to focus on portability and USB ports.

Luckily, we’ve done the research for you. Here’s our favorite power stations to keep the juice flowing whether you’re in the deep woods, deep under the snow in a power outage, or deep into a serious job at the worksite.

EcoFlow River 412Wh Power Station ($550)

If you’re looking for a large capacity power station that can charge multiple devices during a camping trip or power outage, then you should take a look at the EcoFlow River. We’ve raved about the EcoFlow River before—it has a capacity of 412Wh, which means that you should be able to power TV or lights for a couple of days. Or, if you want to blow through those 412Wh a little bit faster, then you can use the EcoFlow River to power up to 11 devices at a time. The River has 2 USB Quickcharge inputs, 2 regular USB inputs, 2 USB-C inputs, 2 AC outlets, 2 DC outlets, and a 12V car port input. That’s quite a few ports and significantly more than you’ll find on most power stations.

If you need some extra juice, then you can extend the life of this power station by pairing it with an EcoFlow solar panel. But really, 412Wh is more than enough power. The only real downside to this device is that it’s pretty expensive. And if you’re just trying to charge a couple of phones on a camping trip, this power station may be a little overkill.

Buy on Amazon Suaoki 150Wh Portable Power Station ($126)

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TechCrunch claims many iPhone apps “secretly record your screen.” Is that true? Well, yes, kind of—but their recording abilities are limited. Apple is now cracking down on these apps and requiring more transparency, too.

An App Can Only Record Your Activity In the App

First, let’s make this clear: iPhone and iPad apps can’t record everything you do on your phone’s screen. An app can only record what happens within the app itself.

In other words, even if an app is trying to record everything it can, it can only record the swipes, taps, and data you enter within that app. The Expedia app was one of the few singled out here. So, if you’re using Expedia, the app can record everything you swipe, tap, and type into the Expedia app. But, after you leave the app, it can’t see anything you do on your home screen or anything you type into another app. Apple’s iOS operating system would prevent apps from recording your screen all the time, even if they wanted to.

The only person who can record everything on your screen is you—with the screen recording tool built into iPhones. Apps can’t access that.

App Developers Are Monitoring Their Own Apps

With that scary headline taken away, we can see what’s going on: Apps from many major companies are monitoring what you do in the app itself.

It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that this is possible. When you’re using an app like Air Canada, Hollister, or Expedia, that app can monitor everything you tap and swipe in the app itself. It can monitor how many seconds you spend looking at a particular screen. It can even record text you type into that app. For example, if you type a credit card number into the app before changing your mind, deleting it, and typing a new credit card number, the app can capture that first credit card number. After all, you typed it in the app, and the app can monitor everything that happens in the app itself.

None of this is excusing the larger issue: That companies are doing this without clearly disclosing it to their customers. But you should be aware that, even if a company says it isn’t doing this in its app, any app can monitor anything that happens inside itself and you have no way of knowing. Apple is now trying to stop this from happening without your knowledge, which should at least give some app developers pause.

Websites Do This, Too

This behavior isn’t just restricted to iPhone apps. While you’re visiting a website, anything you do on that website can be monitored. It often is, too.

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HP

Printer ink is expensive. HP promises to help with a subscription service for ink, complete with cartridges that stop working when you cancel your subscription. But HP makes you count pages, and I’d rather print as much as I want.

HP’s Ink Subscription Service Sounded Like a Good Deal

In mid-2016 I was running into a recurring issue. I was always out of printer ink, and new cartridges were expensive. Laser printers can be cheaper for many people, but my household does print as many color photos as it does text documents, which means they’re not a good choice for me. So I purchased a new inkjet printer on the promise of HP’s easy-to-use ink subscription service. For a low cost, I would always have all the ink I needed—as long as I kept to a page limit, that is.

Now, years later, I’ve realized there was one other price of admission. The ink they’ve sent me isn’t mine; it’s theirs. And if I cancel the subscription when the billing cycle ends, the printer won’t use the ink anymore, and HP requires I send it back to them. I have to buy new ink to replace the ink that is already in my house.

HP Instant Ink is Easy to Use, and Inexpensive Up Front HP

As long as your HP internet-connected printer supports it, HP Instant Ink is very easy to set up. You go to their enrollment site, sign up for an account, and connect your printer. Once you finish signing up, HP will send you ink cartridges; billing begins when you install them in your printer. HP requires you to choose a plan that limits the pages you can print each month. HP doesn’t care what you print, just the pages needed for the job. A page with a single word on it and a full-color photo page are both the same as far as the plan is concerned. If you don’t use all your allotted pages in the month, the extra pages roll-over and you can use them next month.

How much you pay depends on the number of pages you can print and roll-over. HP offers a free plan with 15 pages per month, but no roll-over. If you go over the limit, you pay $1 for each set of 10 pages you print (meaning if you print five pages, you still pay $1). The first paid tier is $2.99 a month for 50 pages, and the ability to roll-over 100 pages from previous months. Additional pages are still $1 for a set of 10 pages. The next step up is $3.99 a month, with 100 pages per month and 200 roll-over pages. You’ll pay $1 for sets of 15 pages if you go over at this level. The top tier is $9.99 a month at 300 pages, and 600 roll-over pages. You’ll pay $1 per 20-page set if you go over this tier limit.

The Ink Stops Working if You Cancel

Here’s the kicker: if you cancel, your ink stops working. You read that right; as soon as your billing cycle ends the printer will not accept the ink anymore, and you’re required to send it back to HP. At least they provide the postage and packaging for that purpose.

HP doesn’t spell out any consequences in their terms of service for failure to send the ink back, so we checked with a support agent. They helpfully explained that nothing happens if you fail to send them back, but the cartridges would stop working. You’ll have to buy more ink on your own if you want to keep printing. HP ships specially marked ink as part of this process, and your printer recognizes that it is intended for Instant Ink subscribers only. It’s essentially DRM, but instead of locking down a digital movie or book, this locks down a physical product: the ink in your printer.

Instant Ink requires an internet connection for your printer. HP explains that they monitor your ink levels, so they know when to send you more, but as described in their Terms of Service the other reason for this is to remotely disable your ink cartridges if you cancel, or if there are any issues with your payment.

Those terms also give HP permission to “remotely change, patch, update, or otherwise modify your printer’s software, firmware or programming, without notice to you” to provide the Instant Ink service. HP also says it will remotely monitor your printer’s page count and ink status, as well as the “types of documents printed (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, pdf, jpeg, etc.).”

You’ll Save Money if You Print Mostly Color

Read the remaining 16 paragraphs

Which Book Was Released In An Asbestos Lined Hardcover Edition?

1. Fahrenheit 451
2. The Fire Raiser
3. Backdraft
4. Fire Eaters

Think you know the answer?