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How to use a two-factor security key

Two-factor authentication is a good way to add an extra layer of security to online accounts. It requires the use of your smartphone, however, which is not only inconvenient, but can be a problem if your phone is lost or breached. Hardware security keys can offer an additional layer of security to password-protected online accounts… Read more

The Moto G Stylus 5G is a step-up version of our favorite budget stylus phone

Motorola has announced the Moto G Stylus 5G, a new version of its very good, non-5G budget-friendly stylus phone. It offers broadly similar hardware to the 4G version, with notable exceptions in the new Snapdragon 480 5G chipset with sub-6GHz 5G connectivity and a bigger 5,000mAh battery. Priced at $399, it’s at the higher end… Read more

The pandemic might cut down e-waste but widen the digital divide

We now have evidence that staying home to game or stream and chill during the pandemic was pretty much a first-world problem (or privilege, depending on how you look at it). The proof is in a new report published today by the United Nations University and UN Institute for Training and Research that looks at… Read more

Google will stop charging search providers for chance to be Android default in Europe

Google is changing how its Android search engine choice screen works in Europe, following complaints from rivals about its pay-to-play model, the company has announced in a blog post. The selection screen appears for users when they first set up an Android device, and is designed to offer a choice of search engines after Google… Read more

OnePlus to launch stripped-down Nord CE 5G this week

OnePlus is planning to announce a new budget smartphone called the Nord CE 5G this week. TechRadar has a render of the device straight from OnePlus itself, showing that, well, it looks quite a lot like the original OnePlus Nord. The CE 5G, however, will be a little cut back in terms of specs. OnePlus’… Read more

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2: Benchmark Test & Performance Review

Introduction Sniper Ghost Warrior 2: Contracts is a long-range sniping assassination simulator wrapped in a beautiful first-person adventure. In its single-player campaign, you play as a contract killer who is supposed to plan and execute medium-to-extreme range assassinations using a sniper rifle. This isn’t a simple point-and-click, all the bullet physics from the real world… Read more

Google’s first folding Pixel is apparently still on track for a 2021 reveal

Google may have shied away from a Pixel Watch, but a Pixel Fold still very much seems to be on the way — following a leak last August that revealed the company was planning to release its first folding Pixel phone in late 2021, Korean industry site TheElec is now reporting that Samsung will begin… Read more

Will Apple end the newsletter boom?

Today, let’s talk about one of Apple’s many announcements this week at its Worldwide Developer Conference, which some see as a possible threat to the rise of journalism distributed by email. If that sounds self-indulgent, given that it’s coming from a journalist who distributes his work via email, I apologize. But it touches on so… Read more

Google’s password-protected photos feature is arriving on newer Pixels

Google’s Locked Folder feature, which allows you to password-protect specific images or videos to keep them from showing up in your main photo library, is available in the latest Pixel update, according to 9to5Google. Google’s page explaining Locked Folder says the feature is only currently available on Pixel devices, starting with the 3. When it… Read more

How to use Screen Time to keep your iPhone use within healthy limits

We all spend a lot of time on our phones, and it’s possible — just possible — that some of us spend too much time. In 2018, we ran an article explaining how to use what was then Apple’s brand-new Screen Time feature, which was built in order to help people keep their on-screen time… Read more

Intel Expands List of Thunderbolt 4-Compatible Chips Due to Shortages

Home News (Image credit: Intel) Sometimes small chips cause major problems. According to a report from Igor’sLab, Intel recently had to allow its partners to use previously uncertified USB Type-C and Power Delivery controllers from Texas Instruments with its latest Tiger Lake platforms, as well as previously-uncertified discrete Thunderbolt 4 JHL8440/JHL8540 ‘Maple Ridge’ controllers. Every personal… Read more

Sony WF-1000XM4

Our Verdict You won’t find many true wireless earbuds that come close to matching the all-round brilliance of the Sony WF-1000XM4 For Clear, detailed bass performance Wonderful sense of musicality Comfortable Class-leading battery life Against Missing Sony’s Multipoint feature Lacking ear tip choices No aptX HD How do you improve on arguably the best all-round… Read more

Microsoft is getting back into physical retail — sort of

Microsoft is returning to selling products at brick-and-mortar stores, kind of. The software giant will start selling products at its “Experience Centers” in London, New York City, and Sydney next month. Select Microsoft products will be available on July 1st, but the global chip shortage will impact what’s available to buy. Xbox Series X /… Read more

The FBI secretly launched an encrypted messaging system for criminals

An encrypted phone service called Anom was secretly run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a yearslong international sting operation. Law enforcement agencies across Europe, the US, and Oceania revealed Anom’s origins earlier today, saying they had arrested 800 criminal suspects based on intercepted communications. According to public statements, the FBI and other agencies… Read more

Instagram chief explains how the service decides what you see

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shed some light on how the social network decides what you see in a new blog post published on Tuesday. The explanation seems to be meant at least in part to combat persistent rumors that Instagram intentionally hides or disfavors certain posts, which Instagram says isn’t exactly true. The short answer… Read more