Androidifying

Have you ever received a call from the IRS tell you that you owe a ton of money? What about from a “Microsoft support specialist” telling you that your computer is infected with viruses? These are (almost always) illegal robocalls that use phone number spoofing to get you to pick up. It has become a huge problem over the last couple of years, with companies like T-Mobile going so far as to label suspected bad actors when they call you . Now, the FCC is getting involved. See also Common phone scams you should be aware of As you may know, the internet can be a dangerous place sometimes. Scammers never rest, and they are out to get your money, personal data, or both. So if you ever receive an email from … While T-Mobile’s naming and shaming move is a step in the right direction, it’s not enough. These calls still get through and not ever carrier alerts its customers. Plus, even if you are being alerted, it’s pretty frustrating to get five calls a day you have to immediately

For today only, Windscribe VPN is offering a lifetime subscription for just $49.99 , and you can slash an additional 20% off when you check out with the coupon code windscribesd20 . Virtual Private Networks are becoming increasingly necessary for internet users as security concerns are on the rise. VPNs let you browse anonymously from any of your devices, preventing ISPs or malicious third parties from tracking your behavior or accessing your personal information . Windscribe is an excellent option for both power users and VPN noobs . Rather than being just a VPN service, Windscribe is a complete security suite that includes a desktop application and a browser extension. The setup process is intuitive and straightforward, unlike other VPNs which occasionally require frustrating configurations. Once Windscribe is setup, it will hum pleasantly in the background, protecting your information online. Windscribe VPN in a glance: Mask your physical location from 3rd parties w/

This Black Friday, we have had our heads turned by a seriously discounted, seriously high-quality  Excel eLearning package aimed at… well…. everyone . On your resume, does it say something like ‘ Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel ’? Once upon a time mine did. I did a stint in the finance sector, spent plenty of time coloring the boxes and making spreadsheets that looked good on a printout. I’d even dabbled in the equations bar sometimes – I basically thought I had it down. How wrong I was. When I applied for a role which involved Excel proper, the competency test chewed me up and spat me out . All I can now remember from that traumatic episode was that it involved pivot-table look-ups and macros. Excel is so much more powerful a tool than I had realized at the time. It has functions for complex data analysis and all kinds of statistical modelling. Little wonder it’s used by pretty much every single organization on the planet. How wrong I was. Whether you’re a comple

If you’re on the prowl this Black Friday for a gamer (or yourself!) then you might want to check out this hot digital offering: for today only, Jump is offering their 12-month subscription model for just $39.99 . That means you end up just paying $3.99 per month instead of the usual price of $9.99 per month . What, ‘Netflix of Games’? Right. For those not in the know, Jump is a service that offers you instant access to a library of award-winning indie games that is updated every month. The growing indie market is where we’re seeing the most innovation and creativity in graphical style, gameplay mechanics, and storytelling techniques, since most triple-A developers are stuck leaning on increasingly boring tried-and-true approaches. The only problem is, a lot of indie games are more miss than hit, so some players are hesitant to invest their hard-earned cash in some obscure new developer’s pet project. That’s where Jump comes in . From your PC, Mac, or Linux computer, you

If you’re in the market for a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 , you have a plethora of options on where to pick one up. It’s in carrier stores and other brick and mortar retailers like Best Buy. If you don’t want to leave your house, you can order one directly from Samsung or maybe even pick one up used from Swappa.  But, would you be shocked to know that you can get one from Microsoft too? Yep, it’s true. Microsoft is now selling the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 . This comes just after it began selling the Razer Phone  and the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus last week . In fact, if you’re looking to pick up the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, Microsoft has them on sale, dropping the price by $150. So, what’s the deal? Why is Microsoft selling the Galaxy Note 8? Well, the best we can tell, it is so it can push its software suite. The Note 8 sold from Microsoft comes Microsoft’s new launcher and packed with productivity software like Word, Excel, OneNote, Cortana , and Outlook . You sti

If you’re in the market for some solid Bluetooth earbuds that deliver quality audio without breaking the bank, we’ve got a deal for you! We’ve just caught wind that this pair of FRESHeBUDS Air earbuds are going for just $24.95 . Since their sticker price is $119.99 , that means you’re getting nearly  80 percent off with this offer. Earlier this year at CES, we tried out a pair Onkyo’s $100,000 headphones. The sound was pretty stellar, but worth that price tag? Frankly not. The truth is that we’re reaching an era of audio technology where quality sound can be delivered quite inexpensively. Often, most of what you’re paying for with audio products these days is brand recognition. In short, if you’re just in this for the music then this might be the right deal for you. FRESHeBUDS Air Earbuds in a Glance: Bluetooth 4.1 capability delivers clear, HD audio wirelessly 6 hours of battery life lets you listen almost all day 30-foot range lets you answer your phone or change songs

According to a support page, Google Home is gaining some new functionality. The smart home devices support page of Google Home has been updated detailing some new features that have yet to be announced publicly. These new features include more direct control over smart home devices and scene support. Direct Control Google Home is now getting direct control over more smart devices. Up until now, the devices Home could directly control has been limited to things like lights, smart switches , thermostats , and security cameras. But, it looks like that’s about to change. If you have a smart washer, dryer, vacuum, or dishwasher, you know that Google Home can normally control these by jumping through some hoops. Unless Google Home has direct control over a device, you have to ask it to talk to another service to perform an action. This means you have to remember the exact phrases that service uses instead of relying on Google’s natural language processing to relay your command. When