Douglas Rissing/Getty Images Smart locks are definitely one of the essential smart home gadgets that you should use as they provide more security and convenience to your home. Smart locks are one of the best smart home gadgets for minimalists because they eliminate the need to carry keys around, but they’re great devices for anyone worried about losing their keys or being locked out of their home. However, a question that often comes up about smart locks is how long they last. So we turned to real users to find…
Author: Amelia Scott
PeopleImages/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. The modern world is remarkably interconnected, so much so that you can still access most of the data and apps on your phone, even on the other side of the planet. However, you are likely to encounter some problems when traveling abroad. Your phone might not be able to connect to local wireless networks without roaming, different plug formats might cause issues, your battery might drain on the road, and more. That’s why, when traveling abroad, you’d be wise…
Marek Sowa/Shutterstock Over the years, Chromebooks have been associated with online tasks and services. This is why many users believe that Chromebooks, while cost-effective, are largely useless offline. And even though ChromeOS relies on online services, Chromebooks, like other laptops, can be used offline for a number of different things, and it’s not that complicated either. Some offline work on Chromebooks, like checking and composing emails or using Google Drive, requires a bit of pre-configuration, while watching movies without an Internet connection is largely seamless. Just like any other device,…
José Adorno/BGR Unlike iPhones, iPads took a little longer to offer users the ability to check their battery health. Although the company has never explained why, it’s possible that since the iPad isn’t used as much as the iPhone, most people either didn’t care or were simply unaware of their tablet’s battery degradation. Additionally, the iPad has a larger battery than the iPhone, which means the iPad can, in theory, last longer on a single charge than the company’s smartphones. While Apple has allowed users to check battery health in…
Jonathan434343/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Whether you’re an avid audiophile on a never-ending quest for the gear that will finally deliver a truly optimal listening experience, or you’re just a casual enthusiast looking for gear that will take your music, movies, and gaming to the next level, you may have come across the term in-ear monitors (IEMs) a lot lately. As the name suggests, these are basically headphones that sit in the user’s ear. Although they were initially designed for musicians to allow them…
Studio Prostock/Shutterstock The morning commute to work or school can seem like it lasts forever, especially if you don’t have a physical book to read or someone to talk to. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps available for your smartphone or tablet that can make traveling a little less tedious. Whether you want to pass the time by listening to your favorite playlist or a captivating new audiobook, immersing yourself in a confusing mobile game, continuing to watch the latest TV series that got you hooked, learning a new language,…
Although it is a leading device manufacturer, the company’s phones are not common in the United States. Robert Way/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Americans looking at a list of the most popular smartphone brands around the world may be faced with a harsh reality: We are systematically cut off from some of the most exciting mobile technologies on the market. Most consumers are forced to choose between smartphones from a handful of brands, primarily Apple, Samsung, Google and Motorola. But take a trip abroad and you’ll discover a multitude of…
kipgodi/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. I like to think of myself as a professional saver. What was once a fun hobby turned into a small business that helped pay for college. My specialty was vintage electronics, buying them cheap, refurbishing them and flipping them for a modest profit. Because of this, over the years I have learned to spot broken audio equipment that can easily be repaired. A number of repairs needed to bring vintage electronics back to life are often quite simple. Many…
Strigana/Shutterstock If you’ve ever looked at your laptop’s webcam and noticed a bright red light when you’re not on a video call, it might seem worrying. Often the first thought is that your laptop has been hacked or your webcam is spying on you. And that’s a reasonable concern, given how many privacy-conscious users around the world are putting tape over their laptop’s camera. But the red dot or light on your webcam doesn’t necessarily indicate that your webcam is recording. On Windows laptops, a red light on or near…
Stas Button/Shutterstock Most consumer electronics come standard with a 3.5mm audio jack (also known as a ⅛ jack), which means you can purchase a universal headphone audio cable from virtually any retailer and use it on your range of compatible devices, including headphones, laptops and tablets. While newer Sennheiser headphones, like the HD 6XX series, feature this standard 3.5mm audio jack (often with a 6.35mm adapter included), some of the brand’s headphone models, especially older ones, have a different design. Rather than having a standard 3.5mm audio jack that most…