The new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions plan will work in Apple’s own Podcasts app and comes with an interesting suite of tools. Podcast creators will be able to see how many people are listening using analytics, and listeners can subscribe to paid podcasts with one click—just like buying an app. But is this enough to wrest creators away from more open—and cheaper—alternatives like Patreon? “Dedicated listeners are looking for ways to give back, get involved, and be heard,” podcast host Whitney Lauritsen told Lifewire via email....

Overall Findings The Blaze represents Fitbit’s foray into the smartwatch space, and the Apple Watch, now in its second edition, is still in its early days. While the devices look similar, they’re different when it comes to functionality. Design: Differences in Apple Watch vs. Fitbit Blaze Design For the design, Fitbit went with a hexagonal shape that is reminiscent of the Apple Watch’s iconic look. If you look at the device from far away, you could easily mistake it for an Apple Watch rather than a Fitbit device....

How Do Self-Driving Cars Work? Self-driving cars use an array of sensors and control systems to automate the process of driving. Some are more automated than others, but most self-driving cars allow for the manual takeover of controls. Self-driving cars build on technologies that have been on the road for years. Examples of these technologies include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, and automated braking. The technologies behind self-driving cars are referred to as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)....

What Is an ASL File? A file with the ASL file extension is an Adobe Photoshop style file. They’re useful when applying the same appearance to multiple objects or layers, such as a certain color overlay, gradient, shadow, or another effect. Since a single ASL file can contain one or more Photoshop styles, they’re useful not only for backing up your own styles, but also for sharing styles with others so they can import them into Photoshop for their own projects....

When I’m slashing at hordes of the undead on Day 7 in 7 Days to Die, or when I’m in the middle of a quest in Lord of the Rings Online, the last thing I need is to have my internet cut out on me. Gaming Wi-Fi adapters, such as the Asus USB-AC68, aim to increase the Wi-Fi speeds to ensure fast, reliable gameplay. With incredible speeds of up to 1300 Mbps on a 5GHz network, a plethora of both internal and external antennae, and Ai Radar for wireless amplification, it should be able to handle anything....

Threat analysts at mobile security firm Cleafy have been tracking the development of the Sova malware and report it has evolved rapidly in the last few months. It can now mimic over 200 banking and payment applications and even encrypt mobile devices with ransomware. “The ransomware feature is quite interesting as it’s still not a common one in the Android banking trojans landscape,” wrote Cleafy. “It strongly leverages on the opportunity [that arose] in recent years, as mobile devices became, for most people, the central storage for personal and business data....

Overall Findings On Android mobile devices, Google Assistant and Samsung Bixby accept voice commands to perform a variety of functions. Both have similar smart assistant features. While Google Assistant is uniquely integrated with the Google Home ecosystem, Samsung Bixby has great features for when you’re out and about. Smart Home Integration: Google Wins, Bixby Is Gaining Many Google Assistant functions are centered around smart home products, including Google Home and Google Home Hub....

A new study proposes that noise-canceling software built into VR headsets could prevent unwanted breaks in users’ attention. It’s part of an ongoing effort to find ways to make VR a better experience. “VR has limitations and sensory disconnects that a human can easily discern,” Todd Richmond, the director of the Tech & Narrative Lab at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an IEEE member, told Lifewire in an email interview....

Identify Needs and Create a Budget​ ​If funds were unlimited, the best equipment would be in your living room instead of on a wishlist. But you can enjoy a fantastic-sounding stereo system while keeping those wishlist items for potential future upgrades. First, set a budget and stick to it. The goal is to be at or under your specified purchase amount, including tax and shipping costs. It does little good to overspend and come up short for the household bills that matter....

When you see a camera for sale with the camera body only, it is referring to the portion of the camera without a lens attached. You sometimes can purchase a camera a little cheaper if it is the camera body only. The camera body, usually roughly in the shape of a rectangle, sometimes contains a built-in lens (such as with beginner-level, point-and-shoot, or fixed lens cameras). This type of camera cannot be purchased as the camera body only because the lens is built into the camera body....

What Is a CAB File? A file with the .CAB file extension is a Windows Cabinet file (they used to be called Diamond files). They’re compressed files that store data related to various Windows installations that might involve device drivers or system files. The Microsoft Publisher program’s Pack and Go feature can make CAB files that end with the PUZ file extension. Within it is everything included with the document, in the same archive format as CAB, so they can be treated just the same....

Useful Lens Terminology The market offers an enormous variety of lenses and the terminology to match. Here are a few of the most common terms you see as you research a purchase. Zoom Some photographers think of zoom as the magnification of an image, allowing the photographer to shoot a closeup photo without having to move closer to the subject. However, the actual definition of zoom is the ability of a lens to shoot at multiple focal lengths....

Whether you’re thinking about adding a subwoofer to an existing speaker setup or building something from the ground up, here are some important details to keep in mind. Size Matters The size of the subwoofer is one of the main factors that determine how loud and how low it can go. As a general rule of thumb, bigger subwooferss produce better bass, so keep that in mind while looking for the ideal unit....

Other Names for CMOS CMOS (pronounced see-moss) is sometimes referred to as Real-Time Clock (RTC), CMOS RAM, Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM), Non-Volatile BIOS memory, or complementary-symmetry metal-oxide-semiconductor (COS-MOS). Clearing CMOS Most talk of CMOS involves clearing CMOS, which means to reset the BIOS settings to their default levels. This is a really easy task that’s a great troubleshooting step for many types of computer problems. For example, maybe your computer is freezing up during the POST, in which case clearing the CMOS to reset the BIOS settings to factory default levels, might be the easiest solution....

When a System Update Goes Wrong If your Mac freezes, loses power, or otherwise prevents an update from completing, you end up with a corrupt system update. This may manifest as a simple instability with occasional freezes or the system or applications lock up. In the worst-case scenario, you may have problems booting, forcing you to consider reinstalling the OS. Another problem is related to Apple’s incremental approach to updates. Since Software Update only downloads and installs system files that need to be updated, some files may be out of date with respect to other system files....

Understanding Mac Administrator Accounts When you first set up your Mac, the setup assistant creates an administrator account automatically. The administrator account has privileges that allow it to make changes to the Mac operating system, including adding other account types, installing apps, and accessing some areas of the system that are protected from other user account types. Along with special privileges, an administrator account has all the features of a standard user, such as a home folder and access to the apps in the Applications folder....

How Bluetooth Works Bluetooth is short-range wireless communication similar to Wi-Fi, but what makes Bluetooth special is its highly encrypted nature. Bluetooth devices must be paired to each other in order to work, although you usually only need to pair the device the first time you use it with your iPad. The process of pairing the devices creates an encrypted tunnel by which the devices exchange information. This makes it secure even though the information is transferred wirelessly....

What Is a DWG File? A file with the .DWG file extension is an AutoCAD drawing. It stores metadata and 2D or 3D vector image drawings that can be used with CAD programs. This format is compatible with lots of 3D drawing and CAD programs, which makes it easy to transfer drawings between programs. However, because there are numerous versions of the format, some DWG viewers can’t open every type....

History of Automobile Scan Tools Until the mid-1990s, each car manufacturer had its own standards and protocols, making it difficult even for professional technicians to keep tabs on all the standards. That changed with the introduction of Onboard Diagnostics II (OBD-II), a standard adopted by automakers worldwide. Despite the progress, professional scan tools can cost thousands of dollars, putting them out of range for most DIY mechanics. Up until a few years ago, even basic code and data readers cost hundreds of dollars....

EU antitrust regulators reportedly are set to charge Apple with anti-competitive practices regarding Apple Pay and the NFC chip inside iPhones, which enables tap-and-go payments. The company allegedly refuses to allow rivals access to the payment system. “Allowing access to the NFC functionality via an open API would mean third-party payment services could have the same or similar functionality as Apple Pay without direct control or fees dictated by Apple,” Sean O’Brien, a visiting fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, told Lifewire in an email interview....