What If Clubhouse, But With State Censorship, TikTok Owner ByteDance Ponders

China’s ByteDance, is planning on launching its own version of audio chat app Clubhouse for the Chinese market, Reuters reported on Thursday.Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, China, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Tencent Holdings, Reuters, South China Morning Post, Mobile Applications, Bytedance, Tiktok

Google speeds up its release cycle for Chrome

Google today announced that its Chrome browser is moving to a faster release cycle by shipping a new milestone every four weeks instead of the current six-week cycle (with a bi-weekly security patch). That’s one way to hasten the singularity, I guess, but it’s worth noting that Mozilla also moved to a four-week cycle for Firefox last year. “As we have improved our testing and release processes for Chrome, and deployed bi-weekly security updates to improve our patch gap, it became clear that we c...
Tags: Chrome, Firefox, Google, Enterprise, Tech, Web Browsers, Software, Chrome Os, Mozilla, Freeware, Operating Systems, Google-chrome, Chromium, Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge now starts up faster and gets vertical tabs

A year ago, Microsoft announced that its Edge browser would get vertical tabs and here we are: Microsoft today announced that vertical tabs in Edge are now generally available. In addition, the Edge team also announced a few under-the-hood changes that will allow the browser to startup significantly faster (up to 41% faster according to Microsoft’s preliminary tests, to be precise). Since Microsoft can’t speed up your hard drive or significantly shrink Edge, though, the way the team achieves thi...
Tags: TC, Real Estate, Microsoft, Tech, Web Browsers, Software, Computing, Search Engine, Freeware, Bing, Microsoft Bing, Tab, Microsoft Edge, Bing Microsoft, Michele McDanel

12 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do in Google Chrome

Even if you’ve been using Google Chrome since it first rolled out back in 2008, the browser is capable of some tricks you may have not discovered yet. Google adds new features on a regular basis, while older features get lost and forgotten about if you’re not using them every day. Here are 12 things you might not…Read more...
Tags: Chrome, Google Chrome, Google, Science, Web Browsers, Software, Netflix, Chrome Os, Freeware, Tab, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Gnome Web, Technology Internet, Google Chrome Version History, Blisk

Make Sure Your Browser's Read-It-Later Tool Isn't Oversharing

When you come across an interesting article online that you don’t have time to read right away, you may be in the habit of opening it in a new tab to read later—only for it to become lost in the chaotic mess of your browser bar. Instead, you should be using your browser’s dedicated “read it later” feature. It’s a…Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Pocket, Web Browsers, Safari, Software, Opera, Lifehacks, Freeware, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Embedded Linux, Cloud Clients, Portable Software

How to Remote Play Steam Games Without a Steam Account

Jackbox games have become a popular pandemic life pastime, likely because the barrier for entry is absurdly low: One person hosts the game; everyone else pulls out their phones, types a code into a website, and they’re good to go. No need to make an account or download a separate app—just type four digits into a…Read more...
Tags: Video Games, Software, Steam, Lifehacks, Freeware, Remote Play, Stardew Valley, Valve Corporation, Windows Games, Video Gaming, Technology Internet, Linux Games, Play Steam Games

What Parents Need to Know About Discord

If you—or your teenager—are into gaming, you’ve likely at least heard of Discord, even if you haven’t used it yourself. It’s one more way for teenagers to connect with their friends and chat about gaming or other topics via private or public servers, individual messages, or group chats. But, as with any social network…Read more...
Tags: Instant Messaging, Software, Computing, Lifehacks, Freeware, Internet Privacy, Internet Relay Chat, Instant Messaging Clients, Discord, Alt Tech, Proprietary Software, Social Networking Services, Technology Internet, Draftshiey Discord

What I Hear on Clubhouse: For Black People, Will Silicon Valley’s Hot New Thing Be More Terrordome Than Mecca?

What happens when everyone is an “expert?” How to navigate a world where everyone’s “insights,” no matter how dubious, are cloaked in corporate-speak, strenuously hyped by like-minded cohorts, then injected straight into your brain via a mechanism intentionally designed to push your emotional buttons? And how much do…Read more...
Tags: Facebook, Twitter, Science, Social Media, Software, Social Issues, Computing, Freeware, Operating Systems, Clubhouse, Mobile Applications, Playstation Home, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Social Networking Services, Black People Will Silicon Valley

Clubhouse Promises to Get Its Security Under Control (Again)

Clubhouse—the invitation-only audio app best known for courting everyone from Elon Musk to Mark Zuckerberg—has promised to implement new safeguards after suffering its second high-profile security snafu this month. Read more...
Tags: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Science, Privacy, Articles, Social Media, Software, Computing, Freeware, Internet Culture, Clubhouse, Internet Privacy, Mobile Applications, Information Security, Social Networking Services, Technology Internet

How to Enable Microsoft Edge's New 'Kids Mode'

Microsoft is testing a new “Kids Mode” for Edge that makes the browser safer for younger users with just a few clicks.Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Microsoft, Web Browsers, Software, Chrome Os, Lifehacks, Freeware, Operating Systems, Microsoft Edge, Technology Internet

How to Sync All of Your iCloud Passwords and Data to Windows

Syncing all of your Apple data and files to devices that aren’t made by Apple isn’t the exercise in futility that it once was. There are now several signs that Apple is ready to cautiously welcome users of other hardware to its services, including tools for Chrome, Windows, and Android. Here’s how to get your…Read more...
Tags: Iphone, Apple, Ios, Notes, Science, Web Browsers, Safari, Software, Computing, Icloud, Freeware, Apple Id, Pages, Webmail, Cloud Applications, Technology Internet

Make Microsoft Word's 'Dark Mode' Actually Dark

Microsoft’s Word app has a dark mode that you can use right now, but it’s not as dark as you might prefer it if you’re the kind of person who likes working on projects in the wee hours of the night.Read more...
Tags: Microsoft, Software, Lifehacks, Freeware, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Edge, Human Interest, Universal Windows Platform Apps, Technology Internet, Light On Dark Color Scheme

Chrome Removed The Great Suspender Extension, But Don't Mourn Your Lost Tabs Just Yet

Google has reportedly blocked the popular extension The Great Suspender and removed it from its Chrome Web Store for containing malware. But if you were one of the many users who relied on the tab manager to keep your browser running smoothly, don’t freak out just yet. You still may be able to recover your lost tabs…Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Google, Science, Google Search, Web Browsers, Software, Social Issues, Chrome Os, Freeware, Operating Systems, Tab, Microsoft Edge, Samsung Internet, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Technology Internet

Use 'Chrome Labs' to Find New Browser Features

I love when a new Chrome release drops, because it gives me a chance to mess around in the browser’s comprehensive chrome://flags/ screen and dig up hidden features. But rummaging through these flags takes a while, as the browser doesn’t tell you what’s new (or now missing). Unless you’re using Chrome Canary, that is,…Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Web Browsers, Software, Chrome Os, Lifehacks, Freeware, Operating Systems, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Entertainment_culture

Discord Gives WallStreetBets Another Chance and Offers Help

From the flaming ashes of the GameStop stock clusterfuck, the WallStreetBets Discord group returns from the dead.Read more...
Tags: Science, Software, Computing, Freeware, Robinhood, Gamestop, Discord, Alt Tech, Rwallstreetbets, Moderation System, Proprietary Software, WallStreetBets Discord

Vivaldi Delivers Two-Level Tab Stacking Feature for Tab Hoarders

What’s better than one tab bar? Two, obviously.Read more...
Tags: Firefox, Science, Web Browsers, Software, Freeware, Window, Vivaldi, User Interfaces, Tab, Technology_internet, Jon Stephenson Von Tetzchner

You Can Finally Save Articles to 'Read Later' in Chrome

Google is testing a new Read Later feature that lets users save articles and other links they come across and want to, well, read later. Saved links appear in a new “Read Later” section of Chrome’s Bookmarks menu, but aren’t permanently saved like normal bookmarks.Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Google, Education, Web Browsers, Software, Chrome Os, Lifehacks, Freeware, Window, Operating Systems, Human Interest, Bookmark, Point and Click, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Technology_internet

Discord Bans r/WallStreetBets For Hate Speech Violations

After kicking off a historic rally around GameStop stock that has incited the ire of hedge fund tycoons and the SEC, the r/WallStreetBets channel was banned from Discord on Wednesday over apparent hate speech violations. Read more...
Tags: Science, 4chan, Software, Reddit, SEC, Websites, Freeware, Internet Culture, Gamestop, Discord, QAnon, Alt Tech, Islamophobia In The United States, Propaganda In The United States, Racism In The United States

How to Mute Chrome Notifications When Sharing Your Screen

Just like video chatting, screen sharing is now a required tool for anyone working or socializing from home. Unfortunately, sharing your device’s screen can be a privacy risk—or just embarrassing—if you don’t take precautions against accidental oversharing. To help mitigate that risk, Google is testing a new feature…Read more...
Tags: Chrome, Google Chrome, Google, Android, Web Browsers, Smartphones, Software, Chrome Os, Lifehacks, Freeware, Operating Systems, Cloud Clients, Portable Software, Technology_internet, War_conflict

How to Install YouTube as a Progressive Web App on Windows

You can now install YouTube as a progressive web app (PWA) on Windows. What does this mean? PWAs are like desktop shortcuts to websites that run in their own separate app window. They don’t take up much space and load faster than navigating to the website in Chrome or Edge. PWAs also get their own icons on the taskbar…Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Web Development, Web Browsers, Software, Chrome Os, Lifehacks, Freeware, Operating Systems, Microsoft Edge, Embedded Linux, PWA, Web application, Taskbar, Technology_internet, Progressive Web Application

Is the Opera GX Browser Just for Gamers?

Opera recently purchased YoYo Games, creators of the game development engine Game Maker Studio, to build up its new “Opera Gaming” division. Opera hasn’t announced what it plans to do with Game Maker Studio just yet, but the acquisition offers great opportunity to check in on Opera’s other gaming-focused product: the…Read more...
Tags: Google Chrome, Web Browsers, Software, Opera, Lifehacks, Freeware, Operating Systems, Opera Software, Embedded Linux, SIDEBAR, GX, Portable Software, Opera Gx

App stores saw record 218 billion downloads in 2020, consumer spend of $143 billion

Mobile adoption continued to grow in 2020, in part due to the market forces of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to App Annie’s annual “State of Mobile” industry report, mobile app downloads grew by 7% year-over-year to a record 218 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, consumer spending grew by 20% to also hit a new milestone of $143 billion, led by markets that included China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Consumers also spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on Android dev...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Android, Facebook, Apps, Messenger, South Korea, Spotify, Japan, The Weather Channel, Pinterest, Instagram, Indonesia, Youtube, France, China

Google calls DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit “deeply flawed” in GIF-laden blog response

Google was clearly anticipating today’s U.S. Department of Justice antitrust complaint filing – the company posted an extensive rebuttal of the lawsuit to its Keyword company blog. The post, penned by SVP of Global Affairs and Google Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker, suggests that the DOJ’s case is “deeply flawed” and “would do nothing to help consumers,” before going into a platform-by-platform description of why it thinks its position in the market isn’t representative of unfair market domin...
Tags: Apple, Google, TC, Yahoo, Google Search, Tech, Search Engines, Web Browsers, Gif, Software, Chrome Os, Mozilla, Search Engine, Freeware, Doj, Justice Department

Microsoft is building a price comparison engine into its Edge browser

With its Edge browser now stable, Microsoft’s current focus for its Chromium-based browser is to build features that differentiate it from the competition. With the holiday season coming up fast (though who knows what that will actually look like this year), it’s maybe no surprise that one of the first new features the company is announcing is a price comparison tool as part of its ‘Collections’ bookmarking service. That was always an obvious next step, but it’s nice to see Microsoft add some...
Tags: Apple, Amazon, TC, Pinterest, Microsoft, Tech, Spain, Web Browsers, Artificial Intelligence, Software, Chrome Os, Computing, Nvidia, Freeware, Bing, Pdf

Microsoft’s Edge browser is coming to Linux in October

Microsoft’s Edge browser is coming to Linux, starting with the Dev channel. The first of these previews will go live in October. When Microsoft announced that it would switch its Edge browser to the Chromium engine, it vowed to bring it to every popular platform. At the time, Linux wasn’t part of that list, but by late last year, it became clear that Microsoft was indeed working on a Linux version. Later, at this year’s Build, a Microsoft presenter even used it during a presentation. Ima...
Tags: TC, Microsoft, Tech, Web Browsers, Software, Computing, Linux, Freeware, Edge, Google-chrome, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Android Microsoft, Microsoft Ignite 2020

Discord says user abuse reports have doubled since last year

Discord has published its latest transparency report for the first six-months of this year. The big takeaway is that the number of overall reports has almost doubled, largely because of the massive spike in user growth during the pandemic to over 100 million monthly active users. The messaging and chat platform, popular with gamers and streamers, is now said to be worth around $3.5 billion. According to the report, Discord said it received 235,000 reports between January and June 2020, compar...
Tags: Security, Privacy, Marketing, Tech, Software, Freeware, Spamming, Discord

Street Rod: The Granddaddy of Car Culture Software

While the summer months are normally the perfect time to take a road trip, New York has mandated that any jaunts out of state require a 14-day quarantine upon return — and any location one might want to visit on a lark has a strong likelihood of being closed to visitors. Seems like a lot […] The post Street Rod: The Granddaddy of Car Culture Software appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: New York, Software, Product Reviews, Autos, Retro, Freeware, Racing games, Nostalgia, News Blog, Street Racing, Automotive History, Street Rod, Car Culture, Driving Simulators, Comuter Games, DOS games

Investors are browsing for Chromium startups

A few months ago, we declared that “browsers are interesting again,” thanks to increased competition among the major players. Now, as more startups are getting onboard, things are getting downright exciting. A small but growing number of projects are building web browsers with a more specific type of user in mind. Whether that perceived user is prioritizing improved speed, organization or toolsets aligned with their workflow, entrepreneurs are building these projects with the assumption that Goo...
Tags: Google, TC, Y Combinator, Microsoft, Tech, Web Browsers, Browsers, Mozilla, Silicon Valley, Brave, Opera, Freeware, Thrive Capital, Github, Ev Williams, Google-chrome

Apple will let users pick their own default email and browser apps

Apple quietly made a major announcement that will change life for users of mobile Chrome, Gmail or Outlook. The company is shifting its view on app defaults and will be allowing users to set different app defaults for their mail and browser apps. The company specifically denoted that this feature is coming to iPadOS and iOS 14. This likely means users can designate which browser they’re directed to when they tap a link somewhere. We’ll see whether Apple reserves any functionality for its own ser...
Tags: Apple, Ios, Google, Ipad, TC, Gmail, Tech, Web Browsers, Software, Freeware, Operating Systems, Webmail, Apple Inc, Google-chrome, Wwdc 2020

Microsoft moves its Windows 10 Insider Program from rings to release channels

For the last few years, Microsoft has given Windows enthusiasts the ability to opt in to early release “rings,” with the choice to pick between “fast” and “slow” rings, as well as a relatively stable “release preview” option. Today, the company announced a major change to this program as it is moving to release channels, similar to what you’re probably familiar with from most browser manufacturers. “We are transitioning and converting our current ring model, based on the frequency of builds, ...
Tags: Microsoft, Developer, Tech, Windows Phone, Windows 10, Freeware, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Amanda Langowski, Beta Channel