Do you own a really awesome speaker or speaker system that you just wish was Bluetooth-capable so you can stream music wirelessly to it from your smartphone or computer? The experience playing Spotify or Apple Music through a solid sound system is killer. Fortunately, this is far from impossible.

The good news is that almost any regular speaker (non-Bluetooth) can quickly and easily be turned into a Bluetooth streaming device. The bad news is while you won’t have to buy an entirely new Bluetooth-ready speaker, you will have to spend money. But the options outlined below are pretty inexpensive solutions to bring your speakers into the wireless world.

Buy a Bluetooth Audio Adapter

The primary device you’ll need to turn your speakers into a Bluetooth-compatible audio system is an adapter. This adapter would plug into your speaker and accept incoming requests for a Bluetooth connection. Enabled, it can transmit Bluetooth streaming to your speaker.
Fortunately, these aren’t very expensive at all, but they do come with their own sets of features and as such, different pricing options. We’ve picked out the best budget, mid-tier, and high-end options available, so let’s run through the choices.

On the low end is the AmazonBasics Bluetooth 4.0 Audio Receiver. It’s just $20 on Amazon and put simply, it gets the job done. It can handle a connection for as far as 10 meters (or 30 feet) away and one Bluetooth device at a time. If you want something basic that works, shelling out $20 on AmazonBasic’s adapter is an easy choice.

However, I’d recommend moving up to the mid-tier option on our list: Logitech’s Bluetooth Audio Adapter. The retail price is $39.99 but it currently sells for just over $27 on Amazon. It stays connected to your device up to 15 meters away (or 50 feet) so you’re free to roam a bit more, plus connects to up to two devices at once. You can switch between which device you want to stream from on the fly. For $7 more than the low-end adapter, Logitech’s popular offering is worth the step up.

Folks who might categorize themselves as more genuine audiophiles should consider the Bose Bluetooth Audio Adapter. It’s $60 on Amazon and while it drops down to that 10-meter connection range, it can remember up to eight different devices that you’ve connected. Plus, you can switch between three active device connections simultaneously. This is the adapter ideal for large households or parties.

How to Set Up Your Adapter

Once you get your adapter, setup should be pretty simple. First, you’ll need to take the included power adapter and plug it into an outlet. Yes, unfortunately, these adapters must run on their own power, so make sure the speakers you want to hook yours up to is near a wall.
Next, take the auxiliary cord and plug one end into your adapter and the other end into the Audio In (sometimes called Aux In) port of your speaker. This is located in different places on different speakers, so you’ll have to search around to find it.
The last step would be to connect the adapter to your speaker. How to do this will vary based on your adapter, so check your instruction manual. Generally, you should have to press some sort of Connect button (as is the case with the Logitech adapter) and wait to hear a sound that verifies it’s working.

Finally, head over to the device you want to stream music out of, make sure Bluetooth is enabled and connect to the Bluetooth adapter via your Bluetooth settings. And you’re all set. Start playing music with an active Bluetooth connection to the adapter and it should automatically come out of your previously antiquated speakers.

Whether a big milestone in your family’s life is coming up like a child going off to school, or perhaps you’ve been through a personal scare, protection and security for you and your loved ones ought to be a real priority. Fortunately, we’re surrounded by technology that can keep us safer than ever before. Thanks to several great apps, your iPhone is capable of being a life saver.

Whether you need an app to make sure you can quickly and safely get in touch with emergency services or just need an app to monitor your friends and family’s well being, we’ve got you covered. Check out these iPhone apps that can truly help save a life if need be.

1. Patronus

Patronus is a phenomenal iPhone app that focuses on your own personal safety by providing a quick way to get in touch with emergency services at the press of a button. Unfortunately as phones have evolved, doing something as simple as placing a phone call has become a multi-step process, including dialing 911 for emergencies in the U.S. (The service also coming to Alaska and Hawaii by the end of 2016.)

Patronus asks you to provide quick information about yourself like your name, email, gender and age. Then it places a large Request Help button at the top of the app. This connects to the Patronus emergency center which then automatically connects to 911 on your behalf. During the phone call, the app helpfully shows you your current location just in case you’re in foreign territory.

4 Lifesaving iPhone Apps to Keep You and Your Loved Ones Safe

Whether a big milestone in your family’s life is coming up like a child going off to school, or perhaps you’ve been through a personal scare, protection and security for you and your loved ones ought to be a real priority. Fortunately, we’re surrounded by technology that can keep us safer than ever before. Thanks to several great apps, your iPhone is capable of being a life saver.

Whether you need an app to make sure you can quickly and safely get in touch with emergency services or just need an app to monitor your friends and family’s well being, we’ve got you covered. Check out these iPhone apps that can truly help save a life if need be.

1. Patronus

Patronus is a phenomenal iPhone app that focuses on your own personal safety by providing a quick way to get in touch with emergency services at the press of a button. Unfortunately as phones have evolved, doing something as simple as placing a phone call has become a multi-step process, including dialing 911 for emergencies in the U.S. (The service also coming to Alaska and Hawaii by the end of 2016.)

Patronus asks you to provide quick information about yourself like your name, email, gender and age. Then it places a large Request Help button at the top of the app. This connects to the Patronus emergency center which then automatically connects to 911 on your behalf. During the phone call, the app helpfully shows you your current location just in case you’re in foreign territory.

Additionally, Patronus has an “On My Way” feature. It lets you select emergency contacts, pick a location you’re traveling to, and when you arrive there, the app will automatically notify them by email or text message that you’ve arrived safely.
The Patronus service costs $4.99 per month but has the potential to seriously save lives.

2. Safetrek

Safetrek is another monthly service that takes a different approach to personal safety. If you’re perhaps walking around in a sketchy neighborhood or college campus at night and don’t feel comfortable by yourself, open the Safetrek app. Just press and hold the green button that says Hold until safe.

Once you feel safe, release the button and punch in the 4-digit PIN you set up when you first launch the app. If you don’t do this within 10 seconds, Safetrek notifies police of your location and they are then free to pursue this as an emergency.
Safetrek works in the United States and requires a $2.99 per month subscription.

3. Parachute

Unlike Patronus and Safetrek, Parachute relies on your own emergency contacts solely for support. The app has a simple UI with one purpose: broadcast live video and audio of your location to the emergency contacts you choose.
Press and hold the button to begin recording live video. Your emergency contacts get a phone call and a live link where they can watch what’s happening and decide whether or not to take action.

A reassuring feature is that Parachute allows you to record while keeping your screen black, so if you’re in a potentially dangerous situation, no one around has to know you’re recording. You can choose to turn the camera view on if you wish, though.
Parachute is free and works anywhere.

4. Find My Friends

You might be more familiar with Find My Friends, which is Apple’s own app for tracking the location of family and friends in your contacts. But what’s especially helpful for safety and security within the app are the notification options to find out when your friends have arrived at a location or left one.

First, choose some contacts to send your location to indefinitely and request a location from them by tapping Add at the top. Once you’re friends within the app, tap their name and choose Notify Me.

You can choose to get a notification when the contact leaves their current location or arrives at a different location that you specify. This will let you know when they’re safe in their travels. They can also get notifications about you if they please.
Find My Friends is totally free and works anywhere.

You’ve found a lost iPhone and you want to be a decent human being. Firstly, good for you, because not everyone has that moral compass within them. But it’s not always an easy task to return a lost iPhone to its owner if you have no idea who the owner is or how to get in touch with them.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways within that iPhone itself that can point to who the rightful owner may be. Most importantly, they don’t require you to unlock the iPhone, meaning you don’t need to know the passcode or use any Touch ID either. Here are some methods for finding the device’s owner.

1. Use Information Provided by iCloud

Hopefully, the person who lost their iPhone has realized that by the time you find it. If this is the case, they may have sent out signals to the iPhone through iCloud or put it into Lost Mode. Lost Mode leaves a message on screen indicating that the iPhone is in fact lost. Optionally, the owner could leave a message potentially with contact information for you to use to get in touch.

All you have to do to be able to see if the iPhone is in Lost Mode is turn it on and take a look at the lock screen. If you don’t see a message, move on to our second option.

Apple recently announced that the iPad Pro would have a smaller sibling. Originally only available in a 12.9-inch size, the latest iPad Pro comes in a 9.7-inch size too, just like the iPad Air.  But despite being smaller, the new iPad Pro is actually better in many ways than its much larger counterpart.

Apple introduced several new features in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro that it didn’t yet add to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It’s possible that they’ll make their way into the larger iPad eventually, but for now, they actually give the 9.7-inch model a few noticeable advantages.

Better Display and Cover Glass

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a better display pretty much across the board except by the metric of sheer size, if you even count bigger as better. The first improvement over the 12.9-inch model Apple proudly boasts is that it’s both the brightest and least reflective display in the world. It gets brighter than any other device and also the cover glass is up to 40 percent better at reducing glare.
The new, smaller iPad Pro also has a 25 percent wider color gamut, which means it can display more colors and have better color accuracy. But the best feature about this iPad’s display is what Apple calls True Tone. Using ambient light sensors, the iPad analyzes the light around you for intensity and color temperature and will automatically adjust the display to match that.
Have you ever used a white Apple device in a room with very warm, yellow lighting and noticed that the border of your iPad was nowhere near as white as the content on screen? True Tone significantly remedies that problem.

Better Cameras

While we haven’t been able to have any hands-on time with the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it has dramatically better cameras according to most specs.
For starters, it has a 12MP camera on the back with LED flash (a first for an iPad) compared to the 8MP on the large iPad Pro, and this new camera is capable of shooting 4K video too. But it doesn’t stop there.
Apple’s Tech Specs page lists that compared to the larger model, the 9.7-inch also has Live Photo support, a wider f/2.2 aperture lens which typically helps in low light situations, a sapphire crystal lens cover, improved face detection and more.
Even the front-facing camera is a 5MP lens with Retina Flash versus to the measly 1.2MP on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The camera improvements are significant.

Better Price (with Accessories)

You probably already know that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro costs less than the 12.9-inch. It costs $200 less to be exact; it starts at $599. That’s a savings right there, but take into consideration the awesome accessories Apple’s been heavily marketing. The Smart Keyboard for the smaller iPad is $20 cheaper at $149 while the Apple Pencil is still $99.
If you were on the fence about getting these accessories after spending $800 on an iPad Pro, you can almost definitely fit them into your budget getting the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. You can get the entire package for $849: iPad Pro, Pencil and Smart Keyboard. This is the closest Apple’s ever been to a sub-$900 laptop.

Rose Gold

Rose gold fans rejoice. This won’t be a perk for everyone, but those loyal to Apple’s new favorite color can get the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in rose gold as one extra color option. The 12.9-inch still sells in just regular gold (how boring!) plus silver and space gray.

Fingerprint sensors are becoming a prerequisite on every Android device and are not something only limited to flagship phones, these days. These fingerprint sensors provide a comfortable and secure way to unlock the device and a user no longer has to provide a PIN or pattern to unlock his device. However, these sensors are not limited to unlocking the device and depending on the phone, developers integrate various additional features like launching apps, releasing the camera shutter or even locking the 3rd party apps.

These additional features really make the sensors worth so much more and today we are going to see what are some of these additional features you can get with your Samsung Galaxy S7’s fingerprint sensor. As the Samsung fingerprint API is open to developers, and with the Marshmallow update, Samsung Galaxy S7 brings in the perfect combo and here are the 5 best use cases you can put the fingerprint sensor to, apart from unlocking the phone.

1. Lock Apps

Using fingerprint for the lock screen is protects your device from unauthorized access, but it’s always good to have a second layer of protection for important apps like Gallery, File Manager, WhatsApp and so on. If you have smart unlocks on your device, the second layer of protection will always make sure your data is safe from prying eyes.
 

As I mentioned, Samsung Fingerprint API is open for developers, you can use with 3rd-party apps to lock other apps and there are quite a few apps available on the Play Store. However, App Lock from Keep Safe is one of the best out there. For every other phone, the app allows the user to lock other apps using pattern or PIN, but a Samsung user with access to fingerprint sensor on the device can use that to secure various apps.

2. Auto Login to Websites

If you are using the default browser that’s provided with the Galaxy S7 and save your passwords of the most frequently visited websites, the fingerprint sensor can act as a second layer of security while filling out the credentials. The settings can be turned on from the Fingerprint Settings located in Security Settings.
 
Once enabled, every time you are on a page that requires your saved credentials, you will get the popup to verify the fingerprint and if it’s a match, you will be auto-logged into the website.

3. Purchase Apps on Play Store

For security reasons, every time you purchase a paid app on the Play Store, you are required to type in your Google credentials to make the purchase. However, with the Samsung Galaxy S7, you can enable the option of fingerprint authorization and then use the fingerprint rather than typing the password every time.

This is a Marshmallow feature and was first seen on the Nexus devices. You can configure the settings to ask password every 30 mins or every time you make a purchase.

4. Use Home Button Without Pressing the Button

While the recent apps and the back keys are touch buttons, you need to press the home button which is so old-school, if you don’t come from an iPhone background. Most of us don’t want to press the button rather a simple touch like the one present in OnePlus 2 would look better.

So if you agree with me and would like to use the fingerprint sensor as an alternative for capacitive touch button, you can install and use the app easyHome for Samsung from the Play Store. We have already covered how you can use the app which you can have a look at for better insight.
Note: You might want to disable the quick camera launch gesture of double tapping the home button while using the app.

5. Integrate with 3rd Party Apps

Thanks to Marshmallow that comes with Samsung Galaxy S7, the fingerprint sensor can be used with the apps that support nexus imprints to add the extra layer of security. Apps like 1Password, LastPass, PayPal have already included the Nexus Imprint feature using which you can use the fingerprint to log into the app.

Here is a list of some of the app the apps that support Nexus Imprints and can be used on your Samsung Galaxy S7.

Conclusion

So those were the 5 interesting things you can use the Samsung Fingerprint sensor for. By the way, how is it is going with the Galaxy S7 and what are your views regarding the fingerprint sensor? Don’t forget to share your views in our discussion forum.

Netbooks used to be popular, but today the so-called stick computing market is exploding. These are small computers running a desktop OS designed to plug into any HDMI port. Intel has its Compute Stick. InFocus has their Kangaroo portable computing system. It has some amazing features and I took it out for a spin, or I guess hop in this case.

Common Features of Stick Computers

Stick computers are designed to be an extra computer for most people. They have mobile device processors like phones rather than laptop or desktop processors. They plug directly into an HDMI port on the back of a TV or monitor. These computers usually have a few USB ports along with Bluetooth and micro-SD card slot.

For networking, they’ll have built-in wireless but no Ethernet port. Most of them look like a large USB flash drive, but contain a full computer with an operating system. Depending on the brand, they’ll come with Windows, Android or Chrome OS. The onboard storage is usually around 32 GB flash memory. That’s enough to run an operating system, but not to store much else. That’s where the micro-SD card slot comes in.

What Can These Systems Do?

They can do most things their laptop or tablet counterparts can do. The devices running Android tend to have similar computing power as their tablet or phone equivalents. The Windows stick computers perform basic computing functions.
Typical computing tasks like web browsing, watching online videos and checking email work great on a stick computer. Even office suites work fine, so long as the files aren’t too large or graphics intense.

When I set these up, I always install TeamViewer so you can remote into the computer. That way if the TV isn’t on the right input, I can still access the computer.

What Are Their Limitations?

These systems limit themselves with space and speed. The small storage space prevents you from keeping too many files on the primary drive. Depending on your operating system, 10-30% of the drive is already used when you get the computer out of the box. The micro-sd card lets you expand the space. Those sd-cards are expensive. I also have a tendency to lose them.

Currently, I use it over TeamViewer since my iPad is a little older. I keep it around when I need to run a PC program like Quickbooks. It also works great as a NAS to keep some media on the road.

Drawbacks of the Kangaroo

Because this acts more like a laptop than a stick computer, you need to use a power charger and HDMI cable to plug it into a TV or monitor. Other stick computers plug directly into an HDMI port and don’t need a cable. They get their power from a micro-USB connector. Since many TVs or monitors have a USB port, most users won’t need another adapter.

The Kangaroo’s HDMI cable requirement isn’t a limit for me. I like it. This gives me more flexibility in placement. I also use an HDMI to DVI cable on an older monitor. I could use an HDMI to DVI adapter and then use a DVI cable with other stick computers. That configuration seems really complex. The Kangaroo gives me more flexibility.

Overall Review: Very Cool Computing

These systems retail for around $100 in the US. That’s more than a Chromecast, but less than an Apple TV or most other computers. If you need a simple computer in the bedroom or for the kids, stick computers are perfect. I like the Kangaroo because of the battery, flexibility, and remote capabilities.

Apple's computers and mobile devices could be targeted more heavily by hackers in 2016, experts predict

According to security firm Symantec, the amount of malware aimed at Apple's mobile operating system (iOS) has more than doubled this year, while threats to Mac computers also rose.
Security firm FireEye also expects 2016 to be a bumper year for Apple malware.
Systems such as Apple Pay could be targeted, it predicts.
Apple is an obvious target for cybercriminals because its products are so popular, said Dick O'Brien, a researcher at Symantec.
While the total number of threats targeting Apple devices remains low compared with Windows and Android, Symantec is seeing the range of threats multiply.
Last year, it was seeing a monthly average of between 10,000 and 70,000 Mac computers infected with malware.
"This is far fewer than Windows desktops and we don't want to scaremonger. Apple remains a relatively safe platform but Apple users can no longer be complacent about security, as the number of infections and new threats rise," said Mr O'Brien.
The number of unique OS X computers infected with malware in the first nine months of 2015 was seven times higher than in all of 2014, its research found.
A significant amount of this spike is accounted for by so-called greyware - applications that may not have malware attached but can still be annoying to users, by serving up unwanted ads or tracking their web-browsing habits.
Symantec also found seven new threats aimed at Apple's mobile iOS platform, with jailbroken devices - those that have been unlocked - being particularly vulnerable.
And hackers are also increasingly targeting corporations, where Mac use is now more prevalent.
A corporate espionage group known as Butterfly which attacked multi-billion dollar companies in 2015 developed malware tools that attacked both Windows and Apple computers.

Walled garden

Traditionally iOS has been seen as a more secure platform than Android because of the more closed community that Apple runs for its apps but that is changing, according to FireEye.
While it found that the vast majority - 96% - of mobile malware is targeted at Android devices, iOS is no longer immune.
According to Bryce Boland, chief technology officer at FireEye, attackers are increasingly "finding ways into Apple's walled garden, and that will ramp up next year".
FireEye recently discovered that XcodeGhost, iOS malware that Apple acted quickly to remove from its app store, had found its way into the networks of 210 US businesses.
The attack was thought to be the first large-scale attack on Apple's app store.
The introduction of new payment systems, such as Apple Pay, will add a financial incentive for hackers, making it worth their "time and effort" to develop new malware, FireEye said.
Mr O'Brien said: "We haven't yet seen any threats targeting Apple Pay but anything that involves a financial transaction will be of interest to hackers."

If you’re browsing for a new TV and haven’t been in the market for a while, you might recognize a lot of new and unfamiliar terms. You thought HD was the best of the best and seemingly out of nowhere, now 4K Ultra HD is what all the companies want you to buy instead. You thought flat screen TVs were the future?
Nope, now curved TVs are marketed everywhere. And forget about trying to pick between plasma, LCD, LED and now OLED TVs.
The bottom line is television manufacturers recognize that people don’t typically upgrade their televisions very often. They tend to buy one and keep it for many years, sometimes for up to a decade. So to increase sales of televisions as much as they can, manufacturers work hard to introduce new features that will draw you in. 3D was a perfect example of that, yet now it’s barely ever talked about.
While certain new features of televisions are obviously fads, many of them are here to stay too. So with that, let’s go through some of the newest TV tech and whether or not you should really consider it.

4K Ultra HD: Here to Stay

4K Ultra HD is perhaps the one technology out of the three on the list that’s guaranteed to keep growing until it just eventually becomes the standard. 4K represents a pixel resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. It’s a significant step up from the 720p and 1080p HD televisions that currently dominate the market. These have 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080 resolutions respectively.
More pixels just mean a sharper picture since there are more crammed in, to detail it. Just like standard definition 480p was the norm at one point, 4K will slowly but surely make its way into every household at some point.
However, 4K is far from necessary for now. The biggest reason is because there isn’t much content available in 4K yet. Most movies and TV shows display in 720p or 1080p format, so buying a 4K TV just to watch smaller videos defeats the purpose.
Plus, 4K only really matters if you’re very close up to the screen. Since pixels get harder to discern the farther you move back, 720p and 1080p is more than adequate for most people already.

Curved TVs: Probably a Fad

In a few years, we’ll all look at curved TVs as an old fad not much different from 3D television. The curved TVs that have been popping up on the market use a curved display that supposedly increases viewing angles and overall makes for a more cinematic experience.
While it is true that at some side angles you might get a better view of the side of the TV opposite to you, many users have actually complained that viewing angles are worse overall. The curved display tends to squish objects on screen and distort them.
Curved TVs might look appealing, but they’re gimmicky and it’s far from a television necessity. Stick with a flat screen.

OLED TVs: Here to Stay

OLED TVs are different from standard LED backlit displays you’re familiar with for a few reasons. But make no mistake, they’re better in just about every way. For one, OLEDs can actually shut off to display black colors, which means you won’t find any TV with deeper black levels than an organic light-emitting diode TV.
Second, OLED requires fewer materials to power the display which means your TV will probably have much thinner bezels and a thinner case overall. Plus, this makes it far more energy efficient.
OLED tends to have better color accuracy than LED, LCD, or plasma screens as well.
Since OLED is a relatively new technology to hit the big screen, what’s available on the market right now will likely be at the high end of your range if not over your budget. But OLED TVs will eventually trickle down into smaller and less expensive TVs over the years, so be on the look-out. They offer the best picture so OLED isn’t going anywhere.

The Bottom Line

Your ideal future-proofed TV, if cost isn’t a concern, should be 4K and OLED. You’re safe leaving curved screens behind.

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