A friend recently dropped his phone and ended up with a cracked display. That isn’t always a death knell for a smartphone, but in this case it meant that he couldn’t unlock the phone because the in-display fingerprint sensor stopped working and the phone wouldn’t recognize his PIN number when he tried typing it. That […]
Amazon Fire tablet hacks: Google Play, Root, Recovery, and ROMs
Amazon’s Fire tablets are arguably some of the best cheap tablets worth buying, thanks to a combination of decent displays, specs, and performance and low starting prices (which are even lower on Prime Day or during other sales). The Amazon Fire 7 has a list price of $50, but you can pick one up for […]
How to reset Windows on a One Mix Yoga (or One Mix 2S)
One Netbook‘s One Mix Yoga line of handheld computers are pocket-sized notebooks with small (and cramped) keyboards, touchscreen displays, 360-degree hinges, and optional support for a pen. After having tested the One Mix Yoga and One Mix 2S Yoga this year, I’m giving away the demo units the folks at GeekBuying sent me to review. But […]
Hacking Amazon’s Fire tablets (Black Friday 2018 edition)
Amazon’s Fire tablets already offer a lot of bang for the buck, with list prices starting as low as $50. But this week Amazon is offering deep discounts on most of its Fire tablet lineup as part of a Black Friday sale. Starting November 22nd you’ll be able to pick up a Fire 7 tablet for […]
Zotac ZBOX CI660 nano mini PC – First look & setup
The Zotac ZBOX CI660 nano is compact desktop computer that measures 8″ x 5.1″ x 2.7″ and features a fanless design: there’s ventilation on every side of the computer and heat sinks to help keep the computer cool during operation. Zotac first unveiled the ZBOX CI660 nano at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and […]
Gameshell modular DIY handheld game console: unboxing, assembly, and first look
The Clockwork GameShell is a modular, hackable handheld game console that runs open source software and comes as a DIY kit, with some assembly required. When fully assembled, you can use it as a handheld gaming device capable of running classic console games or indie titles. But first you need to assemble it. Last year […]
Have you emptied your Google Drive trash lately?
This week Google launched an update to its online storage service. It’s called Google One, and it gives Google users a single bucket of storage that they can use to keep photos, files, and Gmail messages in the cloud. Every user gets 15GB for free. Every now and then Google gives out some bonus storage […]
Switching from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro takes less than a minute, no reboot required
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting to know Windows 10 S while testing the Asus NovaGo convertible laptop. It’s one of the first Windows 10 computers to ship with an ARM processor, and it also ships with a version of Windows 10 that stops you from installing third-party apps unless they com from […]
How to use a Project Fi data-only SIM with a Windows 10 PC
One of the nifty things about Google’s Project Fi wireless network is that the company doesn’t charge anything extra for tethering, so if you want to use your Android smartphone as a mobile hotspot, you can do that. But if you’d rather not run down your phone’s battery to keep your tablet or notebook online, […]
How to enable developer mode on a Chrome OS tablet (and install Linux using Crouton)
Google’s Chrome OS is designed to be a relatively secure, simple operating system that’s easy to use and hard to mess up. But you can run stable channel, beta channel, or dev channel software on any Chromebook depending on whether you want the safest experience or buggy, bleeding-edge features. There’s also an option called Developer […]
How to read EPUB books with a Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle line of devices are some of the most popular E Ink gadgets for reading eBooks, and for good reason. They’re relatively inexpensive, have good displays, offer long battery life, and make reading books from Amazon’s Kindle store super easy. But what about books you didn’t buy from Amazon? Kindles can support books that […]
How to bulk download Humble Bundle eBook purchases
Humble Bundle‘s eBook bundles are a great way to save money on books, digital comics, manga, or audiobooks. The company got its start by offering bundles of video games for low prices, but these days the company also offers software bundles from time to time, and lots of eBook bundles. For instance, I just paid […]
