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This article from PCWorld provides five ways to reduce the amount of unnecessary chatter from Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa. The first method is to turn off weather notifications, as they may duplicate alerts from other sources. The second method is to disable Amazon shopping notifications, which can provide excessive updates on orders. The third method is to turn off the "Always follow up" mode for reminders, which can prevent Alexa from repeatedly reminding users about incomplete tasks. The fourth method is to enable Brief Mode, which reduces Alexa's responses to a simple beep. Lastly, the article suggests a hack to temporarily stop Alexa's "by the way" digressions, or creating a routine to issue the command daily. [Extracted from the article]

The Apple Vision Pro, a new AR headset, offers a range of streaming options, but Netflix is notably absent from the list of native apps available at launch. However, users can still access Netflix through the headset's web browser. This absence is not surprising given Netflix's past relationship with Apple. Other major streaming services like Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+ are included in the lineup. The Vision Pro offers immersive entertainment experiences, including the ability to stream 3D movies and access exclusive content. [Extracted from the article]

Netflix is discontinuing support for older Apple TV models, prompting users to upgrade their devices if they want to continue streaming Netflix content. The affected models are the second generation (2010) and third generation (2012) Apple TVs, which are over a decade old and do not have access to the Apple App Store. Users have until July 31, 2024, to upgrade their devices before losing access to Netflix. Alternatively, they can consider streaming Netflix on other devices such as Amazon Fire TV or Roku. [Extracted from the article]

SO THERE YOU are, running from meeting to meeting on a particularly busy day when you suddenly notice your iPhone or Android phone's battery gauge is deep in the red. [...]

THERE ARE ALMOST as many Android camera apps as there are Android phones, and as of 2014 Google has its own camera app--the aptly named Google Camera. At first glance, [...]

DON'T FEEL DUMB if you're sometimes flummoxed by the navigation in an iPhone or Android app, or even within iOS or Android itself. It happens to the best of us. [...]

SO THERE YOU are, doing your best to connect with a friend over a cup of coffee, and you can't help but notice the pulsing alert on your phone's touchscreen. [...]

The article discusses the possibility of ads being introduced on Apple TV+ and explores different scenarios for how Apple might implement them. While Apple has not confirmed any plans for ads on Apple TV+, there have been signs indicating that it may be a possibility. The article mentions that Amazon took a different approach by introducing a pricier ad-free plan instead of a cheaper ad-supported plan. It speculates that Apple could follow a similar path or introduce a cheaper ad-supported plan. However, it also suggests that Apple may raise the price of the existing ad-free plan and introduce a new ad-supported plan at the old rate. Overall, it is uncertain how Apple will proceed, but it is unlikely that an ad-supported plan would be cheaper than the current $9.99 per month subscription. [Extracted from the article]

THERE'S MORE TO the recently revamped Gmail app than a pretty Material Design. You can manage threads, sync subfolders, get notifications and more. We found eight new Gmail tricks for [...]

YOU KNOW THAT icy stab of panic when you suddenly realize your Android phone or iPhone isn't safe in your pocket where it should be? Sure, features like 'Find my [...]

WISH IT WERE a little easier to type in ALL CAPS on your Android or iPhone, or ever get stumped while looking for the em dash? What about typing letters [...]

'ITALIAN MADE RAY Bay, Oakley sunglasses:)' reads the Emoji-riddled iMessage sitting in your iPhone's Messages inbox. 'Pick up Your New RayBan Sunglasses Here before they run out!' If you're using [...]

Apple's HomePod speakers and Apple TV streaming players will soon have the ability to allow others to control music playback. This feature will be enabled through SharePlay, a two-and-a-half-year-old Apple feature that allows users to share their currently playing media. SharePlay music control will be available on the HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV through a software update. Users can share a QR code with friends or family to give them control over music playback, and users will have the option to approve or deny control requests. Apple Music subscribers will be able to initiate SharePlay music control sessions, but non-subscribers can still control playback. [Extracted from the article]

From sparkling-clean floors to smelly water tanks, robot mops have their fair share of plusses and minuses. I learned the hard way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is Alexa driving you nuts with unnecessary weather alerts, ultra-detailed delivery updates, and random "by the way" digressions? Help is here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MAC USERHot StuffWhat we're raving about this monthphilips-hue.comPhillips' smart light supports sunrise and sunset modes, perfect for waking up in the morning and winding down at night. The Twilight has two separate light elements: an illuminated head that swivels from left to right (ideal for when you want to read a book in bed), and a rear array of gradient and overlapping LEDs that employ Hue's new ColorCast technology to "mimic" a "wide palette" of sunrise and sunset colors.PHOTO (COLOR) [Extracted from the article]

MAC USERHot StuffCHAMBERLAIN MYQ SMART INDOOR CAMERAmyq.comWith 1080p video resolution, a 130-degree field of view, custom motion zones, and "smart" people and pet detection, this indoor camera has two-way audio is supported, allowing you to chat with anyone within the camera's view. It works with the myQ iPhone app so you can view the camera feed.—BEN PATTERSONPHOTO (COLOR) [Extracted from the article]

PLAY LIST LG raises the immersion bar with the S95QR, a Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar with not two, not four, but five up-firing drivers, including one for the center channel. The LG S95QR's remote is the same revamped wand that LG packs in its other recent soundbars, and its sleek, ergonomic design is a major improvement over older LG soundbar remotes. Likewise, the LG Sound Bar app offers access to all the LG S95QR's modes and settings, along with plenty of options for trimming speaker levels. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the recent addition of Zoom functionality to Apple TV. Users can now join Zoom meetings on their Apple TV 4K by using their iPhone's rear camera for video. The setup process is simple and requires enabling Continuity Camera functionality between the Apple TV and iPhone. While the Zoom app for tvOS offers a polished and easy-to-use experience, it does not support custom backgrounds or touch-up appearance settings. Other features include in-call chat, breakout rooms, and automatic echo cancellation. The Zoom app for tvOS is available for download from the Apple App Store. [Extracted from the article]

Apple Music will reportedly prioritize Dolby Atmos music tracks starting in 2024, encouraging more musicians to mix their songs in this format. This move aims to enhance the spatial audio experience on Apple Music and differentiate it from competitors like Spotify, which has yet to introduce spatial audio support. Dolby Atmos allows for a 360-degree sound experience, but the quality of Atmos tracks can vary depending on the mastering process. Users can choose to disable Dolby Atmos support on Apple devices if they prefer stereo tracks. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the recent deprecation of the iTunes Movies and TV Shows apps on Apple TV with the release of tvOS 17.2. Users will now need to use Apple's TV app to rent or purchase movies and TV shows on their Apple TV. The update also brings interface changes, including a sidebar for easy navigation to various features. The move away from the iTunes apps aligns with Apple's previous efforts to move away from the iTunes brand. [Extracted from the article]

MY SOPHOMORE YEAR IN COLLEGE, my friends and I decided to spend two hours in prayer for the salvation of the unsaved high school students we were working with. We [...]

In 1980, LEADERSHIP's first year of publication, we published several articles by a young church planter in California named Ben Patterson. His church, Irvine Presbyterian, was four years old and, [...]

Sir William Osler, in an address given at Johns Hopkins University in 1905, declared men over the age of 60 to be useless. 'My second fixed idea is the uselessness [...]

If you have an older TV that lacks HDMI-ARC support, you can connect the Streambar Pro's HDMI port to one of your TV's HDMI inputs, and then send audio back down to the soundbar via an optical (Toslink) cable. PLAY LIST Roku has been slowly expanding its line of affordable soundbars, most recently with last year's compact, "pretty good" Streambar (fave. co/3soGb8S). That said, the Streambar Pro does mark Roku's first soundbar with a virtual surround mode, which (according to Roku) delivers a "rich and immersive sound experience" without physical surround speakers. [Extracted from the article]

HandBrake Total Encode Time Seconds Cinebench R15 0.38 Again, we see the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE's multicore performance fall behind those of its heavier competitors (with the 6-pound-plus Aorus and MSI laptops again leading the pack), but take a look at the Triton's single-threaded performance. 3DMARK PORT ROYALE To wring out the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE's ray-tracing performance, we fired up 3DMark's Port Royale benchmark, which puts RTX-powered laptops through their paces with ray-traced reflections, shadows, and glass surfaces. PHOTO (COLOR): The Acer Predator Triton 300 SE's ray-tracing performance isn't bad given its RTX 3060 GPU; those laptops above it have RTX 3080 graphics cards. DEPARTMENTS An on-the-go gaming rig with ray-tracing chops that won't break your budget or your back, the Acer Predator Triton 300 SE serves up an enticing mix of value and performance. [Extracted from the article]

Priced at just $99, the HomePod mini brings Apple's smart speakers into the realm of affordability (although they're still not nearly as inexpensive as the Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini [ fave.co/3ukICsU ], which are $50 each). It's no wonder Apple wants to put the HomePod mini front and center, since it By solves many (if not all) of the HomePod's most vexing problems while moving the older model out to pasture. Why did Apple's original HomePod fail?. [Extracted from the article]

DEPARTMENTS The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano is just the kind of powerful, light, and long-lasting laptop you'll want to take with you on post-pandemic business trips - and it's handy even now just because it's so easy to take all over the house. As far as looks go, the ThinkPad X1 Nano follows in the footsteps of Lenovo's other ThinkPad laptops - which is to say, it's all business. At just a sliver under two pounds (Lenovo says it weights 1.99 pounds, and my own measurements confirmed it), the X1 Nano is Lenovo's lightest ThinkPad ever. [Extracted from the article]

DEPARTMENTS The luxurious HP Spectre x360 14 is back with some new bling - Intel's Tiger Lake CPU. Speaking of the camera shutter, the Spectre x360 14 actually gives you visual feedback when the shutter is closed, something we wish more laptop vendors would implement. The HP Spectre x360 14's physical camera shutter gives you visual feedback when the shutter is closed. DESIGN HP's Spectre x360 laptops have long been sleek, gorgeous creatures, and this new Spectre x360 14 is no exception. [Extracted from the article]

MACUSERsamsung.comThe Music Frame is a bit of a throwback—it’s designed to showcase actual prints (up to 8×8 inches) rather than display digital photos. Behind the picture are four front-firing drivers (two tweeters and two midrange drivers) plus a pair of back-firing woofers. With support for Dolby Atmos, the Music Frame can operate on its own as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speaker, and it even offers a built-in IoT hub that works with Samsung SmartThings.—BEN PATTERSONPHOTO (COLOR) [Extracted from the article]

MACUSERamazon.comAmazon’s third-generation Echo Frames smart glasses arrive with several welcome improvements, including new styles, thinner temples, better audio, and improved battery life. If you find Alexa indispensable and you want the voice assistant hovering around your temples all day, the Frames are an easy recommendation. But you’ll still want your AirPods when it comes to music.PHOTO (COLOR) [Extracted from the article]