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Top tips to secure your website from possible hacks

AndroidGuys
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If you have a business you should have a website that allows you to connect with your audience and keep them updated and informed about your products and services. Websites today have become much more than just online portals because they offer an online experience to your audience and customers. Hence, you need to focus on how you can make your website engaging and responsive. However, on the other hand, you must also focus on how you can safeguard your website from potential hacks that can sneak into your business system and try to copy or steal your precious business information and customer data as well. 

Here are the top tips to secure your website from possible hacks.

Use the Right Platform

While there are many systems and platforms that you can use to build your website you need to focus on the ones that have the best security options. This would offer you the right start that you need to safeguard your business and personal information from hackers. If you are using website builders you need to look for the most secure website builder that you can find. Similarly, you must also focus on the purpose of your website because you can look for various platforms that are designed for blogs and e-commerce stores. 

Use SSL Certification

Even if you are not asking for the personal information of your users you would still want to make use of the SSL certification on your website that would use an encrypted SSL protocol to transfer user information from your website to the database. This ensures that the information is not read in the transit and certain protocols are being implemented to keep the data from being hacked. Using the right HTTPS protocol would ensure that you can protect data from hackers.

Tighten Up Access Control

The easiest way for a hacker to get into your website system is through a username and password that are predictable and easy to guess. Hence, you need to enforce user names and passwords that are not easy to guess. Similarly, you can reduce the number of login attempts made by the users in a certain period. When you tighten up the access control of your website you ensure that hackers have a tough time breaking into your website. 

Keep Your Platform Software Updated

Even when you are using platforms like WordPress you want to ensure that you secure your WordPress website by keeping your version updated because you want to have the best and latest features that can offer you the highest level of protection. On the other hand, if you have firewalls and other third-party security systems you would want to update those as well to ensure that your website is secured against the latest malware and spyware threats. 

Avoid File Upload Options

If you are allowing your users to upload files to your website system some hackers will likely infiltrate the system using a malware or spyware file. This can make things hard for you to safeguard your website. Hence, you should avoid allowing users to upload files. This way you can ensure that no files are being uploaded to your system and you can keep track of the existing files that you have on your website system. 

Use Web Security Tools

Today, you can find many additional tools that you can add to your website that would analyze and monitor the health of your website. This would ensure that you can keep track of all the files on your website and that there is no spyware, malware and viruses on your website system. With this, you can have a peace of mind and focus on handling your website efficiently. 

Gunnar Optiks offers a full suite of blue light protection glasses

Scott Webster
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We spend a large segment of our day looking at screens. Be it a computer monitor, laptop, phone, tablet, TV, or even a Peloton bike, there are a lot of displays pushing blue light at our eyes.

Whether you realize it or not, these screens can do a real number on you. Sure, there’s the obvious stuff like eye strain, but there’s also headaches, dry eyes, inability to fall asleep easily, and general exhaustion.

How does one combat the ever-present threat? If you haven’t checked out a pair of blue light glasses, the time is now. One brand you may want to consider in this space is GUNNAR Optiks.

We were provided a couple of pairs of blue light filtering glasses from the GUNNAR team, one being the Pendleton and the other being the Lightning Bolt. That is to say the former is a pair of more traditional glasses while the latter are geared toward gaming. Both run about $80 a pair.

We found both pairs to be comfortable to wear, study, and solidly built. The two had Amber tint which is somewhere in the middle of what’s available for protection against blue light.

The glasses come with a protective carrying case and a microfiber cleaning cloth; they are backed by a 12-month warranty.

The Pendleton have a flexible hinge that allows for comfort at the temples while the Lightning Bolt have a unique shape to the arm that alleviates pressure.

Also cool, the gaming glasses come with a free interchangeable headset strap that snaps on at the temple. This way your ears don’t get fatigued, especially if you’re wearing a pair of headphones.

Take a look through the GUNNAR website and you’ll find that not only is there a variety of categories and respective designs but many of them come with options for different colors or lens tint. You should have no issue locating a pair that speak to your style and sensibilities.

And while you can typically opt for the GUNNAR-Focus lens for sharper focus at close range, you can also use your prescription, too. Going that route opens things up quite a bit in the area of lens tints as well as whether you want single focus, progressive, or something for computers.

If you spend more than a few hours per day looking at a computer screen, you owe it to yourself to start protecting your eyes against the harmful effects of blue light. When you’re ready, GUNNAR Optiks has a wide range of options.

Blurams Dome Lite 2: The $50 pan and tilt camera for the masses?

Scott Webster
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Building up a smart home doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor, even if you’re dealing with security. Indeed, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started with putting cameras around the house. The Blurams Dome Lite 2 serves as a perfect example of a budget-priced device that works for most homes.

As a successor or refresh to an already-existing experience, the Dome Lite 2 is a tennis ball-sized dome unit of a camera with 2K resolution and a 109-degree viewing angle.

The camera will pan 355 degrees and tilt 95 degrees to provide pretty much a full perspective of a room. There are eight LED lights around the lens which provide up to 22 feet of low-light illumination. Also tucked into the camera are a microphone and speaker as well as a 110db siren.

As for storage options, the Dome Light 2 comes with a few include 24 hour loops recording in the cloud at no cost. Subscribe for $5 a month and you’ll get a 7-day loop; 15-day and 30-day loops are $59 and $139, respectively.

Alternatively, you can also save videos to a microSD card (up to 128GB). The camera will capture 10-second clips each time it recognizes a human, saving it in the cloud.

The Dome Lite 2 has a six-foot cable and can be placed on a tabletop, desk, or even mounted to a wall with the included hardware.

The camera lets users change resolution; adjust it based on how much bandwidth you want to use or the level of image quality you’d like to capture. Moreover, you can toggle it to whether you want it to switch to night vision when it’s dark. For most people the defaults will be perfect.

Other features worth noting including the ability to control the pan and tilt with an in-app virtual joystick, manual capturing of pictures and videos, motion detection, human recognition, and toggling a privacy shield.

If you’ve got a smart digital assistant like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you’ll get a little extra capability, too. Similarly, it’s also possible to configure it with IFTTT for some automation.

Learn more about the Blurams Dome Lite 2 at the manufacturer’s website where it’s also available to purchase for about $50. You can also find it at Amazon where it’s currently offered for just $41.

Cleer Alpha ANC Headphones review

Luke Gaul
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When it comes to buying headphones, one principle that I tend to live buy is I’d rather buy a pair once and pay a little more instead of purchasing cheap models time and again.

I’m not an audiophile or someone with extremely discerning tastes, but I know a good pair of headphones when I see them — or hear them. I can appreciate the build quality and audio of a premium brand, but I also like to keep some money in my pocket when I can.

I recently had the chance to test out a pair of wireless headphones from a brand that I wasn’t too familiar with, Cleer Audio. The model I got to review were the Alpha, a pair of over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation.

Priced $220, I feel like these are a perfect happy middle ground. They have a full suite of features and excellent sound, but they come in about 1/3 of the cost that I expected. These are the type of headphones I can picture lasting me a number of years.

Cleer Audio ALPHA

  • Ambient mode
  • Qualcomm cVc 2 mic beamforming for crystal clear voice calls
  • Dirac Virtuo Spatial audio
  • patented 40mm Ironless Drivers
  • 35hr playback on single charge, 10min quick charge for 4 hours
  • Intuitive touch controls

My initial impressions were very favorable, thanks to quick pairing and a full-featured app. I appreciate that I have such levels of control over the audio aspect with options such as manual and preset EQ settings, Active Noise Cancellation, and Ambient Mode.

The headphones are very comfortable to wear, even in longer listening periods. The design is more clean and minimal than others I’ve tested and I like that they feel solid at the hinges and cups.

Controls are fairly intuitive and don’t take too long to figure out. You can certainly feel the response and clickiness whether adjusting volume, taking a call, skipping tracks.

I would describe the Cleer Audio ALPHA sound as being robust but not overly heavy on the low end. There’s nothing muddy whatsoever in the experience; all levels are equally represented and appear spaced apart nicely.

Battery life is rated at up to 35 hours which is more than two full weeks of typical listening for me. I only charge them out of habit as I’ve yet to be prompted that the battery level is low. Speaking of which, I like that just ten minutes on the USB Type-C charger is enough to provide four hours of listening.

Other notable features include wear detection for automatic pausing and playback, conversation mode, the ability to pair to multiple audio sources, and support for Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codec.

You can learn more about the ALPHA headphones at Cleer Audio’s website where you can also purchase them in two color options: Midnight Blue and Stone. They’re also available at Amazon where they’re currently listed at just $220.

Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro wireless earbuds review

Andrew Allen
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Tronsmart has been on a roll recently with new products like the Trip portable speaker. The company is creating a compelling new portfolio for 2022. The latest addition is the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds. We have been testing these for about three weeks and let’s dive into the full review.

Design

Let’s be honest, this design isn’t paving new roads for the industrial finish in the earbuds space. You have a very similar look and feel to many other wireless earbuds. The teardrop earpiece with a stem housing the microphone is pretty much the standard these days.

There’s a dual external microphone on the outside of each earpiece. This allows for great voice input while also blocking out surrounding noise. The stem of both units houses a capacitive area meant for controlling playback and calls.

Internally, the Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro includes Bluetooth 5.2 and Qualcomm’s aptX codecs for stable connections and better audio. Combine those features with IPX5 water resistance and you should have a pair of earbuds poised for almost any environment.

Sound

Much like others in this earbud styling, the Onyx Ace Pro is good. Not great, but good. The highs and mids come through well and the bass can be underwhelming at times. More muted or natural audio like podcasts perform much better and the sound is very crisp.

The same can be said for phone calls. I’ve had zero issues with the performance of the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds while talking to loved ones or taking the occasional conference call. Both sides of the conversation seemed adequate with no complaints of noise or muffled mic output.

Touch controls

You can’t have a modern wireless earbud without some sort of capacitive control. Tronsmart doesn’t disappoint here with all the common interactions included on the outside areas of the Onyx Ace Pro headphones.

You can tap either earbud twice to start or pause the playback of audio. The same cadence will answer or end phone calls. Tapping the left side once will decrease the volume and the same on the right side will increase the decibels.

Tap and hold for two seconds to cover the majority of the remaining controls. Doing this on the right side moves you forward a track and the left takes you back to the previous item in your playlist. The combination on either earbud will reject an incoming phone call.

Finally, tapping three times quickly activates two more advanced features. The right earpiece will prompt your favorite voice assistant. The left Onyx Ace Pro will enter gaming mode. This allows a much lower latency of playback for those that might need it.

My only drawback with some of the controls is they are just cumbersome. Specifically, the tap and hold to triple-tap options just take way too much effort to really get the timing right. This led to numerous times of struggling to actually get the preferred outcome.

Battery life and charging

Tronsmart rates the total playtime of the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds to be around 27 hours. I found this to be accurate as long as you weren’t pushing them at 100 percent volume all the time. And honestly, you shouldn’t be doing that anyway.

The earbuds themselves get you close to 6.5 hours of playback and the case can charge them around three times total before the entire bundle needs a recharge. The case misses wireless charging capabilities but can recharge in just two hours.

Conclusion

Tronsmart has another competent option in the wireless audio department with the Onyx Ace Pro.  The company has created a budget alternative to the major players in the market that doesn’t skimp on features.

The Onyx Ace Pro is available for $60 full retail, but to mark the launch, Tronsmart has them 55% off at its partner, Aliexpress, storefront. For just $27 you can own the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds in either black or white variants. Hit the link below if interested in these wireless earbuds.

Purchase the Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro earbuds

Sivga Robin headphones review

Connor Fricke
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The Robin SV021, from Sivga, is a closed-back, over-ear headphone with high fidelity audio and a simple but elegant design. It has an adjustable headband, a lightweight design, and extremely soft ear pads to deliver long lasting comfort.

In my opinion, the Sivga Robin is a very minimalist pair of headphones with a focus on aesthetics, quality, and simplicity.

It has a long, braided cable that plugs into both sides of the headphones to further balance the weight and I find that the length of the cable is a decent one for most setups that you would see in an office or bedroom setting.

The packaging is simple and pleasing, and Sivga provides you with a hemp carrying bag to protect and store the headphones as well as a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adaptor for additional uses that you might be looking for.

I think one of the cool things about this product is that Sivga doesn’t provide you with a manual for it. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten my hands on a new piece of tech and didn’t receive a manual, but thanks to the minimalistic design of the Sivga wood headphones, you don’t need it.

The headphones don’t have a built-in microphone, so for those on gaming or on Zoom calls, a standalone mic or webcam may be a worthy additional investment if you haven’t got one.

The Sivga Robin SV021s can be found at the Sivga website and on Amazon for $149.00 USD.

Design

At first glance, I was extremely impressed with the finish of the wood and aluminum parts of the headphones. I must say that they are one of the nicest looking headphones that I’ve come across in my expanding experience with the audio industry.

The headphones come in two color choices: brown and a black. I chose the brown option as I felt this would emphasize the actual wooden part of the design, and I definitely think it is the right choice.

The wood has a high gloss protective coating to provide it with durability and shine. The leather earpads and adjustable headband are extremely soft like memory foam and I have found them to be one of my most comfortable pairs of headphones thanks to the lightweight, zero pressure design.

Coming from a Chinese company I often worry about the build quality of the product, but as soon as I pulled them out of the box I knew it was not going to be an issue. Everything about these headphones just feels good in your hands and with a braided cable I think it really shows the extra focus that Sivga put into making these to be a premium pair of headphones.

The leather stitching looks well done and the rotating joints on the SV021s feel smooth and durable. And you don’t get any of that ‘crinkle’ that I find a lot with lower end headphones.

Audio Quality

With so much attention put into the design and build quality, I was a bit concerned that the actual audio quality might be where these were lacking, but I was wrong about that. While ‘Hi-Fi’ is arguably becoming less common and more outdated, I think it’s something that I can genuinely still appreciate, especially on these headphones.

There’s no extra fancy features to these headphones and that is one of the things I like about them. You’ll never have to worry about a poor Bluetooth connection or distorted audio.

Being closed-back, they do provide some decent noise isolation from the outside world if that’s important to you, but they don’t have any sort of active noise-canceling capabilities.

If you just want a pair of headphones that sounds good (and looks even better) then these are sure to suit your needs. They have super clear tones throughout the ranges and I felt like I was hearing things that I hadn’t heard before in some of my favorite songs.

Fair warning, they can get pretty loud as well if you’re the type to appreciate some ear-damaging jam sessions every once in a while but the volume potential will differ between devices, of course. In my opinion, the bass range isn’t super hardcore, but Sivga makes up for it with the general clarity of the audio.

Final Thoughts

The Sivga Robin SV021 is a great pair of headphones for those looking for good design quality, good aesthetics, and good sound.

I do wish that the headphones had a microphone, but I get it. If you aren’t looking for those extra amenities like wireless connection, ANC, playback control buttons, etc., then these headphones are a great option. With premium design, comfort, and simplicity, I can’t complain about what some might perceive as a ‘lack of features’.

The wood/aluminum/leather design is minimalist but unique. For long term listening, the ear pads are super soft and the design is extremely lightweight.

They may lack a bit of richness in the low ranges of sound but the sound is smooth and clear at all pitches. The fact of the Robin SV021 is that Sivga has taken a basic headphone and hammered out the imperfections to give you a premium product at a decent price.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 review

Scott Webster
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When it comes to personal gadgets there’s a general truism of “you get what you pay for.” And in the area of Bluetooth speakers, we tend to find “bigger is better” often applies, too. But every so often we have to toss those sort of concepts aside.

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2, which we’ve recently checked out, is one of those instances where you get much more than you’d expect. It punches above its weight in a number of ways.

Design

Measuring around four inches on each side, its a square of a puck with rounded edges. Somewhat pocketable, it fits in a bag over larger pocket without issue.

The black mesh covering is unassuming and maybe a little generic, but that’s not the main reason we buy speakers. We care more about the sound, right? We’ll get to that in a moment.

There are three buttons on the top for playback control and volume with the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons on the front facing edge. The USB Type-C charging port is located on the side. A rubber strap is found underneath which can be used for attaching to a pole, backpack strap, or something else.

Audio

Looks take a backseat to audio sound and quality on speakers. And when it comes to the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2, it punches well above its weight class. Not only is it considerably louder than expected, its quality keeps pace, too.

I’ve spent plenty of time with much pricier speakers, some of which are double the size, that don’t fare as well. It puts out a sound that easily fills a room on its own.

Because of its portability and rubber strap it is the type of speaker that I could see myself attaching to a bike frame or canopy pole. I doubt I would have to turn the volume up 1/4 of the way if I were toting it with me on a shoulder sling or taking it with me on a ride.

Performance

The buttons have a nice amount of clickiness and travel when pressing them. Whether pairing to a phone or adjusting volume levels, it’s unquestionable that the speaker that the buttons are responding.

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is IP67 rated against water which means it can withstand splashes and rain without issue. There’s no rubber protection boot over cover on the charging port so I would be cautious around pools and lakes, just to be safe. Still, though, I wouldn’t hurry home if I was caught in a spring shower.

On its own the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is nice and loud with sound that barely begins to distort at the highest volume levels. But, should that not be enough, you can pick up a second one and pair it for true stereo sound.

Battery life is rated at about 12 hours which is about 50% longer than its predecessor. That’s plenty long enough for a nice hike or afternoon at the beach. But that’s not all the battery does; it also doubles as a charger. Indeed, you can also plug in your phone or accessory into the speaker and use its battery for a top-up.

Conclusion

I’ve found the speaker works in more instances in my life than I expected. It’s the first one I look for when heading out back on the deck for podcasts and playlists. It’s light, easy to pack, and gives me peace of mind knowing I don’t have to worry about a random rain.

There is a lot to like about the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2. It has great portability, water resistance, incredible sound, and a battery that can be used for charging other devices. Oh, and it’s priced to move at just $60.

Send heartfelt messages to friends and family with Lovebox

Scott Webster
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Looking for a way to spice up messaging and photos with a friend or family member? You may want to check out the Lovebox.

A digital device that connects to your Wi-Fi, the Lovebox is a wooden box with a removable top lid. On its front is a red pixelated heart that spins in an axis. How it works is simple – when you see the heart spinning you take the lid off the top and “peer into” it where a display shows a message, drawing, or photo.

The Lovebox is the sort of keepsake accessory that your significant other might put on a nightstand. It’s a cute and unique way of sending a message to let them know you are thinking of them.

Setting up the Lovebox is a pain-free experience that more or less boils down to pairing it to a Wi-Fi network. Once done, it creates an eight-digit code that others can enter into a phone, setting up a direct line of communication. You can share the code with everyone in the house, meaning your spouse and children can send you messages.

As for the types of messages, there’s a number of ways to go. You can choose from a photo from your camera or gallery, a pre-made image, a handmade drawing, a pixelated 8-bit graphic, and other customizable templates.

Lovebox Features

  • Send love notes, drawings, and photos
  • Connects via Wi-Fi 2.4GHz
  • 2-year warranty
  • Schedule your message
  • Get reminders to send messages
  • Save all your love notes on the app

After you send your message to the Lovebox it will begin spinning the red heart on the front. If and when the message is read, the recipient can spin the heart to send a “waterfall” of hearts back to the sender.

The Lovebox is not just for couples. It’s the sort of thing you might give grandparents to occasionally send photos and messages as an alternative to a digital picture frame.

Walking into a room, you can see the heart spinning which lets you know that someone close to you was thinking about you. Likewise, you can also simply spin the heart to send hearts to the person on the other end even if no message was received.

Also cool, you can schedule messages to be sent on specific days and times. This is a clever way to make sure you don’t forget people on their birthday or for a special occasion.

Priced about $150, the Lovebox isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s unique and cute enough to garner consideration. If you know someone who appreciates sentimental things, greeting cards, keepsakes, or personalized gifts, the Lovebox is great way to go.

While I’ve been using this for my wife, our son’s girlfriend has expressed to us more than a few times that she would love one for her bedside. And when my wife was out of town for an extended weekend, she was quick to tell me that she missed having it as part of her day. Pretty much everyone who has seen the Lovebox in our home, or heard about, has indicated that they’d be interested in picking one up.

You can learn more about the Lovebox at its website where it’s available to purchase. From time to time you’ll find a discount available, especially if buying more than one.

Google Pixel Buds Pro announced for summer

Scott Webster
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Google on Wednesday announced a number of things at its annual I/O developer conference, including new hardware such as the Pixel 6a. And while the phone is not expected to arrive until July 28, it won’t show up on its own. Indeed, a new pair of wireless earbuds are on the way in the form of the Pixel Buds Pro.

Expected to sell for $200, the Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first pair of wireless earbuds to include active noise cancellation (ANC).In typical Google fashion, they’re built with some custom smarts, including a 6-core audio chip with Google-developed algorithms and in-house tuning.

Other noteworthy details include Multipoint connectivity for automatic switching between previously paired Bluetooth devices, built-in Google Assistant and Find My Device support. Transparency Mode lets listeners hear noises from surrounding areas should they wish.

Silent Seal detects and compensates for less-than-perfect sealing in the ear. Built-in sensors will be able to measure pressure in ear canals to ensure maximum comfort. Volume EQ can adjust the tuning to keep highs, mids, and lows balanced, regardless of volume level.

Later this year, Pixel Buds Pro will pick up an update to support spatial audio which will create a more immerse experience for TV shows or movies played on compatible Pixel phones.

The wireless buds will last for up to 11 hours of listening time, or seven with ANC enabled. They ship July 28th for $199 and will be available in four colors: Coral, Lemongrass, Fog and Charcoal.

Google provides first look at Pixel 7, Pixel Watch

Scott Webster
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Google, speaking at its annual I/O developer conference, provided the first look at its next-generation handset and its first ever wearable. Indeed, the Pixel 7 series phones and the Pixel Watch will arrive later this fall.

Things are pretty tight-lipped for now, but Google does spill a few details for the mobile phones.

For instance, both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will be constructed from 100% recycled aluminum frame. And while it retains much of the same design language as the Pixel 6, the new phones will come with minor changes.

Powered by the “next-generation” of Google’s Tensor chip, the 7 will have two cameras while the 7 Pro offers up three on the rear. From the looks of things we should expect colors similar to the Pixel 6a and other Google products. Thus far we’ve seen pics of white, grey, and a light green color.

The Pixel Watch, which has been rumored for quite some time, has finally been formally recognized. It will be made from recycled stainless steel and have a round design with a rotating crown on the site. Also seen in the same colors as the Pixel 7, its bands figure to come in the same style; they will be interchangeable.

Additionally, we understand that the Pixel Watch will run an improved version of WearOS and integrate a number of Fitbit features. Look for it to offer continuous heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking as well as smart home controls and apps that work independently of a watch.

More information is expected to be released in the coming months ahead of the official launch of both the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel Watch.

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