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Google is bringing new features to Chrome with its latest update

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Google’s latest Chrome update aims to keep you on track when you are interrupted and to help you find the settings you need faster and easier. There are three new features in this update. Two of them are for all Chrome desktop users. The third one brings new Chrome widgets to Android. Let’s dive in and see what Google has cooked up for us.

Stay on track with Journeys

Getting interrupted while doing research or browsing the web is an everyday part of life. It can be as simple as your kids needing you or you forgot to run an errand. Whatever the reason for the interruption, it’s not always easy to resume once you get back to your browser.

With Journeys, Google is looking to make resuming a little easier for you. Journeys is a feature that will allow you to revisit past searches grouped by topic.

When you type in a related word into your search bar, you will now see a “Resume your research” button. Alternatively, you can find your Journeys information on your Chrome History Journeys page.

Journeys will list all relevant sites that you visited and allow you to quickly pick up where you left off. It will even try to put the most relevant information front and center.

You will be able to turn off Journeys, delete sites, or clear specific groups. Journeys is rolling out to desktop Chrome browsers for all operating systems.

Actions from your address bar

Google is rolling out more Chrome Actions to allow you to quickly access settings by typing them into the search bar. This time-saving feature will attempt to predict when a user can benefit from a Chrome Action and will display the option.

Some new Actions are manage settings, customize Chrome, view your Chrome history, manage accessibility settings, share this tab, and play the Chrome Dino game.

Currently available for desktop, it will roll out to mobile soon.

Chrome widgets for Android

Google is bringing new Chrome widgets to Android with this latest Chrome update. You will be able to start a text search, voice search, Lens search, or open an incognito tab from your home screen.

This feature is rolling out to Android users now and can be accessed by long-pressing the Chrome icon and selecting “widgets”.

Five signs that your phone’s battery is dying

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Your smartphone isn’t very useful without a functioning battery. So, it’s important to know the signs that your battery is starting to die. Read ahead to find out what five signs point to the possibility that your battery is dying and how you can handle the replacement costs. 

1. The Performance Is Sluggish

Your smartphone’s performance is getting sluggish. The touchscreen doesn’t respond well to your fingers. You have to tap it several times to get a reaction. The apps take a long time to open and close, and browsing is so slow that you often give up your searches.  

Before blaming your battery, check to see whether you need to update your smartphone’s software. An older version can cause the same performance issues. If the software is up to date, then the likeliest culprit is your phone’s battery. 

2. It’s Heating Up

Your smartphone is constantly overheating. It gets hot to the touch and then shuts off on its own. Ironically, overheating can cause more damage to your battery and decrease its life expectancy.

3. The Power Drains Too Fast

You noticed that your phone’s battery power drains very quickly. You charge it up to 100%, but it doesn’t last for very long. Soon enough, the battery symbol turns red and tells you that you need to charge it all over again.

A dying battery might not be the culprit. Many smartphone users notice that their batteries drain in cold weather. So, if you’re walking out in a cold snap and your battery drops to zero, don’t panic about your phone. A virus could also be the culprit. Look at the common signs that your phone has a virus to see whether yours is infected.

4. The Reports Say So

Newer models of smartphones have found convenient ways to let customers know exactly when they should think about getting their batteries replaced. As a user, all you have to do is go into your phone’s settings and check the battery section to get the information you need. 

If your settings don’t reveal enough information, you can get in-depth reports on your phone’s battery health with apps like Battery by MacroPinch or AccuBattery by Digibytes. 

5. The Back Is Swollen

Does the back of your phone look thicker? Does it feel heavier in your hands? If you’ve noticed any weird swelling or bulging in the back, it’s likely that your battery has ruptured.

Do not continue to use your smartphone. Do not plug it into a charger. If it’s currently attached to a charger, pull it out and turn it off. Swollen batteries are dangerous and can catch fire or explode. The moment that you notice this problem, you should try to bring your device into a repair shop. 

Credit: Mary Taylor via Pexels 

The Cost of Repairs

In comparison to other smartphone repairs, replacing a battery is fairly inexpensive. You’re likely to spend less than $100 for the replacement, even when you’re out of warranty. So, if you notice any signs that your battery is dying, you should use your savings to cover this important repair and get your smartphone back in working condition. 

In certain cases, you might want to skip the repair and get a new smartphone. This is the best move when your smartphone is old or has acquired other expensive damages. You can cut your losses and get a brand-new device that’s in top condition.

If losing your smartphone is an emergency and you don’t have the savings to pay for a new phone, you should consider applying for a personal line of credit as a solution. If you get approved for a personal line of credit and your account is in good standing, you can withdraw the necessary funds to get a reasonable replacement. Once you’ve made the purchase, you can manage a steady schedule of repayments. 

You should only do this in the case of emergencies. A personal line of credit shouldn’t be used to help you buy the hottest smartphone to hit the market just because you want it. 

Keeping the New Battery Healthy

Once you have a new battery — or a brand-new phone — you’ll want to do your best to make it last for as long as possible. These are some tips that can help you accomplish this:

  • Do not download apps from suspicious sources. 
  • Keep your software up to date. 
  • Don’t use your smartphone in extreme cold or extreme heat. These temperatures can damage the battery. 
  • Remove your smartphone from the charging cable once it’s fully charged. Do not keep it plugged in.
  • Don’t wait for your smartphone to reach 0% before charging it.
  • Turn down the brightness and use “night mode” whenever you can.

Don’t miss the signs that your battery is starting to fail. Catch those signs early and get your phone repaired right away.

Featured Photo by Cup of Couple from Pexels

SuperEQ Q2 Pro preview

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Today we are previewing the SuperEQ Q2 Pro. These earbuds come with hybrid active noise canceling that features a transparency mode to allow ambient surrounding noise to come through.

These earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.2 for quick one-step pairing and clear, crisp calls. You can expect 8 hours of playtime with an extra 28 hours of charging from the case.

Listen to or watch the preview to see what we think about the $59.99 SuperEQ Q2 Pro earbuds.

Listen to the embedded podcast to learn more and hear how we ended up with our score.

Watch the embedded video to learn more and see how we scored the various components.

Learn one of the most commonly used programming languages with The Complete Java Bundle

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Programming is a necessary skill in today’s world, even more so if you are looking to get into the software development or IT field. Deep dive into the most commonly used programming language with The Complete Java Bundle.

You get lifetime access to 7 courses and 58 hours of content that spans 360 lessons. This bundle is currently 96% off and can be yours for only $39. These courses will take you from a Java beginner and guide you to becoming a well-rounded developer. You will touch on the fundamentals, cover advanced topics, mobile development, and it even includes an interview guide.

The Courses

  • Fundamentals of Java Programming
  • Intermediate and Advanced Java Programming
  • Introduction to Java Programming for Online Learners
  • Java for Mobile Developers
  • Java Interview Guide: 200+ Interview Questions and Answers
  • The Java Programming Language Course
  • Java From Beginner to Expert

Learning new skills is the key to leveling up in your career. Coding is a fun and engaging skill and is almost a necessity in 2022. Learn one of the world’s most commonly used programming languages with The Complete Java Bundle. For only $39, this course will get you on the right path to becoming a Java programmer.

AT&T’s showing a little love with these Valentine’s Day deals

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AT&T’s Valentine’s Day deals are officially live. With deals on smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, there is sure to be something for everyone.

On the Android side, you can get a Google Pixel 6 for free with an eligible trade-in, or a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G for up to $800 off with an eligible trade-in. If you aren’t looking to trade in a device, you can snag a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G for only $15 a month. If you buy a Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Series for yourself, AT&T will give you a second device for free.

Over on the Apple side, you can score an iPhone 13 for $0 or an iPhone 13 Pro Max for $8.34 a month with an eligible trade-in. You can get an iPhone 12 for only $5 a month with no trade required. AT&T is also offering $330 off an Apple Watch when you buy two of them.

In addition to the smartphone and smartwatch deals, you can get yourself a deal on a new tablet or laptop. Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite or a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go for 50% off.

Like most carrier deals, these come with the usual strings attached. You must purchase these devices with a payment plan and then AT&T will refund you with bill credits. You can check out all the AT&T Valentine’s Day deals at AT&T.com.

Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 Chromebook review

The Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 Chromebook has a 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) touchscreen display. This laptop runs Chrome OS and has the ability to work in both laptop and tablet modes with its 360-degree flip-and-fold design. Powered by an Intel Pentium Gold 7505 processor and has 4GB of RAM. Storage on this device is 32GB of eMMC flash memory. This Chromebook has two USB-C ports, two DisplayPorts, a USB-A port, and a microSD card reader.

The Lenovo Flex 5 2-in-1 Chromebook weighs in at 2.97 pounds and measures just 0.67-inches thick. You get WiFi 6, Intel UHD graphics, and a built-in webcam with a dual array microphone. Listen to our review to see why we gave it the score that we did.

Listen to the embedded podcast to learn more and hear how we ended up with our score.

Quickly capture your screen with Snagit 2022 + One Year of Maintenance

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If you find yourself wasting time with meetings, emails, or videos trying to give a confusing explanation, then you need Snagit 2022 + One Year of Maintenance. Snagit lets you capture your computer screen to quickly and effectively share information. Snagit is a screen capture, recording, editing, and sharing software.

Normally this software would cost you $62, but as our AG deal of the day, you can get it for 36% off. You can get it today for only $39.99.

What you get

Snagit comes with the following features and benefits:

  • All-in-one capture to capture your entire desktop, a region, a winow, or a scrolling screen.
  • Panoramic scrolling capture allows you to take a full-page screen shot or grab vertical/horizontal scrolls through websites and long chat messages.
  • Extract text from a screen capture or file and quickly paste it into another document.
  • Find, open and edit captures as you move between computers with cloud library.
  • Record yourself working through steps.
  • Grab individual frames out of recorded video.
  • Save your video file as an mp4 or animated GIF.
  • Record your screen or camera – or record them at the same time.
  • Trim unwanted sections from your screen recordings or cut any section of your video

Stop trying to explain what you are looking at or guiding people through lengthy explanations. With Snagit 2022 + One Year of Maintenance, you can alleviate that problem for only $39.99.

Is your digital signature more secure than handwritten or electronic signatures?

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When you think of the term, ‘digital signature’, you might envision a virtual signature that you signed with the help of a mouse or stylus on a tablet or computer. However, digital signatures are evolving and changing with the times. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a digital signature is “a digital code (generated and authenticated by public key encryption) which is attached to an electronically transmitted document to verify its contents and the sender’s identity.”

It might be surprising to learn that there’s an official definition for something that seems like a modern invention. But, digital signatures have existed since 1976, or at least the idea of a digital signature. Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman first came up with the idea, but it was Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Len Adleman who invented the RSA algorithm which was released in 1989. 

Today, digital signatures are backed by applications that meet the rigorous requirements of American and European regulations, such as the U.S. ESIGN Act, UETA, and Electronic Identification and Trust Services Regulation (eIDAS). 

Encryption and security

Digital signatures are encrypted data that replaces or are used to supplement a virtual signature, or intent to sign. According to CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), digital signatures are much more secure than electronic signatures. 

What are electronic signatures? A virtual equivalent of a wet signature. While wet signatures are what are most commonly used in the real world, when we’re signing for parcels or applications, the truth is that digital signatures are far more superior, hence, electronic signatures are less secure than digital signatures.

When we compare the two, electronic or handwritten signatures are easily forged or tampered with, whereas digital signatures are comparatively more secure. When it comes to the level of authorization that electronic and digital signatures can afford, digital signatures rank much higher due to their complexity and therefore are much more widely accepted as a mode of personal identification. 

Digital signatures are akin to our fingerprints. As we all know, no two fingerprints are the same. Even identical twins have different fingerprints and they are absolutely unique to use. Digital signatures are the same in that sense, but as an added bonus, digital signatures are also encrypted, which gives it a boost in the security department. 

Layers of protection

On top of those existing layers of protection, digital signatures are also linked to your personal information and contact details, such as your email address, phone number, and other details verifying your identity. This will ensure that you are notified whenever you have signed a document, which can easily alert you to any suspicious activity. 

Digital signatures are superior in every regard. The only downside is that you need a third party service in order to carry it out, but with so many software-as-a-service and applications which have become incorporated into our daily routine, what is one more?

Photo by DocuSign on Unsplash

SuperEQ S1 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones preview

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Today we are previewing the SuperEQ S1 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones. These headphones feature a transparency mode that allows ambient surrounding noise to come through.

They have a 40mm large-aperture driver for high-fidelity sound and thumping bass. You get 4-mic active noise cancellation and 45 hours of battery life when the volume is at 60%.

Check out the preview to see a more detailed picture of what we think about the $55.99 SuperEQ S1 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones.

Listen to the embedded podcast to learn more and hear how we ended up with our score.

Watch the embedded video to learn more and see how we scored the various components.

Protect your data and privacy with a 2-year WeVPN subscription

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Your data and privacy are important. So important that businesses and individuals will go to great lengths to obtain that information. When you go to a coffee shop or use public Wi-Fi, the information you are sending over the internet is not safe or secure. When you are at home, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has access to all of the data from all of your devices. This can be used to track and provide tailored ads to not only your device but others in the house as well.

Protecting your information and your privacy doesn’t need to be a difficult task. It is as easy as getting yourself a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and turning it on. A VPN routes all of your internet traffic through their own servers, effectively blocking and encrypting your data wherever you are.

Today AG has an opportunity to get a two-year subscription to WeVPN for only $64.95.

What you get with WeVPN

  • Strict no-logs policy
  • Multiple VPN servers available worldwide for better connection speed
  • Automatically connect to Windows with auto-connect
  • Best-in-class protocols and encryption
  • Total anonymity online, your data is only yours
  • Connect up to 10 devices at the same time
  • 24/7 customer support.
  • Supports Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire

Get Started

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to protect all of the information you send over the internet. Normally priced at $268, you can get WeVPN for just $64.95. What are you waiting for, protect your data online today.