Shannon Morse and Patrick Norton check out the best "starter" drones. Plus, setting up LastPass with two factor authentication and how to get Google Play on your Amazon Fire Phone. The death of flash is near! Your first quadrocopter, locking down Lastpass with multifactor authentication, how to get Google Play on the Amazon Fire Phone, and so much more!
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge: https://www.samsung.com/us/register/s... Sony Xperia Z4: http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/p... Blackberry "Slider" Phone: http://www.cnet.com/products/blackber... SanDisk 200GB MicroSD card: http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/... Boogie Board Sync 9.7 inch Tablet: http://www.myboogieboard.com/na/produ...
Backup Windows? Sure! We'll also help you back up OS X, your iPhone, iPad, and Android device, too! We explain why the 3… 2… 1… Backup Rule is so important, talk up the best NAS boxes (and a fireproof NAS!) with Allyn Malventano, discuss online vs. local backup, why you should get data offsite , casual backup, and moar!
We’re building Shannon's new gaming PC! Two Routers, One PC? (We've got a handy Linux command for that!), three digital measuring tools we use all the time, Mustard vs. Thermal Compound on your CPU, Is 16GB too much RAM, online tools that have make work so much easier... all that and more in this episode of TekThing
LastPass was hacked, but you should be safe with a few precautions. E3 2015: our picks for the best games. GPU help! Dual 970 in SLI vs. a single 980Ti: which should you choose, and do you need either for 1080p gaming? Best game controllers for Windows, Quad-copters are being used to view sharks of the California coast.
Want somebody to take over your system? No? Then upgrade Flash, Chrome, and if you’re running Win 8, update Internet Explorer. (Do it now, if not sooner!) CNET’s Lori Grunin joins us with Camera buying help, including camera reccos, thoughts on when it’s time to upgrade from your smartphone, and why there’s no one spec that makes a camera better, a little help buying a new PC for college, Undo Send, a Gmail update that’s, “life changing,” erasing your personal info off the Internet, and, hey, Hulu’s getting Showtime!
Do I need a UPS or power conditioner to 'protect' my PC and home theater gear? 3 travel accessories every geek should have during their summer vacation, Ethernet vs. WiFi? (Hint, one of 'em crushes the other...) Why you might want to run conduit, and how to password protect a folder on your external hard drive.
Intel's new Skylake Core i7-6700K & Core i5-660K: overclocking friendly on top of serious performannce. (Want!) Can a $500 printer save you thousands? We tested one of Epson's new EcoTank printers to find out! Need a tiny way to share and back up files? We got hands on with the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick. Is there a legal way to back up Blu-Ray discs? Windows 10 security paranoia might be FUD, but we’ve got privacy concerns.
DEF CON: Best Hacks and a TON of security advice! Samsung’s new 16TB SSD… the biggest HD ever. Windows AV and anti-malware, is Windows Defender still good enough?Tablet for kids: what do we recommend? Cheap USB (and HDMI) cables, making fax suck less, why you should wait to buy a new iPhone, is it time for 10GB Ethernet?
We’ve got reviews of ECS's LIVA X2 Mini PC and the Smanos W020i WiFi Alarm, more deets on Skylake from IDF, three awesome free windows apps, how to block phone numbers in Android, and explain what happens when you use your favorite video streaming gear on vacation.
Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ have hit and are top-of-the-line. LG's G4 is another great option... but should you -WAIT- before you buy a new phone? Two Factor Authentication: Shannon talks Authy, Duo, and Google Authenticator. Will a new motherboard mean you have to pay for a Windows 10 license? Can you move Windows 10 off a HD and onto a SSD... and why you need to upgrade in place before you do a clean install. Keep heat from killing your router, an even cheaper tablet recco for kids, a free open source app for security cameras
Is Google’s OnHub the Ultimate Home Router ...or can a $94 router spank it? The Wirecutter’s David Murphy joins us w/ the answer! What’s the best tool to manage your travel mileage rewards? Shannon’s on it! Will the FCC kill Open Source Router updates, what comes after MPEG, and your alarm system feedback
Apple Day! We’ve got details on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, iPad Pro, Apple TV and more PCPer’s Ryan Shrout talks Skylake laptops and CPUS, the best new GPU’s, and we suggest reliable SSDs, and talk about Verison's new LTE 5G.
What comes after TrueCrypt? Reviews of the FiiO EX1 & PURO IEM 500 earbuds, can Raspberry Pi Fax, hands on with MDHearingAid's FIT, the best iOS 9 features, your experiences with Win 10 and changing hardware, why Skylake over Haswell-E, and more.
What’s new in Office 2016… and the version you can use for free. What to do if you’re fed up with AVG Antivirus spying. How to start your own hackerspace, ear plugs that won’t ruin live music at concerts, the best cheap gaming GPU for an older PC.
A new Chromecast, two new Nexus phones, the 5X & 6P, Android Marshmallow deets... big day for Google this week! Shannon says it's time to dump TrueCrypt, a couple big flaws were found. We go hand (ears?) on the NOVO Smart Volume Control, talk about Western Digital's new Blue, Black, and Green drives, pick a better ripping tool than iTunes
All the Amazon tablets reviewed... Shannon's been hands on for days! Is that $50 Amazon Fire tablet worth buying??? Microsoft gets serious with the new Surface Book and Pro 4. Play Blu-rays on Windows, weird things to do with cheap tablets, 3 awesome Windows God-Mode (and some awesome utilities!), and can you really trust your VPN?
Fast connections with hidden cables! LastPass got bought…. should we stop using it? New iMacs! Drive Enclosures for your laptop’s old SSD… ZTC Thunder Enclosure NGFF M.2 SSD &Sabrent USB 3.0 MSATA II. Oh, Apple owes a billion? So what!
November is New Laptop Month! Synology’s DiskStation Manager 6.0 hands on. What fresh email hell is this??? Do WiFi extenders slow down your network? CISA kinda sucks… a cheap OTA DVR, and Shannon’s FORBIDDEN OTTER LUST all coming up on TekThing!
Roku 4 review: should you upgrade?!? Hands on with the Surface Pro 4 & Elementary OS. Jailbreaking and Blu-ray cracking: the deal with the new DMCA exemptions. Linux installs can be a PITA, the best HTPC keyboard, how to hibernate Linux.
We go hands on with the Nexus 5x, 6p, and the new Apple TV. Gaming keyboard & mice recommendations, OneDrive shrinks, the beginning of black friday, some awesomely useful utilities, and more.
Windows 10 getting a little funky? There's an easy way to clean things up with a Refresh or Reset! Whether you’re thinking Home Automation, Internet of Things, or just want lights that turn off automagically, we can help you pick your first Smart Hub! Does Comcast’s new Unlimited Data option suck? Speeding up Android, matching RAM, and 3 great tools for any geek’s toolbox.
Does HTC’s One A9 a flagship phone or just priced like one? CDNS, ISPs, and getting files fast! Dell's $799 Inspiron 15 7559... how good is it? Gig City stomp's Comcast's data plan. What it takes to survive a 24 hour hackathon.
Mini ITX Builds, Black Friday Help, why you might want to change your Amazon password, 3 techy ways to give back to your community, Dell's Cert Drama, headphone Amp/DAC reccomendations.
Did you fix your family's WiFi while you were visiting on the holidays? 17 tools & apps to make holiday travel less traumatic, router updates, why the Internet of Things is probably doomed, adding more HDMI ports, a slick Raspberry Pi case.
Update Windows & Flash: More than 70 security updates released yesterday. $200 Chromebook vs. Windows: Find out what they can and can't do. Raspberry Pi Distros: We talk NOOBs Raspbian, Volumio, RetroPi, and more! Lenovo Yoga 900 Review: one complaint? AT&T Developer Summit Hackathon! grand prize of $25,000, register at geekslife.com/att No Headphone Jacks On Next iPhone? Step forward or a step back? And a whole lot more!!!
Drone registration? Yeah, it's coming, we explain who has to register, and why. Hands on w/ Synology's DiskStation DS216play. The best GPUs for 3D gaming under $150, FLIR's Vue Pro sUAS thermal imaging camera, blocking horizontal videos, and... yoga gifts?!?
Thermite, hydrochloric acid, and hammers... you bet we've got something against hard drives! We also talk NAS safety and massive backups, the 3-2-1 Backup Rule, swapping your perfectly set up Windows 10 HD into a new PC, and what it takes to go back to Windows 7 after your free Win10 upgrade...
Resolutions? Nah, but we've got 5 tech projects for the new year, the $5 PiZero is up and running... it's tiny, 3 apps that recover lost data, a little chat about WhatsApp security (and what options you have for secure chat), a viewer's mini-HowTo on using a hard drive with your Raspberry Pi.
It's big, it's bad, and while it's crowded with gorgeous 4K OLED TVs, and waaaay too many drones, we found some great tech to talk about, from Beer Printers, language translators that hang around your neck, amazing speakers, and so much more.
The CHIP $9 PC is here, Shannon weighs in on Cujo, Bitdefender Box, & Luma Mesh, we talk about options for wiping a used PC clean, outrageous ($3000!) earbuds
Building a PC? We've got help picking parts that fit in your budget, along with monitor reccos, a review of Dell's latest XPS 13, help with adding more memory to your system, get Android working with AirPlay, dealing with gaming surround sound that won't surround.
Your PC running slow? We've got ideas to speed it up! Shannon teaches you how to encrypt a drive using VeraCrypt, we've got a laundry list of expense trackers for your iPhone, portable audio player reccos for FLAC & MP3, talk about turning the Nexus 6p into a desktop.
We never liked CFL bulbs, anyway, the Chocolatey Package Manager is way cool, 3 receipt tracking apps for Android, the best rechargable AA batteries, Thermal Paste can save a PC, and, yes, you can do pro video editing on a smart phone... but is it really time to dump your laptop for a phone?
Huawei Honor 5X... can it beat the Moto G for best $200 Android Phone??? You asked, we got your LED bulb buying guide! HWMonitor and CPU temps, 7Zip Encryption, and that $9 C.H.I.P PC ... it's running!
9 Picasa Replacements, ThingMaker 3D Printer joins Barbie and Hot Wheels! A Text Message can kill Android phone, Old dates can kill iOS phones, renting a camera before you buy, and much much more.
New phones from Samsung, LG, and Sony... MWC 2016 was good! Luxury headphone picks, Intel's going 5G LTE in a big way, Linux Mint hacked, Safe Search fork Kids
Tons going on in this episode: the Pi 3 hands on, 7 secure android (and iOS)VPNs for your phone, cheap headphones that sound great, MicroSD card performance, and more!
Samsung S7 Hands On, Echo Takes Over, Super Routers, Color Lasers, SD Card Secrets, Surge Protector Surpise, EERO WiFI networking.
March Build Video: Can Patrick actually avoid spaghetti cables? Cable management... it's hard to tell which one of us is worse at it. We both tend to Connect All The Things, install the OS, and start using the PC. Today, though, we're actually going to try to make it look nice inside a case, and get our Cable Management on!
Theme episode! The theme is passwords. And password managers. And Two Factor Authentication... we're gonna talk about 'em all, some great rules for using 'em, sharing 'em, and more, 'cause all of these things work together to protect you, your data, your fiances, your Snapchat, Facebook, email, and Twitter accounts.
Lastpass vs. Authy vs. Duo vs. Google Authenticator All of these multi-factor authentication apps are free to use, available for iOS and Android, and allow you to set up 2FA on your phone for online accounts by scanning a QR code. But is Lastpass or Authy or Duo or Google Authenticator the best two factor authentication app? Watch the video to find out! 100-$150 Earbud Roundup Whether you calll 'em earbuds or in ear monitors or in ear headphones, we heard some amazing audio coming out of 1More's Triple Driver, Focal's Sphear, and Sennheiser's Momentum. Wondering which one sounds best and why? Watch the show! Should My Blu-Ray Player or TV Do The Upscaling? We had a viewer question that Robert answered while he was here… Dave S wrote, "When I purchased and hooked my new Denon AVR-X2200W I noticed that the video 4K processing was not as good as the X3200W on my Samsung JS8500 4K TV (my wife noticed also which surprised me because she could careless about AV stuff.) Robert H said to just let the TV do the up scale instead but it sdoes not look as good as the X3200W. The only setting i notice on the specs was that the HDMI scaling was at 60/50hz compared to 30/25/24hz on the lower version receiver (x2200W). Can that really be the reason?" Answer in the video! DIY Soil Moisture Measurement! Jim writes, "Measuring soil moisture can be done by burying a block of Plaster of Paris with two wires running parallel and close together. The resistance between the wires will vary as the moisture changes. I have done this for ecology research. We used ohmmeters but with an Arduino you could automate a sprinkler. This was way back in the times of IBM 360 & PDP 8 so never tried to automate.I Live with 40 inches of rain a year and a brook in the backyard so have no reason to hack it." Thanks, Jim! Another Awesome Gaming Keyboard Paul writes, "Take a look at the K95 RGB. It comes in Red and Brown keys. I was very lucky and got the Blue which was only out for a shor
Shannon’s back! How well did Google Fi, Maps, and HooToo’s Wireless Router and Battery hold up in Japan? Is Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 the coolest thing about Intel’s new Core i7-6950X 10-core Broadwell-E? Shopping for a new GPU? Check Nvidia’s GTX 1070 and 1080! Cell phone cancer FUD is back, how Brute Force Attacks on Passwords work, and, hey, high tech trains and Suica passes might be the coolest tech in Japan! All that and more in Episode 74 of TekThing!
So many amazing games from E3, not to mention the new Xboxes... we go hands on with PocketCHIP, use Distant Suns to ID Jupiter, talk up the big news from WWDC, security tech you can install in an apartment, and, hey, it’s way too easy for somebody to hijack your phone number and service, but we’ve got a fix.
MAME Build!!! You can spend thousands on a pre-built arcade cabinet to play games... or just to the Internet Arcade and play 'em in your browser, but we're going DIY on this one, building our own cabinet. In this episode (it's gonna take more than one), we walk you through where to get the Mulitple Arcade Machine Emulator, what it does, whether we should put it in a stand up cabinet or a cocktail table. We walk through the MAME set up on a Windows PC, then put the EmuLoader frontend n it to make it easier to use, and why we'll be using something like Ultimac's I-PAC (instead of a straight keyboard encoder) so we can use buttons, joysticks, trackballs instead of the keyboard to play the games! And, of course, we talk ROMS, the actual bits of code that contain the games, whether they're legal, where you can get 'em, and how to load 'em into MAME... and the big pile of 'em up on Archive.org.
Our MAME cabinet build got sidetracked (Patrick had to take a step back and reboot the project 'cause table saw fail) so for July, we brought in Robert Heron to talk about making your HD or UHD TV look right... yup, we're going deep on Calibration. Ever wonder about brightness, white balance, or why most TVs don't look right out of the box? Maybe if you need to spend money on hardware, or if calibration disks are enough? Does HDR make calibration harder? Maybe a one minute mini calibration? Should you calibrate your desktop monitor and what are the best tools for it?
Gary’s Mom called that 1-800 number on the "Your Computer Has Been Blocked" popup, so we teach you how to fight Tech Support Scams. What did we learn at Defcon? Bluetooth locks are -way- too easy to pick, Android has some serious flaws, and autonomous hacking is now a thing. DIY repair for dying Harmony Remote buttons, the Sacrificial Raspberry Pi
You might want to wait for Kaby Lake before you buy your next laptop! Is DJI still making the best drones you can buy??? We've got a Mavic Pro review! The best deals on 1080p desktop monitors and sub-$1000 projectors... and Is Dyson's Supersonic the finest Hair Dryer ever made??? We've got benchmarks
The $200 Eufy RoboVac vs $400 Roomba! AMD Ryzen 7 overcloked with Corsair's H110i EXTREME performance liquid cooler... we've got benchmarks! We build a Nextcloud on Raspberry Pi with Syncloud. Samsung's Galaxy S8 and the Essential Android phones are coming, and, btw, your web history is legal to sell.
Tired of slow charging off your desktop USB ports? Don't have enough chargers to Charge All The Things at the same time? Check out Anker's Desktop USB Chargers. Shannon reviews the System76 Galago Pro Linux Laptop, yes, there are still good reasons to root your Android phone, and Lineage OS is the way to go, and, hey, let's talk about cuddling with Koala
Summer storms, rolling blackouts, keeping Patrick's laptop charged while he's working in the Airstream... let's talk about building a battery box up, complete with 12V outlets, USB power, and an inverter. We re-purposed an old car battery, but we talk about better battery options if you're building from the ground up! (And not scrounging the garage like Patrick did.)
Fastest All-in-One Ever? Dell's 7000 27" UHD AiO packs an AMD Ryzen 1700 CPU and Radeon 580 GPU! Net Neutrality: we suggest you head to BattleForTheNet.com! We've got Toilet Tech (Mom's recovering from surgery!), the best RAID level for your new NAS, and Shannon says the restaurant tech in Japan is -way- ahead
Porgs. There are Porgs On Our Set... Google's brought AR stickers to the Pixel 2, and Shannon's Porg obssesion is showing! Recover/Crack Windows Passwords!!! In the past couple month's we've had some Win 10 and 7 boxes with missing passwords... it's an fairly fast fix if you have a Windows password reset disk, or the box is tied ot a Microsoft Account. We talk Ophcrack Windows Password Cracker, Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, and Daosoft Password Rescuer in the video. Hint: one is much easier than the others! Plantronics RIG 800LX Wireless Gaming Headset We review Plantronics' RIG 800LX wireless gaming headset, Dolby Atmos games on Win10 and Xbox, and why you don't need a special headset to get Atmos in Windows 10 or Xbox... you will Dolby Access, tho! Best Wire Stripper @NatureBit, aka Bob, tweeted out, "@patricknorton What’s your recommendation for a wire stripper? I need to run new wire for a smart thermostat." Patrick's friend Tim showed him the best tool to use about 30 years ago, self adjusting wire strippers. A good current version that's easy to find is IRWIN Tools VISE-GRIP 2078300 Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper. MicroSD Cards For Switch/Best Place To Buy MicroSD Cards @GreenArrow374 tweets, "Best place to buy MicroSD cards? Looking for Nintendo switch storage." MicroSD cards make GREAT stocking stuffers... who doesn't want more storage for their phone, camera, Raspberry Pi or Switch??? We discuss the requirements for using a MicroSD card with the Nintendo Switch, how big a card you'll want, speed, the card Shannon wants for her Switch, and where we buy MicroSD cards in the video! Do Something Analog! Like Brandon, who writes, "Take a look at some pictures of a friend (which you will recognize) and myself doing the 14th Annual Tampa Bay AIDS Walk and 5K! Walking for a great cause. And it came with cool badges!" Pictures in the videos, and great job
Thank you for an amazing year, Patrons! Our last episode of 2017 includes our "Best Of" picks of the most impressive products of the year, Shannon's review of Amazon's Echo Spot (This might be the ultimate alarm clock!), VPN speed, and why there is no one "Fastest VPN" for everybody, how your refrigerator or AC can kill electronics
Del Visor Review! Is a $289 Windows Mixed Reality headset as good as Oculu Rift or HTC VIV??? Block CPU sucking cryptocurrency mining ads with MinerBlock or NoCoin! DuckDuckG's new Privacy Essentials, Firefo Quantum is EXCELLENT, what to back up (and check!) before you sell or gift your old Window PC
Petcube Bites reviewed: you can finally fling treats at your pet from anywhere your phone gets Internet. Apple's HomePod reviews, is the free WiFI in your new apartment safe, and is DSL an option? (Boy, did we learn a lot.) Do you need to change your CPUs thermal compound like the oil in your car? Make your headphones louder, all that, and a new Doctor Who is on the way!
Is it safe to buy a GPU that was used for mining??? BTW, GPU prices are dropping! Let’s talk about Cloudflare’s new DNS service, 1.1.1.1, along with Domain Name Service speed and privacy! What to look for in your new VPN (We can't review 'em all!) Mr Speakers extraordinary AEON headphones, headphone picks from $16-$800, and a fast review of 1More's new Triple Driver Over-Ear Headphones.
It was a -big- week for affordable VR! We've got reviews of the new Oculus Go and Lenovo's Mirage Solo in this episode, along with Lenovo's point and shoot VR camera, the Mirage Camera with Daydream. Looking for the ultimate digital photo frame for Mother's Day? You'll want to see Shannon's review of the Aura Digital Picture Frame! More info on that 8TB WD Red drive bargain, and some great tabletop game reccos from viewer Nick.
Fire TV Cube? We've got Amazon.com's latest in for testing... don't buy one before you watch our review. Is Windows Defender enough AV? Probably, but we've got bargain prices on AV apps for you if you want more. VirtualBox and VMware: two great tools to expirement with another operating system on your PC
Welcome to our first Patron's Only Build Video! Thanks to all of your for making TekThing possible. We get a steady trickle of Raspberry Pi questions, so we thought that might be a fun place to start. We walk you through the setup, explain why the Pi might cost you a bit more than you expected to make it useful, some of our favorite projects and distros, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7mj1z0Mnbg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFpx0hpyFOw
A Haako soldering station, Arduino programming, servos, photo resistors, skulls... and the biggest glue gun you've ever seen all come together for a spooky Patreon Only Build from TekThing. Thanks for your support!
Want to learn how to solder? Follow along with Shannon as she builds (and gets the code installed for) a SnowPi! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DHOc5MXcd0
I've always wanted a pair o' full on audiophile grade Class A Monoblock amps... but who's got thousands of dollars to drop on an amp? Turns out Nelson Pass (legendary amp designer) loves DIY, and put together an easy to build amp for first timers. Called the Amp Camp Amp, we build it from a DIYaudio kit the video! We also talk amp types... Class A, B, A/B, and D. Now I'm torn between enjoying this one, and building something even more powerful... you need sensitive speakers to get these 8W amps rocking. Hope you enjoy the build, and thank you for making TekThing possible! Patrick
I needed a benchtop power supply, I had a couple PC power supply units that weren't being used. It turns out you can make that's pretty slick benchtop power supply out of an old PSU!