This miniature pointing stick, officially called the TrackPoint (and unofficially known as the nub or nipple) is a holdover from an era when laptops were briefcase-sized devices and touchpads were unheard of. Hannah Blair, a judge on the 2020 VR Awards and front-end developer at Hopin, set off a tweetstorm with a photo of TrackPoint and a challenge: “did anyone ever actually use this thing?” The answer, of course, is “yes....

Google’s new Pixel 7 Pro phone boasts many improvements to its camera system. It’s got a telephoto zoom for magnifying distant subjects, Tensor G2-powered AI processing, faster Night Sight for low-light scenes, and a new macro ability for closeup photos. Experts say that the 7 Pro is an example of the growing power of smartphone cameras. “The recent Pixel 7 Pro is closing in on DSLRs, and the gap is getting smaller regarding image quality,” professional photographer Ginger Liu told Lifewire in an email interview....

The iMac is the perfect-sized home computer, ideal for a time when so many people are working remotely. The incredibly slim and light design is just a step up in size from the MacBook Pro 16-inch. Call me crazy, but I’m using the iMac as a laptop balanced on a lap desk. One downside to using the M1 iMac is that it makes other computers look puny by comparison. The 24-inch, 4....

That’s a loaded question, because there are various reasons. Let’s start by pointing out that white people in 2019 made up 77% of the labor force, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, while Black and Asian people only comprised 13% and 6% of it, respectively. Still, data shows Black entrepreneurship is on the rise. Now, experts interviewed by Lifewire say the challenge turns to revamping the nation’s tech ecosystem to better support them....

Reasons Why Google Assistant Isn’t Working If you’ve found that Google Assistant won’t work with your phone, you could have a problem with compatibility, settings, corrupted data in your Google app, or any one of several other issues. When Google Assistant first appeared, it only worked on a small number of phones. Compatibility has increased since then, but your phone still needs to meet some minimum specifications. If your phone doesn’t meet these requirements, it can’t run Google Assistant....

When You Have to Log In to Yahoo Mail The cookie a browser saves when you visit Yahoo Mail applies only to the browser and device you were using at the time of your visit. As long as you visit the login page with the same device and browser, you shouldn’t have to log back in. However, if you log in with a different device or browser, Yahoo won’t find the login cookie, so you’ll have to enter your username and password....

Apple’s M1 Macs should, in theory, be more secure than the machines they replace. They use Apple’s own Apple Silicon chips, which have successfully repelled iOS malware for years. But a lot of the iPhone and iPad’s resilience is down to the operating system. iOS was conceived in a hellscape of malicious attacks, whereas the Mac was designed in a time when viruses and phishing didn’t exist. Will the M1 chip make any difference?...

The material graphene can be used to pack far more data in hard disk drives compared to current methods, researchers at Cambridge University found in a recent study. It’s one of several new technologies that could make it possible to stuff more data in hard disk drives as demand grows for storage. “New applications both fuel and demand massive data sets,” John Morris, the chief technology officer of hard-drive maker Seagate Technology, said in an email interview....

The announcement was made on the Windows Insider Blog, which details the first group of apps that will be affected: the Snipping Tool, Calculator, and the Mail and Calendar app. The Snipping Tool has been given a redesign to make it appear more like previous iterations, as well as a new settings menu and a dark mode. The tool also has been given new functions like a WIN + SHIFT + S keyboard shortcut to select which part of the screen to capture....

Both methods have advantages over each other, and both represent viable options for home and other local area networks (LANs). We reviewed both technologies to help you decide which is best for your small network. Overall Findings Wired LANs use Ethernet cables and network adapters. Two computers can be wired to each other using an Ethernet crossover cable. However, wired LANs usually require devices like hubs, switches, or routers to accommodate more computers....

What Is an XLB File? A file with the XLB file extension is most likely an Excel toolbar file. Some versions of Excel use it to store information about the current setup of toolbars, like their options and locations, and is useful if you’re wanting to copy the configuration to a different computer. If not associated with Excel, the XLB file might instead be a module information file used by the OpenOffice Basic software for storing macro or component library details....

The new policy applies to what Google refers to as personally identifiable information (PII), such as details that could be used for identity theft or more direct harm. Info like bank account or credit card numbers, medical records, personal contact details, social security numbers, and so on. Whether or not it acts on these requests is discretionary, however. If you believe there’s sensitive information about you posted online somewhere, you can start a removal request that includes links to and explanations of the offending items....

Preparing for some of the more common tech troubles before you go to school can save you the frustration, headaches, and money that normally accompany tech issues. Have a Backup Plan The last thing you want to have happen, at school especially, is to work hours or days on a project only to lose it all because your computer permanently stopped working or was stolen. You have two options to avoid this: do all your work online or back up everything online....

What Is a Z File? A file with the Z file extension is a UNIX Compressed file. Like other archive file formats, this one is used to compress a file for backup/archive purposes. However, unlike more complex archives, Z files can store just one file and no folders. GZ is an archive format a bit like this one that’s more common on Unix-based systems, while Windows users often see similar archive files in the ZIP format....

Overall Findings Like the other games in the series, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas combine the best elements of the RPG and FPS genres. Both feature top-notch graphics complimented by engaging stories and missions. From a mechanical standpoint, there is no question that Fallout: New Vegas has better gameplay than Fallout 3, but the world of Fallout 3 is more interesting to explore. World Design: Fallout 3 Has a Better Open World Fallout 3 has the advantage when it comes to world design....

Put away your best selfie face and shove all your insecurities aside so you can fully embrace the lenses that make you look crazy and ugly as opposed to perfect. Use them to make your face twist and distort into something almost unrecognizable before snapping a good one at just the right angle. Bonus points to you if you add a really funny caption with it. You can play around with lenses on your pets by first activating your front-facing camera and holding down your face to bring up the lenses, then switching to your back-facing camera and trying to get the app to recognize your pet’s facial features....

While iPhone owners used to pay to use Spotify on iOS devices, there’s now a free tier that lets you shuffle music and playlists without a subscription (you’ll still need an account). You will have to listen to ads with this version, though. To unlock all the features of Spotify, the Premium subscription is required. With that, you can avoid the ads, save music for offline listening, and enjoy music in a higher-quality audio format than with the free tier....

Access the Quick Menu The quick menu: To get to frequently used settings quickly, just swipe down from the top of your phone screen to bring up the quick menu. Voila! Now you can activate or turn off Wi-Fi, location services, Bluetooth, screen auto-rotation, and volume. For more options, tap on that upper right arrow that’s facing down, and you’ll get several extra icons for features such as airplane mode, mobile hotspot, power saving, flashlight, NFC, mobile data, sync, and do not disturb mode....

A common way to “erase” data is to format the hard drive, but you don’t actually erase the drive of its data when you do this, but instead only erase the location information for the data, making it “lost” to the operating system. Since the OS can’t see the data, the drive looks empty when you look at its contents. However, all the data is still there and, unless you truly erase the hard drive, can be recovered using special software or hardware....

A 503 error message can be customized by the website it appears on or the server software that generates it, so how you might see it vary greatly. How to Fix the 503 Service Unavailable Error Since the 503 Service Unavailable error is a server-side error, the problem is usually with the website’s server. Your computer may have an issue causing the 503 error, but it’s not likely. Regardless, there are a few things you can try:...