What Is a Virtual Machine? Virtual machines emulate a separate operating system (the guest) and a separate computer from your existing OS (the host), for example, to run Unbuntu Linux on Windows 10. The virtual computer environment appears in a separate window and is typically isolated as a standalone environment. Still, interactivity between the guest and host is often permitted for tasks such as file transfers. Everyday Reasons for Using a VM Developers use virtual machine software to create and test software on various platforms without using a second device....

They’re a bit like search engines, so they’re really easy to access. Just enter the website you want to visit into an online tool. This causes the site you’re viewing through the tool to not see your real location (they see the proxy’s), so to them, you’re accessing the page from somewhere other than where you really are. What Is a Web Proxy? Web proxies act as shields between you and the website you’re visiting....

What Is an EFI File? A file with the EFI file extension is an Extensible Firmware Interface file. They are boot loader executables, exist on UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) based computer systems, and contain data on how the boot process should proceed. EFI files can be opened with EFI Developer Kit, but frankly, unless you’re a hardware developer, there’s little use in “opening” one. Where Is the EFI File in Windows?...

What Is an MMO Game? As the name suggests, MMO games are not designed to be played alone. While it’s possible to play some such games offline, MMOs encourage cooperation and competition between players. For that reason, many MMOs function as social networks where gamers can chat with other gamers from around the world. Even if you’ve never encountered the term, you’ve probably played or at least heard of an MMO game....

When a software developer or company calls out the fact that a particular program is naturally 64-bit, it means that the program was written to take advantage of the benefits of a 64-bit operating system, like a version of Windows. How Do You Tell if a Program Is Naturally 64-Bit? The natural 64-bit version of a software program will sometimes be labeled as the x64 version or more rarely as the x86-64 version....

The PSTN and Other Communication Systems Mobile telephony has emerged as the first alternative to PSTN in voice communication, overcoming PSTN’s inability to make and receive calls without being physically connected to a landline. Until relatively recently, PSTN was the default for most people. Most homes and businesses had landlines. Plus, the PSTN was the main carrier for internet connectivity in some parts of the world. Even using alternative means of communication such as VoIP and other OTT technologies often required a PSTN line for internet connectivity....

Is an iPad a Tablet? Technically, every iPad is a tablet. Tablet PCs are mobile computing devices with touchscreen displays, which is essentially what an iPad is. A good way to think about it is iPad is a specific type of tablet designed and manufactured by Apple. iPads run a proprietary operating system called iPadOS. Newer models now support accessories like a keyboard and mouse, so you can use them as you would a laptop....

Around 100 hours of this content is available free of charge, while the full 4K library takes in everything from documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters. UltraFlix claims to be the preferred 4K STB (set-top box) and Smart TV App for a number of TV manufacturers, including Hi-Sense, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio. The Streaming Catalog Right now it must be said that UltraFlix’s content is dominated by relatively old and niche-interest material....

What Is Z-Wave? Z-Wave is the brand name for a wireless communications protocol first introduced in 1999. Electronics companies that want to sell Z-Wave devices join the Z-Wave consortium, which has a set of rules and regulations any device must conform to and include the Z-Wave technology. Z-Wave technology is usually marked as such on the packaging. It also has a unique feature of being backward compatible. If you bought a Z-Wave device in 1999, it will connect with and work with a Z-Wave device you buy in 2019....

How Hot Is Too Hot for a Motherboard? Rapidly moving electrons radiate heat as they scramble through the circuits of a motherboard and cause a rise in temperature. Also, different components of a motherboard handle different jobs, so they also generate heat differently. It’s not the motherboard itself that gets hot. The stressed CPU, GPU, and RAM cause most of the temperature spikes. The rise in heat slows down a computer’s performance....

Pros and Cons of an Unlocked Phone Each carrier offers a limited number of (locked) phone models to use with its services. Purchasing an unlocked phone elsewhere (such as from a retailer or the phone manufacturer) expands the number of models you have access to for use with your provider. However, if you use a phone not provided by the carrier, you may not get all the services that are available from that carrier....

The unfortunate fact is that if your car radio suddenly doesn’t work, you may be in for an expensive repair bill or have to replace the unit altogether. The silver lining of this particular cloud is that you’re dealing with a problem that you can get to the bottom of and deal with if you tackle it with a methodical approach. Most radio problems relate to radios that won’t turn on, but you can also fix a radio that won’t turn off....

On the other hand, if you start hearing noises only occasionally or noises that you’ve never heard before—like clicking, grinding, vibrations, or squealing—your hard drive may be failing. Datacent offers some sample sounds of failing hard drives that might sound like what you’re hearing. The steps below will help you determine if it’s really the hard drive that’s at fault and if it is, what to do next before all of your precious data is gone for good....

See our review of Carbonite to learn more about that service. The information below is for historical purposes only. Mozy Features Among many other features, Mozy’s plans let you sync your important data among all of your connected devices so that you could have instant access to your most commonly used files, no matter where you were at. Mozy also supported popular backup features like continuous backups and file versioning....

Just as when you’re choosing a phone company for your iPhone, there are a lot of choices when researching the best monthly iPad data plan. Luckily, these plans are a little simpler than phone plans: Just figure out how much data you need, and you’re basically done. Which company offers the best iPad data plan for you depends on your needs. To make the best choice, here’s a comparison of data plans offered by the four major phone companies....

If you plan on drawing, sketching, or even just signing and annotating documents on your iPad, you’ll want to add an Apple Pencil, especially considering that Apple is introducing handwriting recognition in iPadOS 14, and a magnetic dock on the edge of the iPad Pro lets you attach and recharge your stylus when not in use. The biggest marquee feature to the 2020 iPad Pro, however, is the addition of a dual-camera system and a LiDAR scanner, unlocking a whole new set of possibilities in augmented reality, from measuring and laying out rooms in your home to playing some of the latest games....

Self-flying plane startup Merlin Labs wants to put pilotless cargo and passenger planes in the sky. The planes would fly themselves, including takeoff and landing, and there would be a remote operator somewhere on the ground, monitoring many planes, like a more hands-on air-traffic controller. But do we really need to remove the pilot from a plane? Would autonomous flights be safe? And would any passengers ever get on board?...

Why Chromecast Keeps Disconnecting Unfortunately, there isn’t a single cause behind all crashes and reboots, so there isn’t a one-answer-fits-all solution. Depending on your specific circumstance, the problem could be related to the device you’re using to do the casting (like your phone or computer), the app that’s triggering the stream, the network on which you’re using the device, or the Chromecast itself. How Do I Fix a Chromecast That Keeps Crashing?...

The closest we have to a self-driving car on the road today is the Tesla. Models come with Auto Pilot, and a beta FSD (full self-driving) mode, which Elon Musk pushes as a fully autonomous mode. In reality, it’s little more than a fancy cruise control. And now, Tesla has admitted as much, saying Musk was “extrapolating” the autonomous abilities of the cars. Will self-driving cars ever be good enough for cities?...

This high-performance mechanical keyboard comes with a choice of illumination, color, and switch options. The aluminum housing uses Cherry MX switches that are precise and offer satisfying feedback. I’ve paired the 3.0 S with my 24-inch iMac, and it’s a far better experience than using Apple’s stock keyboard. Instead of having to peck on the iMac’s low-profile chiclets, I get to enjoy the full-sized keys on the Cherry. This keyboard comes in a choice of colors, but the white version I chose complements the look of the silver iMac....