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According to the Commission’s statement, this proposal aims to reduce e-waste and minimize user inconvenience. If successful, USB-C will become the new universal charging port for electronic devices, and companies will be required to provide charging performance information. New electronic devices also would stop bundling chargers in the package by default. These steps would likely cut down on outdated charging cable refuse over time, help consumers avoid wasting money on the wrong accessory, and prevent extra cable piles from forming....

The new feature—only available on select Android devices and currently limited to adult profiles—lets you choose between four settings: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or the end of the show. The app will stop at the end of the timer; observers say a viewing break will extend battery life on devices and give your brain a rest. “If people want to limit the time they stream, timers are very valuable,” Paul Levinson, a professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University, said in an email interview....

There is a good reason for it, however. Reeling It In Instagram’s new Reels feature is Facebook’s attempt to head off TikTok. Reels adds a new section to the Instagram app, where you can see a stream of videos created by other Instagrammers. The twist is these videos come from strangers, rather than people you’ve chosen to follow. TikTok is a massive success, so Facebook is doing the same thing it did to bury Snapchat: clone it and add it to Instagram....

In iOS 15.4, Siri gets a new gender-neutral voice, which—like that blue/gray dress—sounds different depending on your point of view. This is the latest installment in Apple’s plan to remove gender bias from its voice assistant, making it more inclusive and removing preconceptions about general roles in service roles. “Removing gender from computer interactions is the next step for inclusivity, especially regarding something that should be universally acceptable to everyone,” Samuel Dwyer, CEO of the HR sexual harassment training platform EasyLlama, told Lifewire via email....

Ai-Da was built in 2019 and now has an improved robotic arm that allows it to use a regular color palette and brush. Its cameras take a picture of the subject as a reference for painting. But is robot art something humans want? “A hotel corporation that needs to cheaply install thousands of art pieces across its rooms, to add visual flair for its guests, may actually prefer and benefit from AI-generated art if it is easier to procure and costs less,” Rozina Vavetsi, associate professor and department chair of Digital Art and Design at New York Institute of Technology told Lifewire in an email interview....

Social media Stories let you post a video or a photo to your followers for a short amount of time to give a real-time glimpse into your day-to-day life, truly adding to the “social” aspect of social media. Now, more and more platforms outside of social media are integrating this type of ephemeral content, further solidifying the feature in the future of the internet. “What was once a permanent post on Facebook or Instagram like a meal or a fun night out became a Snap,” wrote Andrew Selepak, a social media professor at the University of Florida, to Lifewire in an email....

The retail giant wants to sell you the top-end model, the Kindle Oasis, for $279.99. But I’m a longtime Kindle owner and recently purchased the bargain basement model, the basic Kindle that retails for $89.99 because I wanted something cheaper that I could throw in my luggage when I was going on a trip. I was expecting to be longing for the bigger screen and warm backlight of the Kindle Oasis when I got home....

Both of Apple’s computer platforms—iOS and macOS—now run on the same Apple Silicon chips. M1 Macs can run iPhone and iPad apps, right there next to Mac apps, so shouldn’t the reverse also be true? In theory, you should be able to install macOS onto the new M1 iPads and boot it as a Mac tablet. But, in reality, it would be a terrible experience. “The [Mac] UI is not legacy-built for touch screens,” technology journalist Andrea Nepori told Lifewire via Twitter....

How to Stop iPhone Icons From Shaking Getting icons to stop moving is easy. Just press the Home button on the front of your phone and everything will stop moving. If you deleted or moved apps, or created folders, pressing the Home button will save the changes you’ve made. Stopping your icons shaking is a little different on the iPhone X, XS, XR, 11, and 12, since those models don’t have a Home button....

According to a post published on the Windows Insider Blog, the company is working to move settings from the Control Panel into the Settings app. Right now, the switch appears to be a test only available to the company’s software testing program, Windows Insider. “We have moved the advanced sharing settings (such as Network discovery, File and printer sharing, and public folder sharing) to a new page in Settings app under Advanced Network Settings,” the blog post reads....

Originally code-named Windows Blue, the Windows 8.1 update is in many ways equivalent to the service packs that were available in previous versions of Windows like Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Windows 8.1 Release Date and Updates Windows 8.1 was released on October 17th, 2013. Windows 8.1 Update, released on April 8, 2014, is currently the most recent major update to Windows 8. Windows 11 is currently the most recent version of Windows available....

What Is a WLMP File? A file with the WLMP file extension is a project file created by Microsoft’s Windows Movie Maker program (older versions are called Windows Live Movie Maker). WLMP files store all the project related material that Windows Movie Maker might need to store, but it doesn’t store all the actual media files. It might contain effects, music, and transitions that pertain to the slideshow or movie, but it only references the videos and photos....

What Is Xbox 360 Games on Demand? Games on Demand is a service on the Xbox Network Marketplace where you can buy full Xbox 360 and Xbox games. They are full versions of the games, and with only a couple of exceptions (Halo 3, for example, loads multiplayer maps much more slowly so it isn’t a recommended download) they perform exactly like the retail version. The games are stored on your hard drive or another storage device (such as a USB flash drive) and can take up to 7GB of space, so make sure you have enough room before you download....

When Microsoft unveiled the Xbox Series S and the more expensive Series X, lots of comparisons started to jump around. Where the Series X promised 4K gaming at high refresh rates and cost $500 to pick up, the Series S was much more affordable at just $299. Of course, there were some sacrifices made to hit that lower price point. Even with those compromises, though, the Xbox Series S is one of—if not the—best next-gen console for the everyday person....

Ylife’s under-the-radar TWS Bluetooth 5.0 earbuds are far from the flashiest true wireless earbuds on the market, but they might just offer the best value. To be perfectly honest, I don’t much about Ylife as a company, and even after a little research, it’s clear that their name is basically only associated with these earbuds. This leads me to believe they’re a mass-produced, brandless device you might find on a site like AliExpress....

Tsang is the founder and CEO of ChurnZero, developer of a customer success platform designed to help subscription-based businesses retain and more effectively serve clients through a variety of customer analytics and tools. The software aims to help customer success teams understand how clients are using products, predict subscription renewal likelihood, and share expansion opportunities. “We saw a lot of great technology being built for sales and marketing teams, but the technology that you would bring to sell a customer was not brought to service the customer,” Tsang told Lifewire in a phone interview....

What Causes Zoom Fatigue? Zoom fatigue is a form of mental strain caused by excessive videoconferencing. It’s not limited to Zoom. The term applies to any videoconferencing service, including Google Meet, GoToMeeting, Skype, and others, but the Zoom moniker stuck because of the service’s popularity. Like computer eye strain, Zoom fatigue is partly caused by staring at a computer (or smartphone) screen. It’s also taxing to the brain in a few ways, including a lack of visual cues and overstimulation....

A less panicked game than its loose inspiration, 1010! challenges players to position Tetris-style shapes in a 10x10 grid. If you form a complete line, that line disappears and creates more space, which you use to make more lines. Don’t let the slow pace of 1010! fool you; without practice, you can quickly find yourself rushing headfirst into a game over. Monument Valley is a thing of beauty that tells its story without words....

Although modern tailgating started out as a pre-game activity where football fans congregated in parking lots outside stadiums, the activity is really just one part of a social tapestry that includes everything from old fashioned block parties to pot lucks and everything in between. Today, you don’t have to be a football fan—or even wait for football season—to tailgate. Whether you choose to pre-game at your non-football sport of choice, or just get together with your friends at a park, beach, or anywhere else, tailgating is the perfect excuse to get outside, grill up some great food, maybe have a drink or two, and enjoy yourself....

In most cases, you upload your video clips to the website, perform the editing tasks using their toolset, and then download the edited version of the video in its original format, or in one of the other video formats supported by the service. If the website doesn’t support your video file’s format, or if you want to convert the edited video to a different video format that the site doesn’t offer, try using a free video file converter....