Google Maps completely changed the way people travel locally and away from home, and it’s still one of the most popular applications in the world to this day.
The app is still just as easy to use now as it was in the early days, but a ton of new functionality has been added throughout the years to further enhance the experience.
Many people just use the app for basic navigation and to search for nearby points of interest, but the app is also hiding so many great features that people should be taking advantage of.
The Google Maps app is one of a small handful of apps that practically everyone uses regularly. But it’s also an app that hides so many great features that you might never come across unless someone points them out to you. That certainly makes sense though, since it’s an app that most people don’t spend a lot of time exploring. Instead, people just search for a destination, navigate to said destination, and then close the app once they arrive. If you do spend some time poking around in Google Maps, you’ll find that it’s a terrific app for so much more than just navigating on foot or by car. There’s so much awesome functionality hiding in Google Maps, with features that can potentially make your life so much easier. Of course, these great features will only make your life easier if you know they exist in the first place, so that’s why we try to share new features as they’re added to Google Maps, as well as some existing features that you might not know about.
Earlier this week, we told you about a fantastic new Google Maps feature that just got even better. It’s the Live View augmented reality feature that overlays your surroundings with important info and even turn-by-turn walking directions. It’s fantastic and you definitely need to check it out once it rolls out to your device, if it hasn’t already. That nifty AR feature is available to both Android and iPhone users, but today we’re going to focus on five great hidden Google Maps features that are available on the iPhone, and you won’t find them anywhere in Waze, which is Google’s other popular mapping app that people often use instead of Google Maps.
Amazon sometimes runs deals that are only available to customers who subscribe to Amazon Prime, but they’re typically not high-profile deals on very popular products aside from during big sales events like Prime Day.
On Thursday, however, Amazon went off-script to offer eight different excellent Prime-only deals on some of its best-selling Amazon devices.
Whether or not you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can find all the best deals on Amazon devices each week on a special Amazon device deals page that is updated constantly. Typically, that page is loaded up with deals that are available to anyone and everyone, and there are plenty of bargains that fit that bill right now. Then, when there are big sales events underway like Prime Day or Black Friday, you’ll also find a bunch of exclusive deals mixed in that are only available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Prime members are obviously far more loyal to Amazon than the rest of the company’s customers, so Amazon likes to offer extra rewards from time to time during busy shopping days.
In a surprising turn of events, Amazon decided to launch a bunch of deals on Thursday that are exclusive offers for Prime members only. The company does offer Prime-only deals outside of big sales events, of course, but they’re almost always discounts on less popular products. Today, however, there are eight different Prime-exclusive deals on some of the most popular Amazon devices out there. In fact, the first Prime-only deal we’re going to tell you about is on one of the two best-selling products Amazon has ever made. If you’re not already a Prime member, you might want to start your 30-day Amazon Prime free trial so you can get in on the action too.
That’s right, Prime subscribers can pick up a $40 Fire TV Stick on Thursday for only $22.99. That’s within $3 of the lowest price ever, and that all-time low price is only available on Prime Day or Black Friday. In other words, if you’re a Prime member you absolutely have to take advantage of this fantastic bargain.
Before you pull the trigger on the Fire TV Stick though, there are three other Fire TV deals that you might want to consider instead. The $120 Fire TV Cube that’s basically a Fire TV Stick 4K combined with an Echo Dot is down to an all-time low of $89.99 for Prime members, and the Fire TV Recast OTA DVR is on sale with a huge $90 discount on both models. That makes the 500GB version $139.99 instead of $230, and the 1TB model is $189.99 instead of $280.
The remaining four Prime-exclusive Amazon device deals that are available right now cover some of Ring’s most popular products. The $250 Ring Video Doorbell Pro is on sale for just $189, the $200 Ring Spotlight Cam is $159, the Ring Alarm 5-Piece Kit is down to $149 from $200, and and the $200 Ring Peephole Cam is down to $159. These are all limited-time deals that won’t be around for much longer, so take advantage while you still can.
Medical face masks are sold out everywhere in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and you shouldn’t buy any masks even if you do find them in stock somewhere.
The public’s frantic buying of N95 face masks could lead to a shortage, which could have a dramatic impact on health care in the event that medical professionals can’t secure enough masks.
Instead of ignoring officials’ requests and buying masks from medical suppliers, there is now a relatively simple way to make your own medical-grade face mask that is believed to be effective in preventing the transmission of the novel coronavirus.
With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic only just beginning to spread here in the United States, people are terrified — and rightfully so. The US was far too late with its response, so efforts to get people to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus are going to have a limited impact. Even now, with many businesses across the country closed, people continue to question the severity of the virus. All it takes is one weak link to speed up the coronavirus outbreak, and we have millions of weak links right now.
It’s no surprise that many people are overreacting and stockpiling all sorts of products, from Purell and Clorox wipes to hand soap and even toilet paper. None of those items were at risk of being in short supply until Americans flooded stores across the country to buy them, but now there’s no telling when sanitizers will be widely available again.
Face masks are another product that people bought up as fast as they could, and that’s actually dangerous because health care professionals in some regions are now at risk of running out. They’re bound to become more widely available soon, but when they are you shouldn’t buy any. Instead, there’s a relatively simple way to make medical-grade face masks yourself using only a few simple items.
This simple DIY face mask procedure was shared recently by YouTuber Raphaela Laurean, and most of the things you need are likely lying around your home. In fact, you’ll probably only need to order two things, a MERV 13 Pleated Air Filter and a Carbon Pad Charcoal Sheet for Air Filters. Those two purchases will give you enough material to make plenty of masks.
Vinegar: Helps to kills bacteria and viruses Merv 13: Filters small particles Activated Carbon: Filters small particles and reduces odor
Maxi: Wicks moisture away from your mouth
It’s actually a very smart DIY and while it’s likely not quite as effective as a true N95 face mask, it should be more than enough to protect you from becoming infected with COVID-19 or from infecting others as long as you continue to practice social distancing. Here’s the full video with the tutorial that shows you how to make the masks:
The PlayStation 5 will feature an unusual 825GB SSD, which is an annoying compromise between performance, capacity, and price.
Sony said during its dull PS5 hardware event that the 825GB custom drive fits well with the hardware, and is enough to satisfy the storage needs of gamers.
Sony also said it had to account for costs when developing the PS5 SSD, but did not reveal the console’s price.
It finally happened, PlayStation friends, Sony revealed new details about the PS5 during a streamed pre-recorded presentation that should have happened at the now-canceled GDC. “The Road to PS5” was a 52-minute clip in which Sony’s Mark Cerny gave us a deep dive into the PlayStation 5 hardware, which turned out to be a colossal marketing misstep for the company. It’s one thing to target developers with this sort of online-only event. But it’s absolutely too deep of a dive for potential buyers of the console who aren’t interested in all the technical jargon and how everything works. The reaction from fans was absolutely brutal, with the clip currently having an almost 2:1 likes-to-dislikes ratio — that’s 219K to 89K for anyone keeping scores at home.
That said, Sony did reveal the full set of specs for the upcoming PS5, and it turns out that some of the leaks in the past few months were right. On paper, the new Xbox Series X lists better CPU and GPU performance than the PS5, but the new PlayStation has a custom solid-state drive that’s twice as fast as the Xbox. Sadly, the PS5 SSD has a strange capacity, at 825GB, that screams of compromise.
The world is an extremely uncertain place right now. With most of the planet in some form of lockdown to help protect themselves and one another, that means you’re stuck inside for a large portion of the day. If, like many companies, yours has allowed you to work from home during this time, you’re going to need a proper setup in your house or apartment. HP is here just in time to help you get what you need.
Valid now through April 3, HP is offering up to 50% off select products! If you don’t have a home office, now’s the time to put one together. Even if you don’t have to do much work while you’re at home, you can still binge watch a ton of shows or movies or help your children with their online classes and home schooling.
Starting off with a laptop that you can build to your liking, the HP Chromebook 14 Notebook PC – Customizable will provide you with just what you’re looking for. This runs on Chrome OS and has an Intel® Celeron® processor for fast tendencies. This intuitive machine is ready for the future with USB-C and HDMI capabilities. It also has a crazy, long-lasting battery, so you don’t always need to be sitting near an outlet. Right now, you can get this starting at $388.49, a savings of $345!
If you’re spending this time indoors becoming the best gamer you can be, it’s time to check out the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop – TG01 – 0160xt. With NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 4GB graphics that power you through your game, these visuals are responsive and smooth. This has a speedy processor, so you won’t be lagging behind your enemies and eight GB of memory to keep you in the game for longer. Save $100 now by adding this desktop to your home for only $699.99!
For those who don’t want to worry about picking up a desktop and monitor, grab the HP ENVY All-in-One – 27-b235t. This has a 27″ diagonal floating glass Micro Edge display that fits the bill and sits nicely on the metal stand. It comes with a pop-up privacy camera and microphone that will help for online classes and it has 16 GB of RAM, giving you plenty of streaming and playing capabilities. The HP quad speakers and audio by Bang & Olufsen bring a cinematic experience even to your work meetings. This all-in-one can be yours for just $1,399.99, a savings of $300!
Printing can make a lot of jobs easier and the HP OfficeJet 5255 All-in-One Printer will definitely simplify your life. You can print, copy, scan, fax, and even print photos from this unbelievably impressive device. This allows you to print up to 10 pages per minute in black and seven in color. You don’t even need to worry about figuring out how to print on both sides, as that’s an automatic setting. This is also a security-enabled printer, protecting your important work. It can be yours for $79.99, nearly 50% off its normal price!
This isn’t the only sale currently going on from HP though. You’ll also get 10% off monitors and 20% off accessories when you buy a PC! We’ll get through this tough time together and HP is helping us do so. Think about yours and your family’s setup in your home and save some money on new household devices. Make sure to check out HP’s other fantastic electronics and the other appliances to make the most of your time inside.
Apple on Wednesday unveiled the 2020 iPad Pro generation we’ve all been expecting, and the new tablets deliver quite a few interesting surprises. The design is virtually unchanged, save for the new camera system on the back, which features an additional lens as well as the LiDAR system. But there are plenty of upgrades inside, including a better A12Z processor that sports an eight-core GPU, better mics, and 128GB of base storage. As we’ve already explained, some of these features might make it into the upcoming iPhone 12 generations, with the storage bump easily being one of the most exciting upgrades. It turns out there’s one more thing that Apple changed for the new iPad Pro series, and that’s the RAM.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates took to Reddit on Wednesday to share his thoughts about the coronavirus crisis in an Ask Me Anything session.
He was asked a few different times how long he thinks the current status quo in the US will last, and he said that with enough testing and social distancing measures in place, we should have this almost fully under control in a couple of months.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has famously spent the post-technology half of his career engaged in philanthropy, with global health care one of the many causes he focuses on via his charitable foundation. In fact, it was his work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that he said he wanted to focus more on when he announced in recent days that he’s leaving the boards of Microsoft as well as Berkshire Hathaway.
In the wake of that announcement, he took to Reddit on Wednesday to host an Ask Me Anything session, and as you might imagine he got immediately bombarded with questions related to the coronavirus crisis. “We do need to stay calm,” he urged, “even though this is an unprecedented situation” — and he also tried to add some bright spots where he could.
Actor Seth Rogen recently decided to sit down and watch the disastrous December 2019 movie Cats, a live-action adaptation of the Broadway classic starring well-known actors like Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen.
To make the experience a bit more fun, Rogen decided to do so while stoned, and he also live-tweeted the experience for good measure.
It’s a pretty sure bet that all of us could use some relief from the news at the moment, with all the frantic and quite frankly terrifying updates about the COVID-19 coronavirus. The number of cases keeps rising, hospitals are starting to reach the breaking point in some parts of the country, and the crisis just grinds on and on.
Comic relief is sorely needed right now, something that’s, unfortunately, a little hard to come by. Pretty much the entirety of Hollywood has shut down because of the virus, which means no new movies are being made right now nor any new TV shows, either. Which is why, into the breach, stepped Seth Rogen, who took it upon himself to conquer a most daunting challenge: To actually sit down and watch December’s utter bomb of a movie, the universally panned Cats.
The Opera browser is now making it easy for users in the US to buy cryptocurrency like bitcoin with Apple Pay.
If you use the Android version of the browser, you can simply use a debit card.
To get a sense of how easy and convenient this new solution is, Opera promises that using Apple Pay will make it possible for people to top up a crypto account in less than 30 seconds.
After introducing a cryptocurrency wallet across all of its mobile and desktop browser iterations, the Norweigian company behind the Opera browser just made it easy for users in the US to purchase cryptocurrencies with either a debit card or Apple’s digital payment solution Apple Pay.
This is an expansion of Opera’s crypto purchase solution to the US and in Scandinavia, and in an announcement this week Opera says that easy top-ups are available in Opera’s flagship Android browser, as well as its iOS browser Opera Touch and in the crypto wallet available in the company’s desktop browser version.
As the entire world shuts down around us in response to the coronavirus outbreak, people are increasingly turning to video games to cope with their new situations. In fact, this past weekend, the PC gaming platform Steam hit a new all-time record for concurrent users, as more than 20 million gamers logged on to play games. Later this week, two of the most anticipated games of 2020 — Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal — will be widely available as well. The only problem is that many of us don’t have money to spend on games right now.
Lucky for us, GOG.com — a digital distribution platform for PC games — has collected all of the games on its service that can be downloaded free of charge and put them all in a single place. “Stay at home and play some games,” the header of the page appropriately reads, clearly referencing our current situation.
