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Apple TV Vs Amazon Fire Stick: how Is Better for Streaming?

May 25, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

Apple TV Vs Amazon Fire Stick: how Is Better for Streaming?.

The battle of streaming services continues, and no one can decide which is better – Apple TV 4K or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Both can turn a regular TV into a smart TV, and both give some control over the smart home. However, the best device for streaming depends on a few features.

Read : How to Watch Apple TV on Roku

Both the Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire Stick can stream some of your favorite content, but the right choice for you depends on the ecosystem you’re most involved in and your personal preferences.

Price And Affordability

The Apple TV 4K starts at $179 for the 32GB model or $199 for the 64GB model. If you want the 32GB Apple TV HD option, you’re looking for $150. A more affordable option is to look for a previous-generation Apple TV at a used retailer.

The Amazon Fire Stick costs $50 for the 4K version or $40 for the HD version.

Right off the bat, the Amazon Fire Stick is a much more affordable option, but it also lacks features and functionality not found in the Apple TV 4K. If you’re looking for a better equivalent, the Amazon Fire TV Cube is a more powerful streaming device with a lot more options, but it costs $120 – still more affordable than the Apple TV 4K.

Winner: Amazon Fire Stick

Features

The true point of comparison between these two devices lies in the features. While the Apple TV is the more expensive option, there’s a reason for it other than the Apple logo.

Apple TV

Apple TV supports HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. In terms of audio, it supports Dolby 5.1, 7.1, Dolby Atmos, and Spatial Audio. Apple TV 4K is the box that sits next to your display; although it is small in shape, you will need a place to put it. It does not connect to an HDMI port like other streaming devices.

Apple TV 4K comes with a touch-sensitive Siri Remote that gives you precise on-screen cursor control. You can also use your voice to request exclusive content only available on Apple TV, such as Apple Fitness+ or Apple Arcade.

If you’re investing heavily in the Apple ecosystem, Apple TV is a great choice. You can use your iPhone as a remote for Apple TV. There is an app for Android phones, but it’s developed by a third party and didn’t get good reviews. The only official support comes from Apple. One of the main advantages of the Apple TV is the Ethernet port for more consistent quality.

Amazon Fire Stick

Amazon Fire Stick 4K supports HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It also supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby 7.1 Surround, HDMI audio pass-through, and 2-channel stereo. The Fire Stick 4K plugs into an HDMI port on your TV, but comes with an HDMI cable extension that you can use to improve the signal. It can also be powered by the TV or plugged into an outlet for added performance.

The Alexa-enabled voice remote allows you to search for content with your voice only, and also contains four shortcut buttons: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. While the Fire Stick 4K is designed with Prime Video in mind, it’s great for streaming other types of content.

If you have other Alexa devices at home, the Fire Stick is a great addition. You can control it through the Alexa app on your phone, or through any Echo device. The Fire Stick’s slim profile makes it ideal for people who don’t have much space next to their TV, such as if it’s mounted high on the wall.

Winner Features: Apple TV

Streaming Services

Both the Amazon Fire Stick and Apple TV offer the most streaming services you could ask for. Both platforms can stream Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming apps.

The Fire Stick didn’t support HBO Max for a long time, but now it does. The biggest difference between the two is that the Apple TV supports both AirPlay and streaming from iTunes, which the Fire Stick doesn’t.

According to app research firm 42matters, the Apple TV App Store has a total of 17,122 apps, while Fire TV has a total of 14,798 apps.

In addition to video streaming, there are plenty of music streaming services on both platforms, such as Apple Music.

Winner stream: Apple TV

Gaming

Of course, both of these devices are more for home theater and TV show streaming than gaming, but there is a certain segment of the population that streams games to their devices.

Apple TV has access to Apple Arcade, a curated list of the best iOS games. These games go far beyond typical mobile games and include real hours of role-playing and other entertainment.

You can stream Amazon Luna through Fire TV. The streaming service is similar to Google Stadia, and the list of games available to Amazon Prime subscribers each month changes. Performance may not be ideal depending on your Wi-Fi, but Luna is full of console games that you can play without a PC or console.

Winner Gaming: Draw

Smart Home Performance

The TV remotes on both platforms offer something that neither the Chromecast nor the Roku streaming joystick or their other competitors can offer: smart device control.

You can use HomePods to control your Apple TV and other Apple devices. HomeKit has a limited number of compatible devices compared to Alexa, but the benefit of the Apple ecosystem is that you have remote control through your iPad and other devices as the Apple TV acts as a HomeKit hub.

Alexa is one of the most popular smart home platforms on the web, and any Fire TV device gives you complete control over your smart home. You can use the remote control to give Alexa voice commands, turn the lights on or off, change the volume on the Fire TV, and more.

Winner: Fire TV

Overall Winner: Apple TV

After all, Apple TV is the best streamer for most people. While the Apple TV is more expensive, it’s full of features that the Fire TV just can’t handle. For example, you can even connect your headphones to your Apple TV via Bluetooth. You can’t do this with Fire TV.

Apple TV Vs Amazon Fire Stick: how Is Better for Streaming?

Google maps hidden features

September 28, 2021 by feecalculator_x6rbod

9 Hidden Features in Google Maps.Google maps hidden features.

Google Maps has been in the online maps market for quite some time now. Despite the alternatives to Google Maps, it is still the most popular mapping service, especially among Android users. However, even if you’ve been using it for years, you may not be aware of all the hidden features that Google Maps has to offer.

Almost any mapping service can give you step-by-step instructions or help you navigate your destination. However, Google Maps has additional features that make it even more useful than you thought. We’ll cover a few hidden features in Google Maps so you can take advantage of the ones that come in handy.

Table of Contents – Google maps hidden features

1. Dude, Where’s My Car?

It happened to everyone. Leaving a concert, Costco, or somewhere with a large parking lot, and you can’t remember where you parked. Never again get discouraged using the hidden save parking feature on Google Maps.

Once you’ve parked, tap on the blue location dot in the Google Maps app on your phone. Then select Save Parking.

From there, you have the option to select the More details button, and then you can add additional information, such as a note about where you parked or how much time you have left before you need to move your vehicle. You can also add any photos you think would be useful, such as a photo of a sign for a parking lot or a garage level.

When it’s time to leave, simply open Google Maps and you will see a pin that says “You parked here.”

If you need a route to the place where you parked your car, click on the parking icon and click the “Directions” button.

2. Travel Back in Time

Take a trip back in time with this hidden feature in Google Maps.

If using Google Maps on your computer, drag the person to the map.
Click the time icon.

Use the slider at the bottom to move forward and backward in time.

Note. Even if the location has a street view, historical images may not be available. Historical photographs can be dated back to 2007.

3. Which Direction Am I Facing?

This feature is useful in cities with metro. When you exit the subway at street level, your sense of direction can get confused. It can be difficult to know which path is there. Sign in to Google Maps.

A blue ray icon emanating from the blue point of the location indicates which direction you are looking in.

To access the hide compass feature in Google Maps, click the My Location button.

You should now see a compass icon in the upper right corner of the map.

Touch the compass and it will show you where north is.

Now you can get off the metro and walk confidently in the desired direction.

4. Don’t Miss the Last Train

Speaking of subways and trains, if you live in a city with public transportation, this hidden Google Maps feature can help you keep track of the last train home.

If you are traveling on a train line that does not operate 24/7, you can use Google Maps so you don’t miss the last train.

In the Google Maps app, find your destination and click the Directions button.
0- Select the public transport icon.

Select the “Ship to” drop-down menu.

Select the Last tab and then the Install button.

Your departure time will now match the last available train that will take you to your destination.

5. Special Navigation for Pedestrians

In 2019, Google Maps introduced augmented reality hiking trails. You can lift your phone and see the directions overlaid on top of what you see through your phone’s camera.

In the Google Maps app, find the location you want to walk to.
Click the Routes button.
Click the Walk icon.

Select Live View.

With Live View activated, you will see direction arrows around the top!

Never turn wrong again with Google Maps’ Augmented Reality walking routes.

6. Use Incognito Mode

We’re not going to speculate about why you want to cover your tracks, but if you do, here’s how.

To turn on incognito mode in Google Maps on your smartphone or tablet, click on your profile picture in the upper right corner and select “Turn on incognito mode”.

Follow the same steps to turn off Incognito Mode again.

7. OK, Google, Use Voice Commands

Another hidden feature of Google Maps is the ability to use voice commands while navigating. If you have Google Assistant enabled on your Android phone, you can verbally ask Google about everything.

Launch the Google Assistant while navigating with Google Maps by saying “Ok Google”. Then you might say something like:

“What is this road?”
“What’s my next turn?”
“Are we still there? ? “
” Help! “
” Close to gas stations. “

It’s easy to see how useful the Google Assistant can be while driving.

8. Get a Ride

Save a few extra clicks by booking your ride from Google Maps.

9. Accessibility Options

The final hidden feature in Google Maps is the ability to search for wheelchair accessible public transit routes and location information.

Results will now show only wheelchair accessible public transport routes.

To access your destination information, follow these steps:

Google Maps will now tell you if locations have accessible entrances, toilets, seating and parking.

As always, it is best to check these features before you travel.

9 Hidden Features in Google Maps

- “Show route list”.
- Show route overview.
- “When does [place name] close?”

- 1. Find your symbol in the Google Maps app.
  2. Click the Routes button.
  3. Click the Trips icon.
  1. Select the service you want to use and click the Open Application button. If you do not have a service application, you will be redirected to the Play Store, where you can download it.
  1. Finish by following the instructions in the vendor app.
  1. Find your destination on Google Maps.
  2. Select Routes.
  3. Click the public transport icon.
  4. Click the More icon (3 points) and then Route Options.
  5. Select Wheelchair Accessible.
  6. Select Apply.
  1. In the Google Maps app, select your profile photo in the upper right corner.
  2. Select Preferences.
  3. Select Accessibility.
  4. Turn on accessibility.

Hidden Features in Google Maps

Google maps hidden features

How to get Android O Features on any Android Smartphone

September 3, 2021 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to get Android O Features on any Android Smartphone.

With every new version of Android, we all look forward to important feature updates. And like every year, Google recently released the newest version of Android – Android O (if you ask, I’ll bet on Oreo).

However, who are we kidding. As of May 2, 2017 , only 7% of all Android phones on the market are running Android N. And if this trend continues, most of us are not going to try Android O for another 1-2 years.

But you know what, we got you covered. If you really want to give Android O a try, then here are some apps that might work for you.

Note . Your phone must have Android Lollipop or higher to use all features. Although some features may require root access.

On the subject: What’s new in Android N?

Let’s see what’s new in Android O:

Fingerprint sensor gestures
Image in image mode
Responsive icons
Custom Lock Screen Hotkeys
Inverted Theme
Smart Selection text
Updated emoji
and much more.

Get Android O features on any Android smartphone

1. Android O Stock wallpapers

With every Android release, Google provides a new set of default wallpapers. And this time with Android O, it’s a satellite image of the ridge from space. The wallpapers are embedded below, but just in case they get compressed here is the Imgur download .

2. Look and feel / adaptive symbols:

While you can always download Pixel Launcher from the side, you get a simplified version that lacks features like Google Now Panel and G Pill Search. A much better alternative is Lawnchair, developed by deletescape, it has all the Pixel Launcher features and works on all phones without rooting. Apart from this, it also contains some advanced features such as icon pack support, responsive themes, hide apps, and many other UI tweaks. It’s free and looks like Pixel Launcher.

But if you are using Android KitKat or below, you need to install Nova Launcher Beta and Pixel Icon Pack. Now go to Nova Settings , then select Appearance , then click Icon Theme and select Pixel Icon Pack.

You can even follow this Geek article on “How to convert Nova Launcher to look like Pixel Launcher”.

The following tweaks will definitely give your phone an Android O-style look.

If you have root access, you can use the Substratum theme engine to change the look of the device, just like in the latest Android O developer preview.

First, install the Substratum theme engine and then open the app, go to the themes section and search for Android O theme. This is a $ 1 paid theme. With this substrate theme, you can change the color and layout of your quick settings, settings, contacts, keyboard and some other Google apps.

3. Android O [Substratum] theme

4. Fingerprint sensor gestures

You can swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to open the notification panel. This feature appeared on the Pixel and was later transferred to the Nexus. Now, with Android O, they’ve become popular.

Here’s what you need:

A rooted or non-rooted smartphone, both will work.
Android 5.0 or higher.

Go to Google Play Store and install Fingerprint Gestures , now open the app and give it all the permissions it asks for and then configure it.

There are other features like swiping up or down or putting the phone to sleep, but these require root. So, if you have a rooted phone, start messing around.

5. Notification badges

Another cool feature of Android O is notification dots. These are small round blobs that only appear on the app icon if you have an unread notification. Kind of like what we have for centuries in iOS.

But it goes one step further: if you long press on an app icon, you get a quick preview of speech-like bubbles.

So, here’s how to achieve it on any phone using Nova Launcher.

Here’s what you need:

Phone running Android 5.0 or later.
Nova Launcher Prime Beta

First of all, you need to install Nova Launcher Prime from the Play Store. This paid app costs $ 4.99. Then you need to register as its beta tester. You can do this by going back to the Play Store link and clicking “ Become A Tester ” as the only beta update has this feature.

Now, after all this, go to Nova Settings on your phone, press Notification Icons and then select Points. You can even adjust the size and position of the dots. So, select large as the size and top right as the position.

[Update: 27-Jul-17]

You can now receive notification badges without using Nova Launcher Prime. You can get them with Lawnchair, a Pixel Launcher port from the developer deletescape.

Here’s what you need to do:

Load the mower from the side and go to its settings.
Now click on the UI then click on the notification icons and preview and give permission to access the notifications

It’s free and works like a charm.

6. Android O Emojis revamped

Now Google has finally ditched the teardrop emoji and replaced the round emoji. Perhaps they want to unify emoji on both Android and iOS. (iOS uses circular emoji)

But anyway, if you want circular emojis, you can follow this tutorial from linuxct at XDA Developers at this link . Usually you need to download the zip file and flash it from your own recovery.

Prerequisites for this guide are a phone with rooted and custom recovery installed, and Android version must be 5.0 or higher.

7. Customize Navigation Bar

One of the biggest features of Android O is that it lets you customize the navigation bar. Simply put, you can add extra soft buttons to the left and right of the traditional on-screen navigation buttons like – clipboard, keyboard toggle, volume control, etc. And you know, you can get the same function on any Android device. And then, too, without root access.

We even have a guide on how to get et Android O Custom Navigation Bar on any Android with Nougat [no root]

If your phone does not have Android Nougat, you can use the Pixel Navigation Bar app. Requires Android 4.2 or higher.

8. Picture-in-picture mode:

This is a special kind of multitasking, you can watch any video while doing any task. The video will play in pop-up format.

It will work with YouTube and some other apps.

We may not have an exact function, but we do have something close to it.

To do this, you need to download the Video Popup Player Floating app from the Play Store. This app will play any video from your internal or external memory in a pop-up window and you can view them by doing another task as well.

To play YouTube videos in popup format, you can use this

Free Music for YouTube: Stream App . By default, this app is set to display only music videos, and in order to configure it to display all video clips of all genres, we have to make one change to its settings. So, go to its settings and uncheck “ Music filter only ” and voila! Now you can play any YouTube video in both popup and full screen format.

Wrap-up: Android O features on any Android smartphone

While we Android enthusiasts love getting new Android updates, the sad truth is that most of us won’t be getting Android O by the end of this year or even next year. That said, this guide will at least help you see what’s next, if not the whole picture.

I especially love the notification dots feature in Android O and how easy it is to get it on any Android device using the Nova launcher. Let me know what is your favorite feature in the comments.

Related: 3 Ways to Loop YouTube Videos on Android and iOS

How to Access your Computer Files From Anywhere With TeamViewer

August 31, 2021 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Access your Computer Files From Anywhere With TeamViewer.

Let’s say you’re at work and you suddenly realize you’ve forgotten to email these important files from your home computer to your work laptop. And to make matters worse, there is no tech-savvy cousin there, just your grandmother at home. Now, either you have to teach them how to send the document by email, or you have to go home to receive it.

Related: How to Use USB Drive on Android and iOS

Not a very good situation, right? But there is a free and easy way to remotely access files on your PC. While you won’t be able to configure it remotely, once you get it to work, it will save a lot of time down the road. The only condition is that your computer must be turned on and constantly connected to the Internet, and you can access its hard drive from anywhere in the world.

Earlier, we talked about 10 different ways to access files on your computer over the Internet, where we learned that TeamViewer is the best remote access software out of all the other options available.

Although, if both your computer and Android smartphone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can use this method to access the Windows shared folder with Android.

Why TeamViewer?

Whether you are using Windows, Linux or any Android / iOS platform, TeamViewer is the best screen sharing solution. However, it also has the ability to transfer files remotely; although it is hidden in the settings.

In addition, when configuring TeamViewer, you do not need any technical knowledge such as port forwarding or server security .

Related: Best TeamViewer Alternative for Screen Sharing

Simple and instant way to access files remotely.
Cross-platform support (ie, accessing files on your computer from a computer or smartphone)
High performance and reliability
High security (256-bit AES session encryption)
No bandwidth limits at all
Completely free for personal use (even no ads) (as opposed to LogMeIn, GoToMyPC, etc.)
Remote control of other devices

Features:

So let’s see how to set up TeamViewer with other popular platforms available.

Follow the instructions in this video or read the next post on how to access files on your computer from anywhere using TeamViewer

Part 1: Installing and setting up TeamViewer on your computer

1. Download the TeamViewer Desktop Software to your computer.

The installation size is only around 10MB and is available for all major platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS.

2. After you have downloaded the TeamViewer installer on all devices, install it on your computer.

Then launch the desktop app on your desktop and create a free account.

Note. You can usually use TeamViewer with a randomly generated username and code (no account creation required), but for the file transfer function you need to create a free account. This way, you also don’t have to enter your TeamViewer ID and password every time you log in from a remote computer.

3. Check all the boxes in the lower left corner of the TeamViewer window to permanently assign this device to your account and provide direct access without the need for additional authentication in the future. You may get a popup asking you to assign this device, just click Assign.

And it’s all. You are now ready to access files on this computer from anywhere in the world.

Now let’s see how to access these files from a smartphone and computer.

Part 2: Accessing Android PC Files with TeamViewer

4. Download TeamViewer from Google Play. The app is completely free (no ads) for personal use.

5. Open the application, log into your account and switch to the “Files” tab and then to “Deleted files” to see the list of computers added in step 4. Here you should see your computer on the network.

Note: As we said earlier, for this to work, your computer must be turned on, connected to the Internet and running the TeamViewer application.

6. Click on the name of your computer and you will see all its drives. You have read-only access to the entire hard drive, which means you can copy any data from your computer, but you cannot delete anything.

For example, let’s copy a file named test.zip. Just click on the checkmark next to it, go to “My Files” (your phone’s local storage) and paste it anywhere you want. The copy speed depends on the download speed of your home internet connection and the download speed of your current Android connection.

We also tried transferring files from Windows to Windows

Part 3: Accessing computer files from another computer using TeamViewer

The steps are similar to what we did in Android. Make sure you are logged into your TeamViewer account on computer 1.

8. Then go to computer 2, download the TeamViewer application and open it. Log in with the same TeamViewer account.

9. Now go back to your 1st computer and to add computer 2 to the list, click Add Remote Computer and enter the TeamViewer ID and password for your 2nd computer. Then under “My Computer” you should see your computer name 2, select it. Then click on “File Transfer”.

10. A new window will open with your computer1 files on the left and computer2 files on the right. Just select the files you want to transfer from computer 1 to computer 2 and then drag and drop them or use the copy and paste button at the top.

Well that’s all. You have now successfully transferred files from one computer to another using TeamViewer Remote File Transfer.

Packaging

Lots of people spend good money on paid file sharing software (like LogMeIn or GoToMyPC, etc.), but with TeamViewer, you can easily get your work done for free. We tested TeamViewer for both Android and Windows and everything worked great.

The file transfer speed depends on the download / upload speed on the Internet of both connections, respectively.

How to get remote access to files on PC? We share our thoughts in the comments.

Also Read: How to Stream Videos from Mac OS X to Android and iOS Device

How to Share Your Computer’s Mouse (and Keyboard) With Your Android

August 31, 2021 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Share Your Computer’s Mouse (and Keyboard) With Your Android.

You are working on your computer and suddenly you receive an SMS on your phone. Now imagine how great it would be if you could reply to this text using your mouse and computer keyboard. No, I’m not talking about PushBullet or broadcasting Android screen to computer. But actually using a computer mouse and keyboard on Android.

Setting

This is what it looks like – the computer and Android phone are connected via a USB cable, and both devices are running a little software. Now, if you move the cursor off the edge of the desktop screen, it will automatically appear on the Android screen (if Android is in sleep mode, it will wake up). And now you can control your Android with your mouse. … Not only that, you can even share your keyboard and clipboard. Cool?

Take a look at the following animated gif.

Free and hassle-free on Windows, Mac and Linux.
No root required.
Low battery consumption

Features

So let’s see how to share a computer mouse with Android.

Follow the steps:

# 1 Download Deskdock from Google Play.

The app is free (ad-supported) on Google. But if you want to share keyboard, clipboard and remove ads, get the pro version for $ 4.

# 2 Then download the DeskDock server application to your computer. It is a small 1MB ZIP file available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

At the time of this writing, the files are hosted on Dropbox and the website is running on the Blogspot domain. It might sound unprofessional, but the app works.

# 3 Once you’re done downloading the server application, unzip and run it on your computer. You will be prompted to install Java on your computer (if you have not already installed it). So, install the latest JRE package.

Now this is a little confusing.

There are basically two versions of Java – JRE and JDK. The JRE is for running Java applications, and the JDK is for building Java applications. Since we just want to run the program, you need to have the latest JRE installed. But it didn’t work for me. When asked by the application developer, he replied: “For some operating systems, such as Mac, you need to use the JDK.”

So, if the JRE doesn’t work for you, make sure you have the JDK installed on your computer.

# 4 After you have successfully installed Java on your computer, install the DeskDock application. On a Mac, you will need to allow the app to use accessibility preferences.

# 5 Now go to your Android smartphone or tablet, go to Settings Developer options and enable USB debugging.

# 5 Then connect Android to computer via USB cable.

# 6 Make sure DeskDock Server is running on the computer. Then go to your Android phone, open the DeskDock app and click Connect. If everything works fine, the server app will detect your Android and connect to it.

# 7 Now if you move your cursor to the bottom left edge of the screen and it appears on the Android screen.

Possible mistakes

If Android is not detected but not connected, restart your computer.

If the device is not connected, make sure you have the correct drivers installed on your Windows. This is not needed on a Mac.

Packaging

Setting it up is not very easy, but once you do it, the system starts working like a charm. It also requires you to have Java running on your machine, which they think is not a best security practice. But if you are a power user (most likely to take advantage of this setting), chances are JAVA is already installed on your computer.