Digiwonk How-Tos
How To: Get Back Avatars in Chrome to Switch User Profiles More Easily
A recent update to Google Chrome replaced the colored avatar menu in the top-left (Windows) or top-right (Mac) corner of the browser that let you easily switch from profile to profile with a plain gray button that simply names what profile you're in.
How To: Facebook Undo Gives You 5 Seconds to Think About What You’re Actually Posting
While it's currently impossible to go back in time, there is something wonderful about being able to undo the stupid stuff that you just did. While this is only really possible in the digital world, it does save you from real-life repercussions. If you've ever sent an email to the wrong person or sent some not-so-genius text messages, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
How To: You Can Now Create & Share GIFs Directly from YouTube Videos
When I stumble upon something interesting on YouTube, sometimes I just want to share a few seconds of it with friends. That's where GIFs come in handy: they're small in size, easy to share, and they can be viewed directly in most messaging apps.
How To: Dashlane & LastPass Can Now Automatically Strengthen All of Your Weak Passwords
A group ironically called the "Guardians of Peace" hacked into Sony Pictures' computer systems and released a mountain of internal information such as medical records, leaked scripts, work complaints, and even celebrity aliases.
How To: Hot Cyber Monday Deals on Apps, Games, TVs, & Other Tech
If you missed out on Black Friday this year, you've got a second chance at saving some big bucks on apps, mobile devices, HDTVs, and other tech. See below for all of the hot Cyber Monday deals from Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other online retailers. This list will be continuously updated throughout the day, so bookmark it to stay up to date on all the of Cyber Monday discounts.
How To: Turn Any Device into a Spotify Remote or Speaker with Spotify Connect
Spotify is how I listen to almost all of my music; I use it on my way to work, while I workout, and even while I'm in the shower. And more often than not, I use my Spotify account on various devices including my MacBook, iPhone, and LG G3. In order to make listening to music across multiple devices even more convenient, Spotify released “Spotify Connect” earlier this month.
YouTube Music Key Is Live: How to Enable Background Playback, Download Tracks, & More
We recently showed you YouTube's new music streaming service, YouTube Music Key, with it's promise of ad-free music complete with background listening and offline play. Well, if you check your YouTube app, there's a good chance that Google flipped on the service for you. Activate the Service
Today Only: Download Star-Lord's Official Mixtape for Free
Guardians of the Galaxy was one of 2014's biggest box office hits, and it's thanks to a great cast of characters and some awesome music. Star-Lord's mixtape was given to him by his mother, and it provided the basis for the great movie soundtrack and hilarious plot points.
How To: Get 90 Days of Google Play Music for Free (Instead of Just 30 Days)
When it comes to subscription-based music streaming services, the conversation doesn't go much further than Spotify and Google Play Music (previously called "All Access"). Both services are essentially the same aside from slightly different catalogues and social options, and they both run ten bucks a month for unlimited music streaming and offline track saving (although Spotify does have a free, ad-supported service).
How To: Play Your Favorite SNES Games in Any Web Browser—No Emulator Required
You'd be hard-pressed to find a working Super Nintendo in someone's house nowadays, but back in my adolescence it was gaming heaven. But now there's no reason to have an SNES console at home, because there are so many ways to play those retro games without one. All it takes is a good emulator.
Chrome Quick Tip: Turn “New Tab” Pages into Google Earth Eye Candy
Google Earth is the cheapest way to travel the world, i.e., virtually. Their super satellites give us unbelievable access to images from pretty much any place around the globe, turning us all into would-be world explorers. Plus, these images make for stunning wallpapers.
How To: 'Halloweenify' Your Photos with Google+ Auto Awesome
With Halloween fast approaching, social media sites are abuzz with ghosts stories and pictures of cool costumes. By contrast, regular photos just seem to be lacking that macabre feel.
How To: What We Thought We Knew About Saving Money on Airfare Was Wrong
Tuesday has long been considered the best day to save money on a plane ticket. Airlines typically announce new deals on Monday, so by Tuesday, all other airlines have matched their competitor's lowest fares. It's a tip that I learned at a young age from my father and was solidified by countless others who swore by it. Well, it turns out that we were all wrong.
How To: Give Your Friends Access to "Inbox by Gmail" Without Any Invites
Google's new Inbox by Gmail service offers a new take on email with a particular emphasis on productivity. But, as an invite-only service at this stage, not many people can access Inbox just yet.
How To: Banish Multi-Page Articles & Slideshows Forever
So, you're scanning the internet for some cool articles to read during your lunch break and you come across something pretty interesting—"The 50 Most Incredible Things Every Person with a Brain Should Know." That sounds interesting, so you click, and boom, you are hit with the utterly obnoxious Page 1 of 50. Really?
How To: Get the Most Out of Google's New Inbox by Gmail
Google's new Inbox by Gmail service wants to fundamentally change the way you handle email, so a bit of a learning curve is to be expected when you're first using the utility. As of right now, the service is invite-only, but if you were lucky enough to get in on the ground floor, you're probably wondering, "How the heck do I use this thing?"
How To: Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Email More Efficiently in Google Inbox
While the new Google Inbox is currently invite-only, if you were able to snag one, you'll want to learn the best ways to navigate it. Google Inbox coins itself as "The inbox that works for you," and after a brief run through of it, we think it's definitely living up to that slogan.
How To: Lock Down Your Google Account with Google's New Physical Key
While most of us don't think twice about dragging a pattern or using Touch ID to open our phones, or entering a password in for our email and bank accounts, these features are there to protect some of our most private information. Only problem is, they don't do a good job of it.
How To: Appear.in Makes Video Chatting Easy with No Logins or Downloads
These days, phone calls aren't always the best way to communicate with others. Maybe you need to reach people out of the country, or you simply want to have a more visual conversation. Either way, there's a reason why video calling has become so popular.
How To: Log into Your Favorite Websites Using Your Phone's Camera
With all of the different websites we use in our day-to-day lives, keeping track of our numerous login credentials can start to become a hassle. This has created a market for password managers that aim to centralize these account credentials and generally streamline the process of logging into our favorite sites.
How To: Get Spotify's Desktop Beta App for Mac & Windows (Now with Touch)
Without much notice, Spotify launched Desktop Open Beta a few weeks ago, a program that allows anyone to download, test out, and provide feedback on the latest beta version of their desktop application for Mac and Windows.
How To: Get Instagram Preview Photos Back on Twitter
In late 2012, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom made a sudden and controversial change to his social media service when he removed Twitter Card support.
How To: Get Rid of Facebook Stickers from Your Timeline & News Feed
While stickers have long existed in the messages section of Facebook, they've only just recently rolled out sticker capability in comments for events, groups, and timeline posts. That means you can now reply with a cute sticker of a cat eating a slice of pizza on someone's status instead or writing something more thoughtful. While an animated sticker can show off enthusiasm and excitement that words or a too-simple emoji may not be able to convey, you can bet that your comment section will qu...
How To: Manage Stored Passwords So You Don't Get Hacked
Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all provide built-in features that allow you to save your username and password for your favorite sites, making the process for entering your credentials a breeze when you revisit them.
How To: Watch YouTube Videos While Browsing in Chrome
Whether I'm writing up something online, playing games in Chrome, or just browsing the annals of the Internet, I always like to keep a tab open for YouTube so I can listen to interviews, trailers, and music videos at the same time. But a tab can get lost, and it's not easy to "watch" if I don't have a second display to utilize—even with snapping windows.
How To: "Find & Replace" Text Directly in Your Web Browser
I'm sure you've been there—halfway through typing something out, you realize that one word you've been using more than any other has been misspelled. Perhaps it's a single word, acronym, or line of code that you find yourself typing quite often at work, but this one requires complicated hand gymnastics that you'd simply rather not perform over and over again.
How To: Run Android Apps on Chrome for Windows, Mac, & Linux
When Google announced that it would begin supporting Android apps on its own Chrome OS, it was great news for all the folks with Chromebooks. But, as that operating system only makes up about 0.2% of the PC and laptop market share, most of us were out of luck.
How To: Instantly Detect When Online Articles Are Actually Ads
Earlier this month, John Oliver spent a segment on Last Week Tonight explaining native advertising, a practice followed by many online media outlets such as BuzzFeed, The New York Times, and VICE, which combines editorial content along with sponsored advertisements.
How To: Check Wi-Fi Reliability & Speed at Hotels Before Booking a Room
If you're anything like me, every time you travel you end up in a desperate panic for a decent W-Fi connection. Whether you want to post your photos, research the best beaches, or kill time during an overnight layover, a hotel's Wi-Fi quality is of paramount significance in making a reservation.
How To: Create Google Now Reminders Straight from Google Search on Your Computer
Google Now is a quick and intuitive way to tailor your device to work for you and, unlike other personal assistants, provide you with up-to-date information based on search habits, emails, and the general all-knowingness of Google.
Canvas Fingerprinting: How to Stop the Web's Sneakiest Tracking Tool in Your Browser
Canvas fingerprinting is the web's trickiest privacy threat, but it's not impossible to stop. With all the media attention it's gotten lately, it's time we lay out exactly how to detect and prevent this invasive tracking technique.
How To: 10 Speed Hacks That'll Make Google Chrome Blazing Fast on Your Computer
If browsing speed is important to you—and it should be—you'll probably be interested to know that there are ten simple flag modifications you can make in Google Chrome in order to achieve the fastest browsing speed possible.
How To: Search Gmail & Compose New Emails Straight from Chrome's Address Bar
I'm all about saving time. If there's a quicker way to do something, I'm going to find it. For this reason, whenever I need to search through old emails or compose new ones in Gmail, I do it directly from Chrome's address bar, or as Google likes to call it, the omnibox—and you can, too.
How To: Turn Your Web Browser into a Simple Text Editor for Quick & Convenient Note-Taking
Do you take your notes on a word processor while browsing the web? Well, stop. There's an easier, less RAM hungry way to take notes by turning the tab of your web browser into a notepad. Whether it's an email address, a line of code, a new how-to, or an idea you don't want to lose, you can easily jot it down without slowing down.
How To: Weakness in Boingo Hotspots Can Be Exploited for Free Wi-Fi Access at Airports
Airports are terrible germ-infested purgatories where people sit around for hours without Wi-Fi while they anxiously await to get wherever they really want to go. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about waiting, but this little Wi-Fi hack could help make the waiting a little less boring.
How To: Enable Tab Webpage Previews in Every Web Browser
Tab previews—you can do it on an iPhone or an Android device, so why not on your Mac or PC? It's about time you take your browsing game to the next level and learn how to toggle between previews of your tabbed webpages.
How To: Revert Back to the Classic Google Maps Version for Desktop
When the Google Maps web app got a massive redesign earlier this year, I was pretty excited to try it out, but it was a fairly disappointing update for me. The slower load times, confusing street view, and bicyclist neglect are just a few of the reasons I don't enjoy it over the old classic Google Maps. The brand new drag-and-drop measuring tool released this week is actually pretty useful, but not enough to change my mind.
How To: Disable Those Annoying Auto-Play Videos on Facebook
In early-2014, Facebook had the brilliant idea of auto-playing all of those annoying videos in your news feed that you never wanted to see in the first place. Fortunately, they realized their mistake and have provided a way to disable auto-play, which means you can now get rid of some of those plugin-blocking browser settings you have enabled.
How To: Type Faster Emails with Predictive Text for Gmail in Chrome
Android has had predictive text for a while now, both with stock and third-party keyboards such as Fleksy, SwiftKey, TouchPal, et al. Apple is even getting on board, with stock predictive text and third-party keyboards for iOS 8, slated for public release later this year.
How To: Re-Enable Copy & Paste on Annoying Sites That Block It
Copy and paste keyboard shortcuts are beautiful gifts from the gods, and any website that blocks such an offering can burn in hell. But really, Cmd+C and Cmd+V (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V for Windows folks) are second nature to most of us, so it's very frustrating when sites like PayPal don't let us use them.