Alejandro Alba

Instructions for enabling dark mode or similar low‑light features on iPhones, Android devices, and popular apps, including guidance for using iOS color inversion settings, Night Shift, Twitter’s Night Mode, VLC’s black theme, Google Maps’ night scheme, and Reddit’s Auto Night Theme to make late‑night viewing more comfortable.

Major streaming services are compared by examining available networks, original programming, pricing, and suitability for different viewing preferences. Hulu offers the broadest mix of network and cable channels but is the most expensive. PlayStation Vue provides a cable‑like package with tiered pricing. YouTube TV delivers major networks, The CW, AMC, and strong sports coverage at a competitive price. Sling TV offers fewer major networks but includes channels not found on other platforms at a lower monthly cost. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video remain solid options for on‑demand viewing, though episodes typically lag behind broadcast schedules.

Explains how to replicate Instagram’s mobile functionality on a desktop by changing the user agent in Safari or using Chrome’s developer tools to enable photo uploads, and recommends the Chrome IG Story extension to view Stories from a computer.

Websites and retailers offer varying payment options and trade‑in values for used electronics, with Best Buy and Target‑linked Nextworth providing gift cards or cash via check or PayPal. Gazelle offers slightly higher payouts and allows drop‑offs at Walmart ecoATM kiosks, while Amazon provides the highest trade‑in values and fastest processing in the form of gift cards. For potentially higher returns, devices can also be sold directly through Craigslist or Facebook’s For Sale groups.

A web app called Deseat.me helps users identify and delete online accounts by scanning email for associated services and organizing them into save or delete queues. The tool emphasizes privacy by not storing user data, though unsubscribe links are only available for major sites. Users can delete their Deseat.me account at any time if they no longer want the service to access their email.

Facebook Messenger is presented as a more versatile alternative to SMS, offering cross‑platform consistency, WiFi‑based messaging, customizable chat features, integrated games, link previews, desktop accessibility, read receipts, message deletion, voice and video calls, SMS integration on Android, and optional encrypted secret messages.

A set of recommended Alexa skills emphasizes using the Amazon Echo for news briefings, quick workouts, smart-light control, phone finding, airport wait-time checks, and default music setup with Spotify. Additional guidance covers changing the wake word, accessing exclusive Amazon deals, preventing accidental purchases with a voice code, and discovering more skills through Skill Finder.

Snapchat now lets users design custom geofilters directly within the app by selecting themes, adding Bitmoji and stickers, and choosing a geographic area and duration. Filters start at $5.99 and are approved within a day. A desktop version with additional upload options is also available.

Explains how Spotify users can view songs that have been removed from their playlists by enabling the Show unavailable songs in playlists option. Notes common reasons tracks disappear, including artist withdrawals, catalog changes, and re-releases, and lists several artists whose music has been affected. Suggests buying songs elsewhere and adding them as local files if needed.

Samsung’s Bixby virtual assistant, introduced on the Galaxy S8, is compared with Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana. It activates via a dedicated hardware button and supports thousands of tasks, offering more helpful responses when it cannot complete a task. Bixby Vision provides augmented reality object recognition, pricing, reviews, and translations. Bixby Home replaces Flipboard with a personalized information hub, while integrated reminders learn from user behavior. The beta version is limited but shows competitive features against other major virtual assistants.

Several iPhone apps enable remote communal streaming of video and music, with Uptime offering real‑time reactions on YouTube and Vertigo synchronizing songs across Spotify and Apple Music. Additional platforms such as Gaze, Lisn, and Synaptop provide similar capabilities, though major services like Netflix and Hulu have yet to adopt this functionality.