Posts by Daniel Howley

If you have more than one cable box, read this now

You’re paying too much for your cable boxes. If you’re like the average American household, you’ve likely got two boxes, which you rent from your television provider for close to $200 a year. That’s a lot of cash.

But there’s an easy, and inexpensive way to pay way less for your cable boxes and still be able to watch “The Real Housewives of the Potomac” on every TV in your home. (Yeah, I’m calling you out, Mom.)

While a lot of cable companies offer streaming apps for your smartphone and tablet, only two also let you stream to your boob tube: Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Charter Communications (CHTR). All you need is a cable TV subscription to one of the two services (obviously), one cable box that you can put on your main TV and a Roku Stick or player. I prefer the Stick because it's the least expensive option.

Read more: Cut the cord and check out these 5 streming cable services

HP wants to beam you to a different reality with its new VR backpack

HP, on the other hand, wants to cut the cord to give you a truly untethered VR experience, and it aims to do this by getting your PC off the floor and putting it on your back. Think Master Blaster from “Mad Max,” but nerdier.

Built by HP’s gaming-focused Omen Innovation Team, the HP VR PC Pack Hardware Development Kit is a test platform aimed to immerse you in virtual reality by eliminating the possibility that you trip over any cords.

Read more: Virtual reality gets real: Sony PSVR vs Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive

It’s impossible to simply make the entire setup wireless: There’s too much information going from your PC to your headset to effectively transfer data without running into any latency issues.

Available to select developers who apply to via HP’s website, the pack is a fully functional, lightweight PC that you wear on your back like a backpack. Your VR headset then plugs into the pack, meaning you’ll never trip on any wires.

As for heat management, HP says it has a dual-fan system that blows heat generated by the pack away from the wearer’s back.

I’m pumped.

More from Yahoo:

 

Giroptic 360cam review: Recording the world from every angle

Virtual reality headsets and 360-degree videos have given us the ability to experience incredible events and go anywhere in the world without leaving our couches.

Until recently, creating your own 360-degree video required a prohibitively expensive camera rig and seriously advanced software. That’s where the Giroptic 360cam comes in. Starting at $500, it captures 360-degree photos and videos that you can share via your smartphone without any special software.

I’ve spent the last week using the 360cam. While it’s an impressive piece of technology, it’s definitely not for everyone.

The best word to describe the 360cam’s design is “interesting.” With its three equidistant cameras and unique locking system, it resembles an alien. Thanks to the way the lenses are angled, the 360cam can capture video and photos above and around it — but not directly beneath it.

Using the camera is relatively easy, as it has just two buttons — one for power and one for cycling through the camera’s various modes: video, photo, burst and timelapse. A small LED display shows you the camera’s power level and your current shooting mode.

More from Yahoo:

There’s a new device that makes real chai tea in 3 minutes

But if you’re one of the millions of people who love chai, a notoriously annoying drink to make, you’re pretty much out of luck. The new $400 Chime chai maker is meant to change that.

It can take up to 15 minutes to make chai if you’re doing it by hand, and chai teabags generally doesn’t taste as good as the real stuff. The Chime, on the other hand, aims to knock that time down to 3 minutes, or about as long as it takes to make a cup of coffee.

Like a Keurig, the Chime uses small, single-use capsules full of tea leaves and spices. You pop in the capsule and close the lid, which empties it into the brewing chamber. Then, you add water and pour milk into the included carafe. The Chime boils the water with the tea and empties it into the carafe. A heating unit beneath the carafe boils the milk, and a frother adds a bit of needed texture.

Once finished, you’ve got a piping hot cup of chai. The Chime is a pretty impressive and attractive appliance thanks to its unique design; it can even be used with a smartphone app to let you customize and brew your chai from anywhere in your home. You can also use the app to order more chai capsules when you’re running low.

HP debuts gaming PCs, hopes to turn fortunes around

HP has big plans to turn around its flagging PC sales by focusing on a group of consumers who upgrade their computers frequently and spend more money on them: gamers.

On Thursday, HP launched its new gamer-centric Omen brand of laptops and desktops — the first wave of which is designed for mid-range consumers; a high-performance Omen X line will debut later this year.

The Omen laptops will be available in 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch versions and feature full-HD or 4K displays. The base 15.6-inch model, dubbed the HP Omen Notebook 15, gets 1080p display, a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive paired with a 128GB solid-state drive.

Most importantly, the Notebook 15 gets a beefy Nvidia GTX960M graphics chip with 4GB of dedicated video memory. That’s more than enough firepower to play even today’s most demanding games.

If that’s not enough, you can upgrade the Notebook 15 to a 4K resolution display, 16GB of RAM, a 2TB hard drive paired to a 128GB SSD, and a Nvidia GTX965M graphics chip with 4GB of video memory.

The 17.3-inch HP Omen Notebook 17, meanwhile, gets a 1080p display, Intel Core i7 processor, 12GB of RAM, a 1TB drive, and Nvidia GTX956M graphics chip.

Microsoft needs to change its mobile strategy or get out

Microsoft has had a rocky few years as it tries to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung in the smartphone world. This week, it looks like the wheels are finally falling off.

The company announced Wednesday it’s cutting 1,850 jobs, with 1,350 coming from its Finnish operations, known as Microsoft Mobile Oy, and an additional 500 from other regions. The move also includes a $950 million restructuring charge for the company, with $200 million going to employee severance packages.

The news comes just a week after Microsoft confirmed it was selling its feature phone business to FIH Mobile and HMD Global for $350 million.

Microsoft has been trying to make a foothold in the phone market for years. Unfortunately, its Windows Phone operating system never managed to catch on among consumers.

How to keep your Facebook Live videos private

You may have heard the recent story of a father live-streaming his son’s birth on Facebook Live. Well, as touching as the moment was, it turns out it wasn’t mean to be seen by everyone on Facebook.

The father, Kali Kanongata’a, told People Magazine he thought he was only streaming the birth to his family members — but because of a mishap with his privacy settings, he streamed the birth to the entire world.

The story has a happy ending, though, as his partner Sara Dome is cool with the video being online. The couple doesn’t even plan on taking it down. But not everyone would be comfortable with such private moments being broadcast to Facebook’s more than 1.6 billion users.

So how can you ensure your Live videos are private? Follow these steps:

Tap that, and a menu will pop up and provide you with a list showing Public, Friends, Only Me or More. If you want everybody on earth to see your posts, tap Public. To ensure only your friends see them, choose Friends. And if you only want your Live Video available for yourself, tap Only Me.

Photos and links won't count against your tweets

According to Bloomberg, which cites a source familiar with the matter, the change will take place sometime in the coming weeks.

For regular Twitter users, the change will be a significant one. Currently, links take up 23 characters of a tweet, even if the link itself is shorter than 23 characters. That leaves you with just 117 characters to work with. You run into a similar issue when you upload photos, which take up 24 characters.

While Twitter’s 140-character limit appeals to some people, it can confuse new users who could be even more flummoxed by the additional constraints posed by links and photos.

By easing up on its character limit, Twitter should help make the service friendlier for newer users.

The news follows a rough quarter for Twitter, which missed revenue expectations and lowered its guidance for this quarter. While Twitter managed to add 5 million new users last quarter, it lost users in the previous quarter.

The best streaming gadgets you can buy

Want to watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or any other streaming service on your TV? Then you’re going to need some kind of streaming device.

And it just so happens a boatload of set-top boxes, sticks, and game consoles can beam your favorite shows and movies from the internet straight to your TV.

But not all streaming devices are created equal. What’s more, not every streaming device offers the same content. Which is why I’m here to help you pick the best gadget for cramming more TV into your peepers.

Cool? Cool.

Amazon offers two streaming devices: the $50 Fire TV Stick and the $100 Fire TV, which provide different ways to access Amazon’s various streaming apps.

The Fire TV Stick has a dual-core processor, while the Fire TV has a quad-core chip, which means navigating menus with the Stick will be slower than with Fire TV.

Total content offerings

According to Amazon, the Fire TV has more than 4,500 apps, channels and games.

Major channels

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, HBO GO, Showtime Anytime, Starz Play, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, Spotify, Pandora, Crackle, Twitch, MLB.TV, NBA for Fire TV, WatchESPN

What’s missing?

Google Play Movies, NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL.TV, YouTube

 

This is the best Android phone you can buy

Shopping for a smartphone can be an intimidating process. After all, you'll likely spend the next two years with whichever digital companion you buy, so you’d better choose wisely.

If you’re an Apple fan, you’re getting an iPhone. You know it, I know it, your goldfish Steve knows it.

But if you’re looking for an Android phone, then oh boy do you have choices. The newest big- name Android handsets are Samsung’s Galaxy S7, HTC’s 10, and LG’s G5. Each one has impressive features, but only one is the best.

Samsung Galaxy S7: Samsung’s Galaxy S7 looks a lot like it’s predecessor the Galaxy S6. It features a metal frame ensconced by front and back glass panels. Everything about the phone’s design is nearly perfect.

HTC 10: The HTC 10 comes completely wrapped in a metal body with exaggerated chamfered edges that cause light to delicately reflect off of the handset.

Suffice it to say, I’m not a fan.