TECHNOLOGY AIM

If you’re even a moderate gaming enthusiast, you’ve likely heard of Discord, a messaging app that prides itself on near-instant voice chat as well as the ability to communicate via text and instant messaging. If you don’t game, chances are you’re thinking “Discord, what?”  While the completely free app has somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 million users, somehow, in the non-gaming community, it’s pretty much unknown. And that’s a bit of a shame because in terms of free voice/video/texting software, group collaboration tools, and ease of use, it’s hard to beat. In fact, even among paid messaging software, it stands up to all of the big boys.  Getting started Head to the Discord website, and you’ll have the opportunity to either access chat right through the web, or you can download a desktop app for machines running Windows 7 and up, or MacOS 10.10 (Yosemite) and up or Linux. Alternatively, you can download the mobile apps for iOS 10.0 and above at the Apple App Store or ...

If you’re a regular reader of FileHippo’s articles, you already know that we really think you need a VPN if you have any concerns at all about being tracked or having your personal data stolen. But for those of you who might have missed it, we’ll reiterate: you need a VPN!  Put simply, a VPN is a set of servers located in different countries around the world. Once you install VPN software on your computer, you can connect to these external servers and do all your surfing from there. This hides your real IP address, and lets you browse securely and anonymously. And when it comes to VPN software, ZenMate offers the whole package at a reasonable price.   Unlimited devices/platforms Many VPN services out there limit the number of devices you can connect to their servers at any one time – or, in fact, the number of devices on which you can even download the software. ZenMate is different because with one subscription, you’re allowed to install the program on all the devices you ...

Cryptojackers. Worms. Bots. Keylogers.  It might sound like the plot of the next installment in the Star Wars franchise, but in fact, it’s just a short summary of the dangers of modern computing. All a type of malware, these nasty bugs can at best get on your computer and slow things down and at worst, expose your personal information to hackers that could lead to identity left and a lifetime of hassle. Fortunately, there are a whole host of malware fighters out there, including Malware Defender from iObit. In its latest release – version 7 – it’s got even more power to deflect incoming cyber threats.  What’s New You can read our previous review of iObit Malware Defender here , so we’ll just focus on what’s new in this post. Perhaps best of all, the software has gotten speedier. iObit says that their testing shows an increase of 300% on average from the time the software detects a threat till the time it removes it. As with most malware programs, this one always starts wit...

According to online social media publication, Social Media Today , 78% of people watch video online each week and video streaming on mobile devices increases by 100% every year . On top of that, it’s predicted that one million videos per second will come online by 2022 , accounting for 82% of all internet traffic. In short, video is big – and set to get bigger. If you want to participate in this boom, whether to share personal videos, build a brand, or advertise a product or service, you’ll need good video-production software. VEGAS Pro fits the bill for thousands of users a year, and with its latest release, VEGAS Pro 17, the software is stronger than ever. While you can read our overview of VEGAS Pro here … in this article, we will focus on the improvements the company has made to the software in its latest release – which number over 30. Organization VEGAS Pro 17 benefits from several workflow improvements that make it easier and faster to create and edit videos. Chief among ...

Ask a friend about which messaging app she uses and you’re likely to hear Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and maybe Hangouts by Google (although that’s a lot less likely). But since 2013 there’s been another messaging tool out there called Telegram, which offers several key benefits over its more commercial competitors . Here’s what you need to know. Privacy first Telegram prides itself on not taking any money from advertisers, so that means the conversations you have using its service do not get passed along to corporations looking to sell you something – unlike Facebook and WhatsApp.  Additionally, Telegram provides two levels of encryption – server/client for all open chats and end-to-end encryption for “Secret Chats” (see below). The first level of encryption is actually not as robust as the general chat feature on WhatsApp, which encrypts all communications from one user to another directly.  But Telegram truly shines with its “Secret Chat” feature . While this feature ...

Even though Macs have a reputation for security, the number of malware attacks on Macs surpassed those on Windows machines for the first time in 2020 , according to an article in Vox . So there goes the idea that if you have a Mac, you don’t have to worry about installing software to protect it. The fact is, hackers have gotten more devious in sidestepping the inbuilt protections in all our computers, so having an extra level of security – for Macs and PCs – is just plain smart . AntiVirus for Mac from trusted software developer TrendMicro delivers this protection and much, much more . Get TrendMicro AntiVirus for Mac here.  Disclosure: Our team is always looking for things we think our readers will value. We have received compensation for publishing this article. Don’t be held hostage   As with all antivirus software products out there, TrendMicro’s product will alert you when it finds malware on your Mac or when you attempt to download a potentially troublesome file. ...

Free software usually comes with a catch. The programs are typically only usable for a certain number of days, have limited functionality, embed watermarks, or otherwise build in limits that eventually lead you to upgrade to the full version. When it comes to LibreOffice, however, what you get is a full, unrestricted software suite that can easily replace Microsoft Office and save you a bundle in the process. What is it? LibreOffice is a collection of open-source software programs to help with general office productivity. Downloads are available for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux, and each download includes six programs: Writer (word processor); Calc (spreadsheets); Impress (slide shows); Draw (vector graphics creator); Math (formula builder); and Base (database builder). How does it work? Launch LibreOffice and arrive at the “Start Center,” which lists available programs along the left edge, and has a large field on the right into which you can drag a document and get to work. So you ...