The Best Hand Warmers For Long Lasting Heat

Want more warmth than mere gloves alone can provide? Fight the winter chill with these awesome hand warmers.

Whether you’re watching a game, camping or hiking, spending time outdoors, or just have cold fingers, a hand warmer might be what you need to keep your digits nice and warm. With hand warmers that last for hours, charge your phone, be reused (or tossed away), we’ve got a hand warmer for everyone.

Longest Lasting Hand Warmer: Zippo Hand Warmer ($21)

Zippo lighters are known for their quality and durability, so why not get a hand warmer that can be trusted just the same? The Zippo Hand Warmer is filled with lighter fluid and can be lit with a lighter or match when you need it to warm your hands—and can last for up to 12 hours. It not only warms you longer than most hand warmers, but it’s 2.5 times warmer than disposable brands.

If you’re worried about having to light this hand warmer, don’t fret. Yes, you need an open flame to start it; but once it’s lit, the hand warmer smolders to produce a warm, safe heat. Just note that it comes with lighter fluid, but you’ll need to purchase more after the 12 ounces that are included run out.

And even though you need to fill it up, the warmth that is produced is noticeably different and stronger than electric or disposable warmers. Plus, the sleek design of the Zippo can easily fit in your pocket or stay fixed in your glove.

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Best Rechargeable Hand Warmer: EnergyFlux Ellipse ($35)

If you don’t want to mess with an actual flame or have to worry about refilling your hand warmer with lighter fluid, but you still want durability, then you might like a rechargeable hand warmer. Just charge this EnergyFlux Ellipse Hand Warmer like you’d charge your phone or a portable battery pack and you’re set for up to 6.5 hours (or less in colder temperatures). With two heat settings (107 degrees Fahrenheit and 118 degrees Fahrenheit), your hands will be nice and toasty since this easy-to-grip warmer heats up along its surface.

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Source: How-To Geek

What Is A Wide Area Network (WAN)?

A WAN, or “Wide Area Network,” is a computer network designed to connect multiple smaller Local Area Networks (LANs). Your home network is your LAN, and it is connected to your neighbors over a WAN, often managed by your Internet Service Provider. You could think of the internet itself as one gigantic WAN.

While the Internet itself is a WAN, it’s possible for a smaller WAN to exist that runs over the internet, like a business that wants to connect multiple offices. It would be too expensive to run the cables themselves, so they use the Internet, but we can still consider it a separate WAN. The US government uses a WAN to secure communications between different branches located across the country; In fact, the internet started as a government WAN called the ARPANET.

RELATED: What Is A Local Area Network (LAN)?

The Differences Between WANs and LANs

WANs and LANs are built on many of the same technologies and would seem only to be separated by scale, but in practice, they run on vastly different hardware.

Speed

While WANs certainly aren’t slow, they often don’t reach the same level of speed as your local network can. They’re built to carry as much bandwidth as possible, with speed being secondary to their operation.

On a LAN, since the connection distance is much smaller, you could equip all the computers with 10 Gbps network cards and transfer files and data between them at breathtaking speeds, even reaching up to 100 Gbps on special network hardware like Infiniband.

Compare that to WANs, which even when connected to fiber cables usually don’t reach more than 1 Gbps (orders of magnitude slower than LAN speeds) because WANs need to be connected across hundreds of miles. However, unless you’re doing a lot of in-house networking, you’ll mostly be using your LAN to access the internet, and gigabit internet is still very fast. The average internet speed for the US is a measly 18 Mbps (55 times slower than gigabit).

Cables and Connections

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Source: How-To Geek

PSA: Some Amazon No Rush Credits are Expiring Tomorrow, Rush to Check Yours Today

If you’re an Amazon Prime member who takes advantage of the company’s “No Rush” promotion, you may want to take a look at your credits—there’s a chance they could be expiring tomorrow.

What Are “No Rush” Credits?

It’s no secret that one of the biggest appeals of Amazon Prime is the free two-day shipping. But what many users may not realize is that the company will reward Prime customers for choosing slower shipping. These rewards come as digital promotions—discounts on eBooks, cheaper movies on Instant Video, free Prime Now shipping, and lots of others.

When you’re going through the checkout process for a regular purchase that you won’t need immediately, choose the “Free No-Rush Shipping” option. The amount of the credit is at the bottom. Once the item ships, the credit is added to your No Rush Credits, where you can use them on digital items.

If you click the “Details” button, it will also let you know when the credit will expire. If you want to check out the fine print for these rewards (because there’s always fine print), head here.

How to Check Your No Rush Reward Credits

If you have No Rush Credits and want to check the expiration date, you can easily do so by following this link. This is also where you’ll go to see if you have any credits in the first place, but the odds are if you didn’t know about this program before today, you wouldn’t have anything waiting for you. Sorry.

It’s worth noting that a lot of users are reporting that they have credits expiring tomorrow, November 2nd, which gives you today to use them. So check it out, and don’t lose out on something free!

Source: How-To Geek

How to Transfer a Windows Media Player Playlist to a Different Computer

Great music playlists take a long time to curate, and when you change computers, you don’t want your playlists getting left behind (or maybe you just want to share your work with a friend). If you’ve got playlists in Windows Media Player, here’s how to transfer them to a different computer.

RELATED: Create Custom Playlists in Windows Media Player 12

Note: Transferring a playlist does not copy the files associated with it, just the link to where those files are stored. To play a playlist on a different computer, you’ll need to have the same music files stored in the same path.

Because a playlist is an XML file that contains the locations of all the songs in it, exporting one to another computer is easy. You can copy them to an external drive or even zip them up and email them. The trick is knowing where to find them.

Open up Windows Media Player and click on “Playlists” to display all your playlists.

Next, right-click on the playlist you want to transfer and then click the “Open File Location” command.

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Source: How-To Geek

Pixel 3 Review: Still The Best Android Phone Around, No Longer The Best Value

Google is on its third generation of Pixel phones, after years of making the best Android-powered devices around. The Pixel 3 maintains its commitment to software and hardware quality, but tough competition and poor value make it hard to recommend.

The Pixel 3 is still the best Android device you can buy, assuming you want a “pure” software experience and you’re not impressed by some of the more flashy features from the likes of Samsung. That’s especially true if you’re looking for an excellent camera: despite the single rear sensor, Google’s optics and image processing are second to none.

But the $800 entry price—a full $150 greater than last year—is a huge bummer, especially if you’re an old-school Nexus fan used to at least some semblance of value. And if you’re platform agnostic, then Apple’s latest iPhone X models (including one that’s a bit cheaper) make a compelling argument against Google’s latest flagship.

Note that we’re reviewing the smaller Pixel 3, with its 5.5-inch screen. The larger Pixel 3 XL has almost identical software with a larger 6.3-inch screen, including an unsightly “notch” that allows its corners to rub right against the phone frame.

Elegant Looks With A New Glass Back

The Pixel 3 looks a lot like the Pixel 2 from last year, with a few small but crucial differences. On the front the phone’s screen has been stretched on the top and bottom, employing the popular curved corners to minimize bezels, a la Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note series. Luckily, this doesn’t mean the stereo speakers are out, as they’re present and louder than ever. The combination is appealing, even without using and any tricks to curve the glass or the screen.

Speaking of glass, the rear panel now uses it instead of metal on the original Pixel and Pixel 2. That’s good news if you’re a fan of wireless charging (which Google itself pioneered, then abandoned a few years ago, allowing Apple to make it into a headline feature). The Pixel 3 and its bigger brother are all compatible with standard Qi chargers, though the fast charging feature seen on Samsung devices for years is unaccountably reserved for Google’s own Pixel Stand and similarly licensed (and expensive) chargers. Google made a big deal out of highlighting the frosted glass on the bottom portion of the rear panel, keeping the Pixel’s two-tone rear aesthetics intact, but it’s impossible to deny that the phone is more fragile now.

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Source: How-To Geek

Can You Take a Camera Tripod as Carry-On on an Airplane?

The first time I took my camera tripod on an airplane as carry-on luggage I was terrified. Was airport security going to confiscate it? What about the airline staff at the boarding gate? Or at the door of the plane? Or the cabin crew member who gave me a hand to lift my bag to the luggage storage?

Not one of them said a thing because—with some caveats—flying with your tripod is okay. Let’s look at the situation.

Is a Tripod Legal Carry On?

The good news is that the TSA doesn’t give a damn about your tripod. Tripods are listed on their website as approved for both carry-on and checked bags.

Now, this comes with one major caveat: everything is at the discretion of the TSA officer you meet at security. They have pretty broad powers to confiscate anything they want, even if it’s technically on the approved list. If you’re bringing your grandad’s ancient two-meter long wooden tripod with you or just act like an ass, then all bets are off.

The TSA is also only the security provider in American airports. Most other airport security setups generally follow their lead, but there is an outside chance that some airport somewhere has specifically banned tripods.

Does a Tripod Fit In Your Baggage?

Just because the TSA has let you through the security screening doesn’t mean your tripod is on the plane yet; the airline still has to let you on. And this step is trickier.

Different airlines have different cabin baggage allowances—Skyscanner has a good summary—and different levels of enforcement of the rules. I’ve been allowed on a plane blatantly carrying two bags that pushed the limits of what the storage bins could hold and also been pulled aside to have my schoolbag-sized backpack weighed and measured.

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Source: How-To Geek

Download Skype for More Features Than Windows 10’s Built-In Version

Microsoft starts killing Skype Classic today, but two versions of Skype remain. Windows 10 includes a “Store App” version of Skype, which has fewer features than Skype for desktop, available for download from Microsoft’s website.

Yes, There Are Two Skype Apps

There are two versions of Skype for Windows:

• “Skype for Windows 10” is included with Windows 10. It comes from the Windows Store. It’s a UWP app, which means it has various limitations, unlike old desktop apps. This is called a “Trusted Microsoft Store App” in the Start menu, and it has a Windows 10-style tile icon.
• “Skype for Windows” is available for download from Microsoft’s Skype website. If you have Skype Classic installed, it will automatically install this version of Skype on your system soon. It has extra features, as it doesn’t have to deal with the limitations of the UWP sandbox. This is called a “Desktop App” in the Start menu, and it has the traditional Skype bubble icon.

Here’s where it gets confusing: Both Skype apps are based on the new Skype 8 code, and they’re very similar. But the downloadable version has more features. You can install both on your system at the same time, and you can even run them both at once, side by side.

RELATED: Microsoft Is Killing Skype Classic on November 1, and Here’s Why People Are Upset

How to Download Skype from Microsoft’s Website

Microsoft really hides this download, too! To find it, you have to head to the Skype download web page.

The normal “Get Skype for Windows 10” option downloads the Store version of Skype 8. To get the desktop version of Skype 8, you have to click the down arrow next to the download button and select “Get Skype for Windows” beneath the various Linux download options.

What’s the Difference?

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Source: How-To Geek