Among all digital note-taking apps, there are two names that stand out – GoodNotes and Notability. Let’s delve into the GoodNotes vs. Notability comparison, explore the similarities and differences between the two, and find out which note-taking app is better for you.

Launched in 2011, GoodNotes, a brainchild of Time Base Technology, markets itself as an AI note-taking app “loved by millions.” On the other hand, Notability, created in 2010 by Ginger Labs, proudly claims the title of the “best-selling paid note-taking app on the App Store,” catering particularly to students.

GoodNotes vs. Notability: First Impressions

For iOS users navigating the Apple ecosystem, GoodNotes and Notability are both familiar names when it comes to digital note-taking. Even though in this article we’ll be focusing on what makes these two apps different, they also have a lot in common, including features like PDF annotation, audio recording, and numerous note-taking templates.

GoodNotes shines with its latest iteration, GoodNotes 6. This version refines handwriting, rich formatting, iCloud syncing, and introduces cross-platform functionality – it’s now available for Android users too. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a new impressive feature that translates handwritten notes into text across 17 languages. Other unique features like Flash Cards and interchangeable templates add to its appeal.

Notability, tailored for iPad and Mac users only, simplifies note creation and editing with diverse input methods. It accommodates images, PDFs, web clips, and audio recordings seamlessly. Robust markup tools and a noteworthy audio recording feature enhance its utility. The Notability gallery provides user-created templates and well-executed handwriting recognition.

Both apps seem like decent choices for digital note-taking. But which one should you give your preference to? Let’s find out.

Features & Tools

Let’s have a look over the main writing features that both of these note-taking apps offer their users.

GoodNotes Features:

• AI Writing Support: Automated spelling checks and word prompts enhance writing.
  
• AI-Guided Study Sessions: AI Math Assistant aids interactive SAT exam-prep materials.
  
• Handwriting-to-Text Conversions: Automatic transformation of handwritten text into typed notes.
  
• Flashcards: Converts notes into flashcard-based study sets with spaced repetition.
  
• Edit and Annotate PDFs: Easily sign, highlight, and annotate PDFs.
  
• Audio Record: Syncs audio clips with typed or handwritten notes.
  

Notability Features:

• Audio Transcription: Provides time-stamped transcripts synced with handwritten or typed notes.
  
• Handwriting-to-Text Conversions: The “Scribble” feature transforms handwritten notes to text.
  
• Math Conversion: Recognizes handwritten mathematical expressions and transforms them.
  
• Multi-Note: Allows simultaneous work on two notes in horizontal or vertical view.
  
• Reminders with Siri: This enables setting up reminders for notes using Siri.
  

While both apps boast an extensive set of note-taking features, GoodNotes seems to be ahead with its AI-powered writing support and learning tools that students can use for exam preparation.

Selecting between GoodNotes and Notability often comes down to the tools they offer, crucial for your enjoyable note-taking experience. So let’s take a look at what tools both apps have available.

GoodNotes Tools:

• Pen tools include fountain, ballpoint, and brush with 12 color variants.
  
• The highlighter tool goes behind notes without dimming them.
  
• Basic eraser tool that easily deletes texts and lines.
  
• Additional tools like Zoom and Lasso enhance functionality.
  

Notability Tools:

• Two pen tools, a fountain, a ballpoint, and a pencil tool.
  
• Slider for adjusting stroke width.
  
• Ruler and Tape tools (unique to Notability). Ruler aids in drawing straight lines, while Tape helps in blocking sections for focused study.
  
• Lasso tool allows the selective picking of items on a page.
  

In this category, Notability claims a slight edge due to its comprehensive toolset that makes note-taking easier and more efficient.

User Interface: Layout and Navigation

Both GoodNotes and Notability have user-friendly interfaces that you’ll have no problem navigating. Each of the apps comes with subtle differences in their layout setups.

GoodNotes:

Upon opening GoodNotes, you’ll see a clean, minimalist screen emphasizing organization. Documents are displayed in list or grid formats, and a sidebar opens with a press of the GoodNotes icon on the upper left.

Notability:

Opening Notability reveals a list of folders on the left, with notes inside appearing on the right upon selecting a folder. You can choose a grid or list format and employ collapsible toggles for folder organization.

When it comes to layout, Notability takes the lead by allowing users to preview notes from the home screen, providing a visual advantage. GoodNotes’ alphabetical order system slightly hinders its otherwise efficient design.

Navigation

Efficient navigation is crucial for a seamless user experience, and both apps offer straightforward systems.

GoodNotes:

GoodNotes provides simple navigation with sorting options like “Name,” “Date,” “Type,” and more. The search bar facilitates quick access to specific notes, even handwritten ones.

Notability:

Notability’s navigation is sleek, displaying subjects within folders upon opening. Users can sort notes by name, modified date, or created date. However, essential tools are behind a paywall.

Despite slightly fewer navigation tools, GoodNotes offers them all in the free version, making it the preferred choice for seamless navigation.

In the battle of GoodNotes vs. Notability for user interface and navigation, each app brings its strengths. Notability excels in home screen previews & layout but introduces paywall limitations. Meanwhile, GoodNotes provides efficient navigation tools, providing you with a user-friendly experience without unnecessary barriers.

Templates

Templates play a vital role in kick-starting projects and shaping the course of your ideas. Both GoodNotes and Notability offer basic page templates, but the extent of their template libraries and customization options is different.

GoodNotes has an extensive library of pre-designed templates catering to diverse needs, including class notes, project planning, and journaling. From simple lined paper to intricate designs, GoodNotes covers a broad spectrum of styles. The app also empowers users to create their custom templates, providing flexibility for specific note requirements or unique layouts.

Notability also provides a range of templates, although with a library that may not match GoodNotes in size. The templates are designed for note-taking, drawing, sketching, and more, showcasing practicality for various situations. While Notability allows some template customization, it may lack the diversity and flexibility found in GoodNotes.

Custom Template Creation

In GoodNotes, while you can’t directly create custom templates, you can modify an existing page to serve as a template. Additionally, the app allows the importation of custom templates into the library for future use.

Notability introduces the Gallery feature, enabling users to craft their custom templates within the app. This feature enhances the template customization experience for Notability users.

When it comes to templates, GoodNotes emerges as the victor for its diverse template library and robust customization options, offering users a versatile and tailored note-taking experience.

Writing Experience

The writing experience is crucial in choosing a note-taking app, and both GoodNotes and Notability deliver top-tier performances. Your personal preference will largely influence your choice between these two contenders.

GoodNotes:

Renowned for replicating the feel of traditional handwriting, GoodNotes excels in delivering a natural writing experience, particularly appealing to those people who cherish the fluidity of pen and paper.

The app supports a wide range of pen sizes, colors, and styles, providing a high level of customization. GoodNotes’ palm rejection feature allows comfortable writing while resting your hand on the screen, making it suitable for Apple Pencil and pen input.

Among other things, the app introduces an impressive generative AI tool as a writing aid, generating text, spell-checking, and correcting errors in your unique handwriting style. The latest update, GoodNotes 6, even suggests words. Users have the flexibility to disable spell check and suggestions if desired.

Notability:

Notability provides an effortless and responsive writing experience, offering a variety of pen and pencil options to suit your preferences. A standout feature is the ability to capture audio while taking notes, syncing your written notes with audio recordings – a valuable asset for lectures or meetings.

Optimized for the Apple Pencil and other styluses, Notability ensures precise and natural handwriting. The palm rejection technology prevents accidental marks on your digital paper while writing.

Notability also offers a remarkable handwriting-to-text feature with the “Scribble” option, ensuring automatic transformations. This feature supports 23 languages, enhancing the app’s accessibility.

While both apps provide handwriting-to-text conversions, Notability supports a broader range of languages. However, GoodNotes stands out with its advanced generative AI writing aid, offering personalized text generation, spell-checking, and error correction. GoodNotes could enhance language support, but its innovative AI tool secures a win in this round.

Compatibility & Integrations

Both GoodNotes and Notability offer online versions that you can use in your web browser, desktop versions to use on your computer, and mobile versions. However, while GoodNotes is available for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac, Notability only has apps for iPad, Mac, and iPhone, making this an obvious limitation for Android users.

Integrations also play a crucial role in shaping the user experience of note-taking apps, and here GoodNotes emerges as a winner.

GoodNotes:

Even though it now has an Android version as well, GoodNotes is still primarily tailored for Apple users. The app works seamlessly with the entire Apple ecosystem.

The integration with iCloud ensures a smooth flow of note synchronization across all Apple devices and provides you with a reliable and connected experience. The compatibility extends to the Apple Pencil, allowing for precise and fluid handwriting.

However, GoodNotes goes beyond this by supporting various file-sharing and cloud storage services, including Google Drive and Dropbox. You can export your notes to different storage facilities. Plus, the introduction of Beta versions for Android and Windows marks GoodNotes’ commitment to broadening compatibility and going further beyond the Apple ecosystem.

Notability:

Notability also functions seamlessly within the Apple environment. Using iCloud for efficient note synchronization across Apple devices, the app ensures robust backup capabilities.

The app’s compatibility also extends to the Apple Pencil, making it the preferred stylus for users. Notability further facilitates PDF file import/export and annotation, making it compatible with other file-sharing and cloud storage services.

While both apps share similarities in integrating with various tools and software programs, GoodNotes takes the lead by allowing users to create an account and use the app on Android devices.

Pricing

One last important aspect that we need to cover is pricing.

GoodNotes:

• Free version
  
• Full version available for iOS for $9.99 annually or a one-time purchase of $29.99
  
• Full version for Android/WIndows for $6.99 annually
  

GoodNotes adopts a straightforward pricing strategy tailored for Apple users. The full version of GoodNotes for iOS offers users the flexibility of a one-time purchase at $29.99 or an annual subscription priced at $9.99. For those venturing into the Windows or Android domain, GoodNotes extends a cost-effective option with a subscription of $6.99 per year. The limited plan comes free of charge, allowing users to explore essential features without a financial commitment.

Notability:

• Free version
  
• Plus version for $14.99 annually
  

Notability presents a pricing model with a single payment option for its premium plan. Users opting for the Plus plan can get it for $14.99 annually. Similar to GoodNotes, Notability also provides a free limited plan, allowing users to experience the app’s core functionalities without incurring any costs.

Overall, GoodNotes stands out as the winner, offering a more budget-friendly option with a slightly lower cost compared to Notability.

GoodNotes vs. Notability: Which App is Best?

Choosing between Notability and GoodNotes is a matter of taste. GoodNotes shines with AI innovations, making it a note-taking marvel. Notability’s sleek interface caters to a streamlined experience.

Our winner is GoodNotes, lauded for its cutting-edge AI, interactive SAT exam-prep materials, and timed flashcards. It’s the epitome of note-taking excellence.

Notability boasts unique features, like math conversion, securing its spot as a solid but slightly pricier option.

Before making the ultimate choice though, we recommend you check out all of the top options of note taking apps out there.

The post GoodNotes vs Notability: Which Is Better? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this article, we’ll compare Grammarly vs Microsoft Editor and help you decide which editor to go with.

Grammarly vs. Microsoft Editor: Accessibility

Grammarly’s writing tool has been around for a lot longer than Microsoft Editor, and because of that, it’s available on far more platforms. You can access Grammarly through:

1. Web browser extensions on Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and other Chromium browsers (these work for apps like Microsoft Word Online and Google Docs)
2. The standalone Grammarly web and desktop apps
3. An add-on for Microsoft Word
4. A plug-in for Android and iOS keyboards

In comparison, Microsoft Editor is primarily available through Windows apps. You can access Microsoft Editor via web browser extensions (for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari), Microsoft Word (both the online and desktop app versions), and Microsoft Outlook.

Winner: Grammarly

Grammarly vs. Microsoft Editor: Functionality

The main thing that matters when comparing two grammar-checking apps is how well they spot errors and what additional features they offer their users. Below, we’ll discuss the features offered by each app, starting with Grammarly.

When you open the Grammarly editor, it will ask you to set goals based on the type of text you want to write and the audience that you’re targeting. Based on this, it’ll offer grammatical suggestions that will align your text more with your goals.

Here are some of Grammarly’s key features:

1. Spelling and grammar corrections. Grammarly will check your spelling and grammar and offer corrections. Any spelling mistakes or typos will be underlined in red with a suggested alternative word to replace it with.

2. Target audience corrections. Grammarly will offer suggestions based on four categories (other than correctness): Clarity, engagement, delivery, and style. Imperfect sentences will be underlined in either blue, green, purple, or gray. For each, Grammarly will explain why it’s underlined and suggest changes to improve sentence structure, writing style, and delivery.
3. Detailed reports. Grammarly’s premium version provides detailed proofreading reports based on your selected target audience. For example, it scans for advanced grammar issues like conciseness, repetitive language, and readability, and offers variations to spice up your sentences.

4. Language support. Grammarly supports British, American, Canadian, and Australian English.
5. Plagiarism checker. Grammarly offers a plagiarism tool that compares your article against other content on the internet to see whether it’s copied or not.
6. Weekly statistics. Grammarly lets you know your vocabulary score, productivity, and mastery of the English language. It also lets you know what your most frequent writing mistakes are so that you can correct them and improve your writing skills.

As a Grammarly alternative, Microsoft Editor is a lot more bare-bones. Rather than setting goals based on your target audience, it simply offers a basic grammar and spell check tool. Here are its main features:

1. Spelling and grammar error corrections. Like Grammarly, Microsoft Editor checks for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, offering corrections as you go.

2. Refinements. Microsoft Editor also suggests changes to your text based on sentence structure, conciseness, formality, uncertainty, tone, and more. It isn’t as deep as Grammarly’s four categories, but it offers more than just simple grammar and spelling corrections.
3. Language support. Microsoft Editor is available in over 60 languages.
4. Similarity checker. Microsoft Editor provides a tool to check for originality against other sources online. This is only available in the advanced version of the web app and isn’t available in Microsoft Word.
5. Document stats. Microsoft Editor provides you with basic statistics on your document, like word count, time to read, readability, and an overall score.

Winner: Grammarly

Microsoft Editor vs. Grammarly: Pricing

Grammarly and Microsoft Editor both offer free and paid versions. However, to access the free version of Microsoft Editor, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Grammarly offers three subscription tiers:

• The free version of Grammarly. Checks for basic spelling and grammar mistakes (like misplaced commas and double spaces), and detects issues with writing tone.
• Grammarly Premium Plan. $12.00 per month (when paid annually) or $30 per month (paid monthly). Generative AI assistance, more advanced writing, delivery, and tone suggestions, and a plagiarism checker.
• Grammarly Business Plan. $15.00 per month (paid annually). Everything in the Premium version, with added features for teams like style guides.

Microsoft Editor is available through a Microsoft 365 subscription, which gives you access to all Office apps as well as 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage.

• Microsoft 365. $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
• Microsoft 365 Family. $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.

Winner: Microsoft Editor

Which Grammar Checking Tool is Best for You?

Choosing between these writing assistant tools can be difficult, so we recommend giving both free versions a go before you make your final decision. Simply start a Word Online document, write a few sentences with a bunch of mistakes, and see which one works best for you.

Microsoft Editor is more cost-effective, but only if you’re going to use the rest of the Microsoft Office suite. Otherwise, it’s probably better to go with Grammarly. Grammarly is more widely available, offers more advanced features, and is generally the better option for professional writers.

The post Microsoft Editor vs Grammarly: Which is Better and Which Should You Use? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this article, we’ll explain which is better in a head-to-head Google Keep vs OneNote comparison.

Google Keep vs. OneNote At a Glance

Microsoft OneNote is a fairly extensive note-taking program with powerful text editing features. It also supports creating and storing drawings, tables, and passwords.

In comparison, Google Keep is a relatively simple app that lets you store text-based notes, checklists, images, voice recordings, and drawings.

Google Keep vs. OneNote: Accessibility

Google Keep and OneNote offer different ways to access and use each app.

Users can access Google Keep via:

1. The Google Keep website (keep.google.com).
2. The dedicated mobile app is available on both Android, iPhone, and iPad.
3. Supporting apps, such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Calendar.

Users can access Microsoft OneNote via:

1. A dedicated desktop app available for free in the Microsoft Store.
2. The web version via a web browser like Google Chrome
3. Mobile apps for both Apple iOS, Mac, and Android devices.

Google Keep vs. OneNote: Features

Both Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote support a stack of note-taking features. Here’s what you can expect from each app:

Google Keep

With Google Keep, the main function is note-taking. For notes, you can add:

1. Rich text formatting options
2. Reminders and notifications
3. Collaborators
4. Color schemes
5. Images
6. Labels (for better organization)

The mobile app takes the features further, letting you take photos that upload directly to your notes. You can also add images, drawings, recordings, and tick boxes. These features aren’t available on the web-based app.

You can also pin notes so that they appear at the top of either the web or mobile app.

Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote features are more or less the same across the different versions. On each, you can add:

1. Rich text formatting options, fonts, tables, checklists, and links
2. Images and screenshots
3. Audio recordings
4. Drawings
5. Tags (Like Keep’s Labels)
6. Collaborators
7. Styles

One bonus of having drawing support in the desktop app is that it’s easy to add annotations to meeting notes or markups if you have a stylus.

You can also link the Microsoft OneNote app to the Office Suite to integrate its features or link to other documents.

Google Keep vs. OneNote: Usability

Both Keep and OneNote are easy-to-use, highly intuitive note apps. For both, the mobile app seems to have received the most love in development, and this is reflected by how usable they are.

Here’s what to expect:

Google Keep

On the web version of Google Keep, digital notes appear in a “feed” or list, with the most recently created note at the top. To add a note, you simply select the Take a note… section and start typing.

Google Keep notes on the mobile app appear on a kind of front page, with the newest note appearing in the top-left corner. You can add a note by selecting the “+” symbol at the bottom-right corner. You can also add other forms of media by selecting the corresponding icon at the bottom of the screen.

To organize your notes, you can add labels. Then, from the Keep sidebar, you can select that label to see only notes in that category. It’s also possible to add color-coded backgrounds so that it’s easy to see what category your notes are in at a glance. Google Keep also lets you pin a note to the top of the screen for easy access.

Here are some additional features:

1. Save to Keep. This option lets you save text and images from a Google Docs document to Google Keep.
2. Google Calendar support. Reminders that you set in Google Keep will appear in your Google Calendar.

Microsoft OneNote

OneNote works in much the same way as Google Keep. One difference is that it’s organized into notebooks, with each individual note acting like a page in the book. On the web and desktop apps, you first select which notebook you want to enter. Once in, you can add and edit notes, add tags, and customize your notebook however you see fit.

The desktop app displays notes in a list format on the left-hand side of the window. The note, when opened, appears in a pane that takes up much of the screen. The text formatting features work in the same way as other Microsoft apps like Microsoft Word.

The mobile app is slightly different (and more similar to Google Keep), displaying all notes on a kind of “front page”. At the top of the screen, you can select your other notebooks if need be. A new note can easily be added by selecting the “+” symbol at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

To organize notes on Microsoft OneNote, you must move them to different places in your notebook. You can separate your notebook into Sections (which act like chapters), but this takes some time and isn’t quite as easy as just adding a label. This is one place where Google Keep really shines over OneNote, with organization becoming much easier.

Here are some additional features:

1. Ink Mode. Automatically enable drawing when your stylus is out of its holder (on Note devices).
2. OneNote Badge. On Android devices, you can have a floating icon always present on your screen. Simply press this button to start a new note.
3. Webpage import. Import a webpage from your web browser into OneNote.
4. Sticky notes. Create a note that appears at the top of your page.

Google Keep vs. Microsoft OneNote: Collaboration

Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote treat collaboration a little differently. Here’s how they work:

1. Google Keep lets you add collaborators to individual notes. All collaborators can work on notes in real time and see updates as they happen.
2. Microsoft OneNote lets you share entire notebooks with other users. They can see every note in that notebook and create and edit their own notes.

Both of these approaches work well, but Microsoft OneNote might be better for larger teams or projects which require multiple trains of thought at once.

Google Keep vs. Microsoft OneNote: Pricing

Google Keep is completely free to use with no premium subscription. You simply need a Google account. If you use it for work, you may need to invest in increased storage on the Google servers (especially if you use other workspace apps like Google Drive, Gmail, and so on).

The Microsoft OneNote app has a free version that you can use in the browser and mobile versions. However, to get access to all of its features (including the integration with other Microsoft tools and additional OneDrive space), you’ll need to buy a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Which Is Better: Google Keep or Microsoft OneNote?

At the end of the day, each note-taking app has its strengths and weaknesses.

If you’re looking for a basic note-taking application that prioritizes ease of use, go with Google Keep. It’s a great addition to Google Workspace and has all the features you need to make to-do lists, shopping lists, and basic notes.

If you need a note-taking tool that’s a little more feature-heavy, go with Microsoft OneNote. Its collaboration capabilities and integration with the Microsoft Office apps, as well as its additional note-taking functions means it excels for both work and private use.

The post Google Keep vs Microsoft OneNote: What’s Different and Which Is Better? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

Ridesharing took a downturn during the pandemic, but since that’s over, it’s on a steep rise again. So let’s take a closer look at what exactly Uber One is, how it works, and whether or not it’s worth your investment.

What Is Uber One?

Simply put, Uber One is a subscription service recently launched by Uber. This membership allows you to access exclusive ride and delivery perks, services, and discounts. If you choose to subscribe to Uber One, you’ll get benefits on all the Uber-related services, including food delivery, grocery orders, and Uber rides. It’s the only service program that combines deliveries and rides.

You should know that Uber One membership is completely separate from the free Uber Rewards loyalty program. Instead, it has its own reward system. That means that on top of the perks you get with the membership, you’ll earn points that’ll allow you access to exclusive benefits. In time, you’ll get Uber credits, access to best-rated drivers, priority pickups, and more.

Uber One is similar to the discontinued Uber Pass and Eats Pass services. In fact, it’s their replacement. If you were already subscribed to one of these programs, your membership will automatically be upgraded to Uber One at no additional cost.

Like many subscription services, an Uber One subscription has an auto-renew policy. That means your subscription will be automatically billed each month or year, depending on your type of subscription. But you can cancel the membership anytime, up to 48 hours before the next billing cycle starts. There are no cancelation fees, and you can activate your membership later.

Note that there’s a free trial option that lasts for 30 days, and once you subscribe, your billing period starts after the free trial expires. When you cancel the subscription, you’ll be able to continue using it until the end of the billing term.

How Much Does Uber One Cost?

There are two subscription plans within Uber One, and the cost will depend on your choice. The benefits are the same for both plans, but the difference is in how long you’ll commit. You can opt to pay your membership every month or yearly. Be warned that a yearly plan means you’re committing to the 12-month service, and you’ll pay for it only once at the start of the plan.

You can try the Uber One service with a 30-day free trial program, and only then decide which subscription plan to go with. A free trial can help you see how often you would use Uber One and if it’s worth committing for a year.

If you choose not to continue with the subscription after your free trial ends, make sure to cancel it in time. Uber keeps your payment information and will automatically charge the first month if you don’t cancel it.

The payment plans are:

• Monthly: You’ll be charged $9.99 every month.
• Yearly: you’ll be charged a $99.99 annual fee as an upfront payment. If you break down this price, it comes down to $8.33 per month. The Uber One annual membership is cheaper than the monthly plan.

What Are the Benefits of Uber One?

As mentioned earlier, Uber One also comes with various benefits and perks that help you save money. Here’s what you’re going to get.

1. Unlimited $0 Delivery Fee

Uber One users appreciate this benefit the most. If you meet the minimum basket subtotal, you’ll get a $0 delivery fee on all orders for food, groceries, or alcohol with Uber Eats or Cornershop. The minimum purchase amount for food and alcohol is $15, and for grocery orders, it’s $30.

However, not all restaurants and stores are eligible for free delivery. Even among those that are eligible, some refused to be part of the Uber One program. Take a look at the app and check which restaurants and shops are Uber One partners. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the Uber Eats app and enter your address.
2. Check the list of suggested restaurants and see which ones participate in the membership program.

That said, even if you find the restaurant that suits you, there is no such thing as completely free delivery. You’ll still have to pay service fees, even as an Uber One member.

2. Priority Service with Best-Rated Drivers

With Uber One, you’ll get premium member support. You’ll be eligible for priority service with top-rated drivers. That means you’ll jump the ride queue and you’ll be treated as a priority.

3. Cheaper Rides

Uber One Pass gives you an extra discount on some of the rides. But not all rides are eligible for this perk. You’ll get 10% off for UberX and Uber Green rides, and 15% off on Confort, Berline, and Van rides.

If you book a ride 30 minutes or more in advance, you won’t be eligible for the discount. Shared rides are also not covered by the discounts.

4. Uber One Promise

If your delivery arrives after the latest arrival estimate, you’ll receive a $5 Uber Cash credit as compensation. This perk signifies that Uber Eats is committed to speedy delivery to satisfy its customers.

5. Guaranteed Member Pricing, Special Offers, and Promotions

Guaranteed member pricing means that you’ll receive 5% off on all eligible rides and pickup orders. Also, all Uber One subscribers have access to special offers and promos so you’ll save more money on other services.

How to Subscribe to Uber One

You can easily sign up for Uber One through their website, or through the Uber app or Uber Eats app. If you’re signing up for the first time, you’ll also be eligible for the 30-day free trial. Follow these steps to sign up for Uber One through the website:

1. Go to the Uber One web page and click on the Sign up now button.

2. Enter your email or phone number, or choose an already existing Google, Apple, or Facebook account. Click Continue.

3. Uber will send you a code to your phone or email you provided. Enter it in a designated box.

4. Once you are signed up for Uber, click the Join Uber One button at the top of the page.

5. First-time users receive a one month trial, but still have to add a payment method.

Now, you’ve signed up for Uber One. Signing up through the Uber or Uber Eats app is very similar. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner of the page and then tap the Uber One banner. Follow the instructions on the screen to sign up. They’re very straightforward.

How to Cancel Uber One

You can cancel your Uber One subscription through the mobile app or through the web page.

To do it through the Uber app:

1. Open the app on your mobile device.
2. Tap your profile icon and go to the Uber One section.

3. Select Manage Membership.
4. Select End Membership and confirm.

To do it on the Uber website you’ll need to contact Uber Customer Support. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Uber account on the web page.
2. Go to the information page and find a section about canceling Uber One membership.
3. Select the Chat With Us option.

A Customer service operator will guide you through the process of canceling your membership.

Uber One is a new subscription service that offers customers flat rates and other benefits. While it may be worth it for some users, it ultimately depends on your individual needs and circumstances. If you frequently use Uber and want to save money, signing up for Uber One could be a good option. However, if you only occasionally use the app or are happy with the current pricing structure, there’s no need to switch to the new subscription service.

The post What Is Uber One and Is It Worth It? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this article, we’ll discuss Lightroom vs. Photoshop, their similarities and differences, and when it’s best to use either program.

Lightroom vs. Photoshop: The Rundown

Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are powerful photo editing programs that share many of the same post-processing functions. However, while they have similarities, they are designed to meet different needs and offer a range of distinct tool sets to get these jobs done.

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is designed for photographers to manage and develop their photos. It allows users to manage image libraries, edit RAW files, and post-process many images simultaneously.

It features many tools that let you add information to your images, like specific keywords, flags, or star ratings that help you sort through thousands of photos and edit them in batches. It also enables you to export straight from Lightroom to social media websites like Flickr and Instagram.

Lightroom has two versions: Lightroom Classic and Lightroom (formerly Lightroom CC).

Lightroom Classic has additional functions but is only available on desktop PC (and is the most-used version).

The Adobe Creative Cloud version of Lightroom is a cloud-based, cross-platform version meant for beginners, and you can use it across desktops, web, mobile, and tablets like iPads.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a specialized image editing program that goes far beyond the editing tools available in Lightroom. While Lightroom is designed for photographers specifically, Photoshop is made to accommodate not only photographers but also graphic designers, architects, illustrators, 3D artists, and more.

Photoshop’s capabilities are too extensive to list, but it enables users to create more detailed, in-depth edits than Lightroom. Photoshop on its own cannot open RAW files (instead, you need other file types like JPEG or PNG), but it does feature the Adobe Camera Raw plugin, which doubles as the photo editing software for RAW images.

Another difference is in destructive versus non-destructive editing. While Lightroom lets you do non-destructive editing (meaning the original image isn’t affected), Photoshop requires you to use layers to ensure that you don’t alter the original file.

It’s important to note that many professional photographers use Lightroom and Photoshop in combination. For example, they might use Lightroom for their daily workflows and switch to Photoshop when more detailed edits are required.

When to Use Lightroom

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional photographer, Lightroom is a one-stop digital studio offering more than enough functionality to organize and edit your photos.

Lightroom is most suitable for photographers who:

1. Need image organization software. Lightroom is a powerful image management tool. You can easily organize your photos into image libraries, rate your photos to identify the best shots, and add keywording and metadata to find the exact images you want to edit next.

2. Want to do basic to intermediate image edits. Lightroom’s Develop module lets you alter every aspect of your photos. Using simple sliders, you can easily apply presets or manually adjust the lighting, white balance, color, sharpness, and noise. You can also whiten teeth, remove red-eye, and eliminate dust spots and other blemishes using the healing brush.

3. Need to do batch edits. Lightroom presets let you apply settings across a batch of photos with a single click. This helps you save tons of time for catalogs of similar photos (say you just shot a wedding, and all the photos are in similar lighting).
4. Are beginners. Lightroom is more beginner-friendly and will enable you to learn the photo editing process if you’re new to it. Its interface is much simpler, and the Develop module is laid out linearly, making it easy to work through each image. Adobe also offers a set of Lightroom tutorials to help you to get to know the program.

5. Are working on the go. Lightroom (the Creative Cloud version) is available on desktop, mobile, and web, meaning you can access your cloud-stored photos and edit them wherever you are. For added functionality, you can use the desktop-focused Lightroom Classic.

In summary, you should choose Lightroom if you’re a photographer who takes many images and needs a tool to organize and retouch them.

When to Use Photoshop

Photoshop is best for the images you want to dive right into, performing detailed enhancement or image manipulation.

Photoshop is most suitable for creators who:

1. Want to do detailed retouching. Photoshop contains hundreds of image manipulation tools that let you change the look and content of a photo to a greater extent than in Lightroom. For example, you can replace backgrounds, combine multiple photos, or create art from several digital assets. However, this comes at the cost of a much steeper learning curve than Lightroom.

2. Create digital art or vector images. Photoshop has a suite of tools designed to help artists and designers create surreal imagery and digital assets.
3. Want to alter images at the pixel level. Photoshop lets you zoom right in and change your images at the level of a single pixel. Lightroom doesn’t provide this resolution, instead focusing more on global edits.
4. Want to create composite images. Photoshop lets you add countless adjustment layers that affect different parts of the image and can be combined for greater control over the final product (like creating HDR images or panoramas from hundreds of separate photos).

5. Removing unwanted objects. While Lightroom does provide the basic healing tool, it isn’t as powerful as Photoshop’s cloning capabilities. Photoshop lets you create clean edits, removing entire objects, people, and backgrounds using their advanced content-aware software.

Note: Adobe now also offers Photoshop Elements 2023, a slimmed-down photo editor version of Photoshop designed for beginners and is available as a one-time purchase (rather than as a subscription).

Photoshop vs. Lightroom: Pricing

Regarding pricing, Adobe offers several subscription options for its image editing software. Interestingly, if cloud storage doesn’t matter to you that much, you’re better off getting Lightroom and Photoshop together since they cost the same amount as Lightroom on its own.

1. Lightroom: The single-app Lightroom subscription costs $9.99 monthly and comes with 1TB of cloud storage.
2. Photoshop: The single-app Photoshop subscription costs $20.99 per month and includes Adobe Fresco.
3. Photography plan: The Adobe Photography plan costs $9.99 per month and includes both Lightroom and Photoshop. However, it only includes 20GB of cloud storage. This can be updated to 1TB of cloud storage for $19.99 per month.

The Verdict

Lightroom is probably the best choice for photographers — it’s easier to learn and has more than enough post-production features. However, if you want to take your edits further or dabble in more creative editing or artistic work, Photoshop is likely better for you.

Additionally, since Adobe sells both in an affordable package, it might be worthwhile to use both. The two programs work seamlessly together (with the help of Adobe Bridge) and can take your photo editing chops to the next level.

The post Lightroom vs Photoshop: Which One Should You Use first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this article, we’ll explain the primary differences between Bixby and Google Assistant and see how they measure up.

What’s the Difference?

Below, we’ll take a look at how Bixby and Google Assistant compare when it comes to features, device integration, performance, and supported languages.

Activation

Both digital assistants are similar in how they’re activated.

You can wake up Bixby Voice by:

1. Pressing and holding the Bixby button (on Samsung phones).
2. Saying, “Hey, Bixby.”

Google Assistant is activated by:

1. Saying “Hey, Google” or “OK, Google.”
2. Pressing and holding the Home button.
3. Swiping up from the bottom corner of your screen (on an iPhone or Android phone).

Accessibility and Cross-Platform Availability

Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant is tightly integrated with the Samsung SmartThings platform, but that’s as far as it goes—you can’t use it on non-Samsung devices. The SmartThings app lets you control various devices, integrating through the Samsung Galaxy Home speaker.

If you use only Samsung devices, this isn’t a problem. But if you have a more varied digital ecosystem, or multiple users with different non-Samsung Android devices, using Bixby can introduce limitations.

Google Assistant, on the other hand, is available in far more places and comes installed on all Android devices with Version 6.0 or higher. It integrates with devices via Google Home, including some from other brands, like Apple (with limited functionality).

Google Assistant is also compatible with many top media services and embedded in the hands-free Android Auto for driving.

Features and Abilities

Google Home and Bixby are comparable in most ways, but Google Assistant generally has greater accuracy, more functions, and faster results.

Google Assistant and Bixby can do similar tasks, including controlling smart home devices, operating the phone, reading and sending text messages, and providing information based on online searches. However, Google Assistant can do more than Bixby, primarily due to the increased number of devices with which it can integrate.

Google Assistant is generally considered one of the best (if not the best) voice assistants in recognizing voice commands and performing actions. While Bixby is no slouch, it doesn’t yet have the same level of accuracy and speed that Google Assistant provides.

This is mainly obvious with online search functions.

Google Assistant excels in online searches and integrates with more third-party apps (like WhatsApp), enabling users to do more things hands-free.

In comparison, Bixby’s primary strength is in offline tasks like optimizing Samsung device settings in different environments (for example, saying “I’m driving” will turn off Wi-Fi, turn on Bluetooth, and start a playlist).

Bixby also has several unique capabilities, most of which are only available on later Android models like the Galaxy S9 and S10. For example, Bixby Vision is a Bixby-powered app that enables users to identify items from photos, translate languages, scan QR codes, and provide assistance to the visually impaired.

Supported Languages

Both Bixby and Google Assistant work with most major languages worldwide.

1. Google Assistant supports English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. In addition, Google Assistant supports six English dialects, two French dialects, and two Spanish dialects.
2. Bixby supports English, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Chinese (Mandarin).

Overall Comparison

The Final Verdict

Google Assistant is the superior smart assistant. It outstrips most other digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. It has enhanced functionality, more compatibility with third-party apps and gadgets, and a more established ecosystem.

But that doesn’t mean Bixby isn’t worth using. If you own a stack of Samsung devices, you might find that Bixby is the voice assistant you’re looking for. Even better, Bixby is rapidly expanding, introducing new and unique features to compete with Google Assistant—so if you’re starting with Samsung’s ecosystem, it might be worth sticking around.

The post Bixby vs. Google Assistant: What’s the Difference? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this PrivadoVPN review, we’ll outline the strength of this VPN service and its weaknesses and help you understand whether PrivadoVPN is a suitable VPN for you.

PrivadoVPN: Overview & Features

Before we dive into the details, here’s a quick overview and a list of the pros and cons of using the PrivadoVPN service.

Pros:

• Excellent free plan
• Reasonably-priced paid subscription
• Up to 10 simultaneous connections (with paid subscription)
• Zero-logs policy
• Split Tunneling
• Unblocks most geo-blocked content and streaming services like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video
• Many supported platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Fire TV, Android TV, + router support available

Cons:

• Slow download speeds
• Lack of additional features
• No third-party audit
• Kill switch is only available on desktop apps

The main point of using a VPN is to secure your online activity by rerouting your web traffic to a server provided by the VPN company. Aside from getting your online privacy back, you can also use a VPN to access geo-blocked content, bypass your school or work firewalls, and even find the lowest prices for products and services.

PrivadoVPN offers an easy and quick way to protect your online activity across all your devices: your smartphone, tablet, computer, and more. With the paid subscription, you can simultaneously use PrivadoVPN on up to 10 devices. The free version is also impressive, mainly because it allows unlimited (or almost unlimited) browsing. This Swiss VPN service is also one of the strongest VPN providers when it comes to unblocking content.

For best performance, we recommend connecting to the closest PrivadoVPN server. Otherwise, you might experience slowdowns in the upload and download speeds and an increase in latency. When performing speed tests on a Mac, we didn’t notice a massive drop in upload speed, only a slight decrease in download speed. While VPN speeds are important, they shouldn’t be your primary choice criterion. The speeds will differ depending on the time of day, the speed of your internet connection, as well as which VPN server you’re connected to.

Bypass Geoblocks

PrivadoVPN is an excellent choice for anyone looking to use a VPN to bypass geoblocks and unblock streaming services unavailable in their region.

We tested PrivadoVPN in Russia, where several services are blocked now on a government level. With the VPN connection, we could open and use Instagram and Facebook. Unlike other VPN services we tested in Russia, PrivadoVPN didn’t cause a massive drop in upload/download speeds, and we could watch and upload videos on these networks without any frustration. PrivadoVPN also gave us access to LinkedIn, which is blocked in Russia, just like Instagram and Facebook.

Then we tried accessing streaming services like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video from abroad. All three worked effortlessly. According to VPN reviews from other VPN users, you can also access Disney+ with PrivadoVPN. However, we couldn’t get it to work and can’t testify.

Aside from streaming, you can use PrivadoVPN for secure torrenting. The service offers P2P support and comes with a SOCKS5 proxy that maximizes torrenting speeds and helps you access large files much more quickly.

Interface & Ease of Use

PrivadoVPN has apps for different devices. The Mac and Windows apps seem to be the strongest, as they’re the only ones with the kill switch function. Kill switch protects your online activity in case you lose your connection to the VPN servers.

The interface of the PrivadoVPN app is minimalistic and straightforward. On the main screen, you’ll find the Connect / Disconnect button. Below, you’ll see your Selected Location, which you can change by opening up the available locations.

There are over 200 servers, with 63 locations to choose from. The On / Off switch below the location box belongs to the Kill Switch function. On the same screen, you’ll also see your IP address displayed together with the current location.

On the left side of the app, you’ll find the Settings icon that opens app Preferences. In settings, you get complete control over the Kill Switch and Auto-Connect features, and you can also choose which VPN protocol to use: IKEv2, Wireguard, or OpenVPN protocol.

You won’t find much else on the app. In settings, you can view your account information and get help with any issues with the app. When you select Contact Support, you’ll be transferred to the Support section of the PrivadoVPN site. You can get 24/7 customer support with online tickets or find out how to fix your issue using FAQs.

Privacy & Security

According to the PrivadoVPN website, the company only uses physical servers located in the jurisdiction they represent. This is better than using virtual servers located anywhere in the world and providing you with an IP address of a particular country. Physical servers come with better security and offer a more stable connection.

Another feature that makes PrivadoVPN stand out is its zero-log policy. They claim to be a “no-log policy VPN based in Switzerland.” That means two things: First, there can be no tracking of your online activity, and second, you’re protected by Swiss privacy laws, which are some of the best in the world. However, we should mention that the company never went through any external audit, so there aren’t any third-party audit results to support these claims.

If you used a VPN before, you probably noticed that some apps don’t work with VPN as well as others. With PrivadoVPN, that shouldn’t be an issue, as this VPN supports split tunneling. This feature allows you to decide which apps send their traffic through the VPN connection and which send their data through your ISP. Split tunneling is helpful for a high-bandwidth online activity like streaming or playing video games.

Pricing & Plans

PrivadoVPN doesn’t have a free trial period, but you can use the PrivadoVPN free plan to check whether this service works for you before buying the paid subscription.

On the free plan, you get access to 12 server locations in different cities and can use the VPN on unlimited devices but only one connection at a time. There’s a limit of 10GB of data that gets renewed automatically every 30 days. However, the cool part is that even PrivadoVPN’s free plan technically comes with unlimited data. After the initial 10GB runs out, you can still use the VPN to browse, only at a lower speed.

If you want to take advantage of the complete list of benefits of PrivadoVPN, you can choose between their one-month plan for $7.99 billed monthly or the 12-month plan for $59.88 billed annually. The longer-term plan is a bargain compared to similar VPN clients, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you change your mind about buying the subscription.

Both paid PrivadoVPN plans provide access to their entire server network in 63 locations, unlimited data, and the ability to use VPN on up to 10 devices simultaneously.

PrivadoVPN supports many payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrency.

Should You Use PrivadoVPN?

PrivadoVPN is an excellent VPN service for those who want a simple, straightforward protection service for their online activity. It’s affordable and great for streaming and torrenting, and the benefits of PrivadoVPN compensate for the lack of extra features.

At the same time, it’s better to seek other options if you’re after extra functionality like DNS leak protection, AES-256 encryption, or something that exceeds the standard protocols.

Either way, before you make a choice, try the free VPN plan that Privado offers to see if it has what you’re looking for.

The post PrivadoVPN Review: Everything You Need to Know first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

The developers call it a “wide-spectrum content blocker” rather than simply an ad blocker, and for a good reason. uBlock Origin is one of the most advanced and versatile options for increasing your privacy online with minimal cost to your CPU or memory usage.

What Is uBlock Origin?

Developed by Raymond Hill (gorhill on GitHub.com), uBlock Origin (uBO) is an industry-leading cross-platform browser extension for filtering content online. Unlike similar plug-ins, uBO filters content, including ads, trackers, pop-ups, malware, coin miners, and JavaScript elements.

uBO is open-source with contributions from various developers on GitHub. Generally speaking, the open-source uBO is transparent and more trustworthy than some of its closed-source competitor apps that often sell user data to third-party companies for a profit.

There are three modes available with uBO: easy mode, medium mode, and hard mode.

In easy mode, settings are left on default with a few available options to enable some extra privacy and security settings via the dashboard.

Medium mode is for advanced users and requires in-depth knowledge of the add-on, enabling users to manually decide what content is filtered and what is allowed. This is the recommended mode for privacy-savvy users.

Hard mode is like medium mode on steroids and is likely to cause more website breaks for a final small gain in security.

uBO is available on the Google Chrome web store, on Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and as a Mozilla Firefox add-on (including the Android and iOS versions). Unfortunately, it’s no longer available for Apple’s Safari.

Note: When installing uBO, make sure that the add-on is uBlock Origin. There are several add-ons pretending to be uBO, including ublock.org and uBlock (without the Origin). These scam versions steal user data for profit.

Easy Mode: Cosmetic Filtering

uBO provides two powerful tools to allow users to perform “cosmetic filtering.” These tools are the Element Zapper and the Element Picker. Both tools allow you to pick and choose which website elements to remove from a website, but the Zapper is temporary while the Picker is permanent.

To use the Zapper, click the uBO icon.

Then, select the lightning bolt.

Specific elements should now highlight as you hover over them. Simply click on the element to remove it.

To use the Element Picker, click the uBO icon and click the color dropper.

Click the element you want to remove, then click Create.

To view these filters, open the uBO dashboard by selecting the cog icon.

Next, select the My filters tab.

Here, you can easily delete your added filters by deleting the line and selecting Apply changes.

If uBO breaks a website you need to access, you can selectively allow content on websites or individual web pages. To do so:

1. Select the uBO icon at the top-right of the window.

2. Click the blue power button to disable uBO on a website or shift + click the blue power button to disable it for an individual page.

This allows you to whitelist particular pages you don’t need uBO to be active on.

Easy Mode: Using Static Filter Rules

uBO comes with several built-in and third-party filter lists. These can be enabled or disabled at will to increase your privacy online.

The uBO devs recommend enabling:

• All uBlock Origin filters
• EasyList
• Peter Lowe’s Ad Server list
• EasyPrivacy
• Online Malicious URL Blocklist

To ensure these are enabled, open the uBO dashboard and select the Filter lists tab.

It’s possible to add custom filters, but keep in mind that some of these may be low quality and cause more website breakage for a tiny gain in privacy.

uBlock Origin Advanced Options

uBO has several advanced settings that any user can enable. These settings can increase the effectiveness or scope of uBO’s functionality. However, it’s essential to fully understand the advanced user features before altering them, as it’s easy to break the add-on, and the wrong set-up can result in you being less protected than you would be with default settings.

To enable advanced settings:

1. Open the uBO dashboard.

2. Under the Settings tab, check the box next to where it says I am an advanced user.

Dynamic Filtering: Medium Mode and Above

uBO uses two types of filtering – static filtering and dynamic filtering. Static filtering is the default and filters website content based on the filter lists mentioned above.

Dynamic filtering allows users to add rules that override static filtering, giving added control over the kind of content that you can block or allow. This can be toggled by clicking the uBO icon and selecting the Less and More buttons.

With dynamic filtering enabled, clicking the uBO icon now looks like this:

In the first column, we have the type of requests being made in normal text and in bold text the websites making those requests. You’ll notice that each hostname has a colored bar beside it.

Green means everything is allowed from that hostname, yellow means some things are blocked, some are allowed, and red means that everything is blocked. By default, no dynamic filtering rules will be present.

The second column represents global rules. These are rules which affect all websites. By default, each box will be a light gray color. This means there are no rules applied.

The third column represents local rules that will apply only to the site to which it has been added. For example, if you block the youtube.com hostname globally, it will never load on your browser. However, if you only block it locally (say on a blog), then it will load on every other site except for that one.

Plus symbols mean that some content is being allowed, while minus symbols mean the content is being blocked. There may be a combination depending on the automatically applied filter lists.

If you hover over the second and third columns, you’ll notice a gray and red box. The red box sets a blocking rule, meaning that the content will be blocked. The gray box sets a “noop” rule, allowing you to override global blocking rules for content types and URLs.

How to Save and Revert Filtering Rules

Implementing content blocks will help you achieve maximal privacy but may also cause many websites to break. With this in mind, uBO has made it easy to experiment. You can erase all rules and start again by clicking the eraser.

You can also lock in your ruleset once you find a combination that works well by clicking the padlock.

How to Use Dynamic Filtering

Dynamic filtering is uBO’s advanced content filtering mode which allows users to manually input rules to control the content that websites can load and display.

Here are two ways you can use dynamic filtering:

1. Block Third-Party Scripts and Frames

It’s generally recommended to block all third-party frames and scripts globally. These are like embedded “websites within a website” and are often a weak link in websites that malicious actors will target with malware (plus, they’re annoying).

You can block all third-party scripts/frames by clicking the red box in the global column next to these items.

But, say you want to be able to see embedded YouTube videos on a particular website. First, you need to scroll down to the youtube.com URL and click the gray box in the local column. Now, only YouTube third-party frames will load on that site.

Further, you may find that blocking all frames and scripts causes a website to break. If this is the case, it’s a matter of trial and error using the local “noop” override button (the gray box in the local column) for each domain until the website works again.

2. Block Social Media Trackers

There’s no reason for social media websites or search engines to be able to track your activity outside of their platforms. To block their permissions, open the uBO dashboard and click on the red box in the global column for each social media URL (e.g., Facebook.com). The only problem is that this will also block them when you try to load the website directly.

To get around this, create a “noop” for each site by clicking the gray box in the local column for each site. Now, the websites will only load when you access them directly, rather than track you from other websites that you visit.

Is uBlock Origin Worth Using?

uBlock Origin is one of the safest and most trustworthy content filtering add-ons available. It’s open-source and transparent, but even better, the developer Raymond Hill refuses to take donations and claims he has no intent to ever monetize uBO.

uBO also refuses to take money from companies to whitelist certain “acceptable ads” for-profit, unlike other ad blockers, including Adblock Plus (ABP). Further, uBO has the best performance among other ad blockers, including AdBlock, Adguard, and Ghostery.

In all, uBO is likely the best option, whether you just need an adblocker or a powerful content-filtering add-on to protect your private information.

Stay Secure Online

Because of the increasing amount of scams, malware, and data mining online, many people turn to content-filtering extensions when web browsing. uBlock Origin is one of the best ad blocker plug-ins and has a stack of added features that can help protect your privacy, especially when combined with a VPN.

The post uBlock Origin: The Ultimate Review and Guide first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

Best Remote Desktop App for SMBs: LogMeIn

Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS

Price: $350/yr for access to 2 computers up to $7,000/yr for access to 50 computers

It’s the variety of functionality that makes LogMeIn pro best for small businesses. SMBs usually have a small IT team where each person does a bit of everything, so they need a remote desktop app that does a bit of everything also. A key feature is unattended remote access with Wake On LAN when support is required, but the user is busy with something else.

Centralized management of anti-virus and firewalls, plus Active Directory group policy management multiplies the capabilities of your smaller IT team. It’s the ease of use that can make it worth the price for growing businesses and commercial use. LogMeIn used to have a free version but dropped it abruptly several years ago.

Best Remote Desktop App for Linux: TeamViewer

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux

Price: $450/yr for single admin, up to 200 managed devices to $1750.yr for 30 admins, up to 500 managed devices.

It’s an understatement to say TeamViewer is only the best remote desktop access for Linux. TeamViewer is the only remote desktop app on this list that boasts its ability to access Linux. Yet it may be the best option for anyone, from the individual IT support person up to large, multi-location businesses.

If using VPNs for remote access is a problem for you, TeamViewer provides secure end-to-end AES encryption without a VPN. Perhaps the most useful feature of TeamViewer is that you can ask a user to download the remote desktop software, which can be branded for your business, and in seconds you can be on their device.

Best Remote Desktop App for Limited Budget: Splashtop

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome OS

Price: $60/yr for a single user and up to $99/yr/user for business users

The most affordable remote support app on the list, Splashtop does have complicated licensing and pricing. The single-user plan has the lowest price but has limited features such as only being able to view one monitor at a time. Yet if you just need to remote control your own computer, this may be enough. The enterprise option has all the features anyone may want, like session recording, remote reboot, and cloud options.

There are several options for small businesses, managed service providers, and educational institutions. So it may take some time to figure out exactly what is needed for your situation. There are also many reports of remote connection instability. 

Best Remote Desktop App Overall: AnyDesk

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, Chrome OS

Price: $120/yr for a single user, $238/yr for 3 hosts and up to 3000 devices

Whether you want this just for yourself or for your corporate help desk, AnyDesk provides an affordable, powerful, easy to use solution. If you’re supporting desktops and mobile devices in a corporate environment or providing remote support for IoT devices in an industrial setting, AnyDesk can help. AnyDesk has the greatest cross-platform capabilities supporting any operating system.

It’s also the most user-friendly in our testing. AnyDesk’s pricing makes it available to most people and the functionality is as great or better than any of the remote support apps on this list. Security is also top of mind for AnyDesk with end-to-end AES encryption and RSA 2048 asymmetric key exchange. AnyDesk is the best remote access solution in our opinion.

Which Remote Desktop Support Solution Is Best for You?

We’ve compared four of the best remote desktop access solutions and in which situations they excel. However, what’s best for you requires looking at what pricing works for you and what features you need. Some options include whiteboards and tools for online meetings that might replace things like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Some are easier for the end-user to access. And some will work better over limited internet connections if you have users who live rurally. Put together your criteria, test all the remote access solutions, and see what’s best for you.

The post AnyDesk vs. TeamViewer vs. Splashtop vs. LogMeIn: Battle of the Remote Desktop Apps first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

The nice thing about the Kanban process is that it can be used for any size project, by teams or individuals, and for personal or business situations.

If you’re interested in managing your next project, large or small, look at these best free online Kanban boards.

About Kanban Boards

What makes the Kanban methodology shine is what’s called a Kanban board. This visual representation lets you see the entire project with its phases broken down. You then move tasks or flows to different stages as the project progresses.

These free tools provide you with customizable lists (or stages) in a column format where each column contains cards for the tasks. They also offer drag and drop for their board view, making managing tasks a breeze.

Because each tool gives you the structure and essential features you need in web-based Kanban software, we’ll look at what makes each stand out.

Trello

Trello is one of the most popular online Kanban tools, suitable for individuals and teams. For over a decade, Trello has provided users with a solid system interface, helpful new features, and enhancements to take managing a project to the next level.

Customize your board background, create multiple workspaces, and enjoy intuitive navigation and interface.

Notable Features

• Multiple views including timeline, calendar, dashboard, and table
• Cards for tasks with assignees, deadlines, reminders, checklists, and comments
• Attachments and uploads for files and images
• Search and filter features
• Team collaboration with comments and mentions
• Automations with the Butler tool for moving lists, scheduling assignments, and more
• Integrations with apps like Confluence, Slack, Evernote, Google Drive, and Dropbox

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows and Mac desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pricing: Free with paid subscription plans for additional features including unlimited boards, custom fields, dashboard, timeline, calendar views, and more.

Asana

Asana is another terrific choice for a Kanban tool. For team environments, you have a section to see just your tasks, add favorites, and view your inbox for recent activities.

For individuals, you can see your tasks in list, board, or calendar view so that you’re always on top of the next task. Plus, you can add sections for great customization.

Notable Features

• Unlimited projects, tasks, messages, activity logs, and file storage (100 MB per file)
• Multiple views including board, list, and calendar as well as a timeline
• Project brief and overview
• Collaboration with comments, messaging, and announcements
• Tasks with assignees, due dates, subtasks, and sections
• Attachments for both tasks and projects
• Integrations with popular tools and services like Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, GitHub, and more

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows and Mac desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pricing: Free with paid subscription plans for additional features including unlimited dashboards, forms, reporting for unlimited projects, custom fields, and more.

Monday

With handy premade lists, intuitive navigation, and plenty of customization, Monday is a solid agile project management tool.

The cards in the columns are expanded just enough to see the necessary details. When you add in the filter and sort options, you can view exactly what you need on your board.

Notable Features

• Over 200 templates in various industries
• More than 30 column types for customization
• File attachments and uploads with search ability
• Multiple views including timeline, calendar, and Gantt
• Collaboration with comments, chat integration, and mentions
• Unlimited automation recipes for notifications, assignees, statuses, and more
• Integrations with over 40 tools and services including Slack, Dropbox, Microsoft Excel, Google Drive, and others

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows and Mac desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pricing: Free for up to two seats and then paid subscription plans for additional features, including unlimited items, increased file storage, dashboard and calendar views, and more.

MeisterTask

With MeisterTask, you’ll see a helpful dashboard when you sign in that gives a nice overview of your items. You can see your agenda and review reports for project activities.

You can add a task, see your existing tasks, view your notifications, or perform a search with the buttons across the top. MeisterTask has an attractive and easy-to-use interface for both personal and business use.

Notable Features

• Unlimited, collapsible sections
• Project filters and timelines
• Dashboard and agenda views
• Automations for repeated workflows
• Task due dates, time tracking, attachments, tags, and recurring tasks
• Custom fields for cards
• Reports for progress and time tracking

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows and Mac desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, Apple Watch, andChrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari.

Pricing: Free for up to three projects and then paid subscription plans for additional features, including unlimited projects, recurring tasks, multiple checklists, and more.

Wrike

With Wrike, you can customize your colors and main purpose from the get-go, making the interface work for you and your team members.

You’ll also like the convenience of accessing your to-do list, starred tasks, and items created by you right from the left-hand navigation.

Notable Features

• Customizable dashboards
• Templates for marketing, IT, operations, and creative teams
• Shareable team calendars
• Multiple views like list, board, table, and files
• Convert comments and chats into tasks and projects
• Integrations and connections with over 400 applications
• Automation options and workflows

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows and Mac desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pricing: Free with paid subscription plans for additional features, including shareable dashboards, interactive Gantt charts, custom workflows, and more.

ClickUp

ClickUp is a service that offers many features in addition to its Kanban boards. Take advantage of Gantt charts, dashboards, mind maps, forms, and to-do lists.

You can also check out webinars, get help with coaching, visit the ClickUp blog, or listen to the podcast.

Notable Features

• Nested subtasks and checklists for task dependencies
• Multiple views such as list, board, box, and calendar
• Additional functions in the form of “ClickApps” to customize and automate tasks
• Integration with over 1,000 popular tools and services
• Team collaboration via email, chat, comments, and proofing
• Time management features including tracking, estimates, and reporting

Availability: Use it on the Web, Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop, Android, iPhone, and iPad mobile devices, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pricing: Free with paid subscription plans for additional features including unlimited storage, dashboards, integrations, Gantt charts, and custom fields, agile reporting, and more.

Manage Any Project With Ease

Maybe you’re an individual looking to improve your productivity or a team leader seeking reliable project management software using the Kanban method. Either way, these online tools provide free plans along with subscriptions, access from multiple platforms, and the ease-of-use you’ll appreciate.

Wondering if the Kanban method is for you? Check out these tools to measure your productivity to see if it’s time for a change!

The post The Best Free Online Kanban Boards to Manage Any Project first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

In this article, we’ll list the features of and differences between Samsung Pay and Google Pay and describe which mobile payment app is most worth using. 

What Is Google Pay?

Google Pay, formerly known as Android Pay, is a mobile payment app that you can use to make purchases, as well as send and receive money. To use it, all you have to do is unlock the phone and tap it against the contactless payment terminal. 

Here are the features of Google Pay:

• Wide availability. Google Pay is available in 42 countries which is second only to Apple Pay.
• Peer-to-peer payments. Easily send and receive money from your friends and family with Google Pay Send. All you need is an email address. However, P2P does come with added fees, and the service is currently only available in the US. 
• Wide support for credit and debit cards. Google Pay supports most major credit cards and payment services, including American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and AMEX. It also supports most major banks – check the list on Google’s support page. Google Pay also makes it possible to pay via PayPal.

• Google Wallet stores your passes and cards. Google Pay allows you to store loyalty, membership, and gift cards, as well as travel passes, tickets, and account cards in one place. 

• Support for Wear OS smartwatches. You can install and use the Google Pay app via your Wear OS smartwatch. It just needs NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities. 
• Google Pay offers. You can opt-in to Google Pay rewards and receive exclusive offers, collectibles, promo codes, etc. 
• Added security. Google Pay uses industry-standard tokenization and NFC technology to send encrypted data to merchants, making it more secure than traditional credit cards. The app also allows fingerprint scanning or facial recognition access, and there are limits to the amount that can be purchased or sent via the app.

Where Google Pay Falls Short

Google Pay is packed with features, and for most users, it is a perfectly suitable app. However, it has a few shortcomings, including:

• Limited features outside of the US. P2P support is only available for users within the US, which is bad news for international users. 
• Cluttered UI. The revamped Google Pay app has received substantial criticism for its confusing layout. Making payments is easy enough, but sorting through the cards in your digital wallet can be difficult. 
• Google Pay is not always accepted. Though most stores now support Google Pay purchases, some do not. You still need to carry around a secondary payment method, which for some people, removes the entire point of having a contactless payment app in the first place. 

What Is Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay is a convenient one-tap contactless payment and digital wallet app available to Samsung phone owners. A simple swipe up from the lock screen opens your payment options, allowing you to pay instantly. 

Recently, Samsung Pay has overtaken Google pay as the second-largest mobile payment app (behind Apple Pay, the most popular app). 

Features of Samsung Pay:

• Availability in 29 countries. While this is fewer countries than Google Pay supports, the list is constantly growing. 
• Support for most major credit and debit cards. Samsung Pay supports most major payment platforms, including all major credit card companies. The full list is on their support website. Samsung Pay also offers support for PayPal payments. 

• Samsung Rewards. With Samsung Rewards, you can earn points for each purchase you make while using the app. These points can be redeemed to make purchases using the Samsung app (or on the Samsung website). 
• Mobile wallet for cards and passes. Store and use gift cards, membership cards, and loyalty cards with the app by scanning the card’s barcode. Samsung Pay also allows you to create a digital wallet, including creating a verified Vaccine Pass from your vaccination documents. 
• Compatible with Samsung smartwatches. Some Samsung Galaxy wearables support Samsung Pay, including the Gear S3, Galaxy Watch3, and Galaxy Watch Active2. 
• Supports both NFC and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission). MST technology allows your Android phone to communicate with older magnetic stripe card readers that require you to swipe a card. However, support for MST is being removed as of the Galaxy S21. 

• Added security. Your Samsung Pay details are protected by Samsung Knox and tokenization. Like Google Pay, your card information isn’t sent to merchants. Further, Samsung Pay allows you to use Find My Mobile to remotely lock your account or remove the app from your mobile phone. The app also supports fingerprint and facial recognition authentication. 

Where Samsung Pay Needs Improvement

While Samsung Pay meets the major requirements of a contactless tap-as-you-go payment app, it has three significant drawbacks in functionality. 

• Limited compatible smartphones. Samsung Pay is only available on Samsung smartphones and does not work on other Android models. If you decide to buy a non-Samsung device, you’ll have to set up Google Pay (or another alternative) as Samsung Pay won’t be available. Despite this limitation, Samsung Pay has more active users than Google Pay. 

• An annoying number of ads and pop-ups. A common frustration for Samsung users is the gradual introduction of ads into the native Samsung apps, which holds true for Samsung Pay. Many users complain that intrusive ads even pop up during the payment process. 
• Removal of MST support. While more and more places are getting on board with NFC terminals, many still use MST. The last Samsung models to support MST payments were the Samsung Note 20 series. Unfortunately, this was the main reason many users decided to use Samsung over Google. 

Samsung Pay vs. Google Pay: Which is Better?

Samsung Pay and Google Pay are similar in terms of the service they provide and payment methods they support (including online payments). Still, Google Pay supports more devices and is available in more countries. 

The main reason to choose Samsung Pay is if your area still mainly uses MST terminals. In that case, you won’t run into the issue of being unable to pay with Google Pay. However, with NFC technology becoming more popular (and Samsung withdrawing support for this), it isn’t a deciding factor. 

Google Pay offers peer-to-peer payments in the US, which can be helpful in many situations and helps to cut down on the number of apps you need. This is possible with Samsung, but you need to sign-up for Samsung Pay Cash as well. 

Another major reason to choose either app is the other accessories you own. For example, if you have a Samsung smartwatch, you’re better off going with Samsung Pay. 

Which Should You Choose? 

Both Google Pay and Samsung Pay are great choices if you want to move into the world of all-in-one contactless payment and card wallet apps. 

Since the two apps are so similar, we recommend installing both (they’re both free to set up) and trying them out. This way, you’ll get a feel for each, and you can decide on the app which fits your preferences. 

The post Samsung Pay vs. Google Pay: Which Is the Best Mobile Payment and Wallet App? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

A paid subscription to Fitbit Premium costs around $10/month and unlocks guided programs, workout challenges, and guided meditations. It also provides detailed breakdowns of your sleep habits and stress levels along with deep insights into other health metrics. We’ll look at what you get with Fitbit Premium so you can decide if it’s worth signing up for this subscription service.

What Is Fitbit Premium?

Fitbit Premium’s value proposition is that when it comes to health and fitness, you’ll achieve more if you know more. That’s what self-improvement is all about. Since all the aspects of a person’s wellness are interconnected, by tracking more aspects of your health for longer periods of time, you’ll be able to see trends. Then you can use that knowledge to become a “healthier, stronger you.”

It stands to reason—your stress levels affect your sleep quality, and both are affected by your nutrition and how active you are. If you have more data about all those things and can start to see how one affects the other, you’ll be better positioned to improve your overall health and wellness.

How Much Does Fitbit Premium Cost?

A membership to Fitbit Premium costs $9.99/month or $79.99/year. Currently, Fitbit is offering a free 90-day trial, which is a great way to give the service a trial run and see if you like it enough to pay for it. If you think you’re going to want to continue using Fitbit Premium over the long run, the yearly subscription is clearly the better value.

Several Fitbit trackers come with even longer free trial periods. For example, the Fitbit Inspire 2, available on Amazon, comes with a full year of Fitbit Premium, and the Fitbit Sense smartwatch comes with a six-month Fitbit Premium membership.

Moreover, several Fitbit devices including the Fitbit Luxe, the Fitbit Versa, Versa 2, Versa 3, and the Fitbit Charge 5, offer a bundle package where you can get a full year of Premium plus a two-year protection plan for your device for under $40.

If you do sign up for any kind of free trial, Fitbit will still ask you to enter a credit card number, so if you don’t want to move to a paid plan, don’t forget to cancel before the trial is over or you’ll be charged.

Also note that Fitbit doesn’t give refunds on subscriptions, so if you go for the annual subscription, you should be sure you want it. If you do end up canceling the monthly or annual subscription, you’ll still be able to use the service until the end of the subscription period.

How to Cancel Your Fitbit Premium Membership

While subscribing is easy, canceling your Fitbit Premium subscription is a little less straightforward.

There are multiple reasons why Fitbit users might want to cancel Fitbit Premium. One of the most common reasons for canceling is to take advantage of a Fitbit Premium offer that came with a new Fitbit you purchased or received as a gift.

If you already have a Premium subscription and you get a new tracker that includes a Premium subscription or free trial, you’ll need to cancel your existing subscription before you can take advantage of the free one.

If you purchased Fitbit Premium via the Fitbit app, navigate to the Today tab in the Android or iPhone app. Then tap your user icon and select Account Settings > Manage Subscriptions. You should see Fitbit Premium listed. Tap it and then select the Cancel subscription button.

If you bought the subscription through the Google Play Store with PayPal, you should go to PayPal’s website to cancel. Navigate to Settings > Payments > Manage Automatic Payments. You can cancel the subscription there.

Lastly, if you purchased the subscription on the Fitbit website, you’ll need to go there to cancel. Log into the website, navigate to your user account, and select My Subscriptions. You’ll see the Premium subscription and a link to cancel.

What You Get with Fitbit’s Free App vs. Fitbit Premium

You already know that when you use a wearable Fitbit tracker, Fitbit’s free app for Android and Apple devices displays health and fitness stats that help you track your activity levels, weight, nutrition, and sleep. The free app also gives you access to a variety of introductory workouts and mindfulness sessions.

By contrast, Fitbit Premium opens the door to an expanded catalog of features that fit into two categories: data analysis and access to workouts, programs, games, and challenges to help you reach your health and fitness goals and have more fun along the way.

• Premium challenges
• Stress Management Score breakdown
• Sleep Score breakdown
• Blood glucose trends
• Health metrics trends for the last 90 days
• Daily Readiness Score
• Wellness Report
• Advanced skin temperature details (requires a Fitbit Sense)
• Hundreds of additional workouts and mindfulness sessions

Premium users will see health data presented as graphs with advanced analytics. In short, Fitbit Premium helps paint a fuller picture of your total health and then offers health coaching, motivation, and guidance on how to achieve more.

What’s Included in a Fitbit Premium Subscription?

Let’s go through exactly what’s included in Fitbit’s premium service. You might find that you use some features more than others. Perhaps you won’t use some features at all, but it could still be worth the cost of the subscription.

Guided Programs

Fitbit says their Guided Programs “leverage expertise from the Fitbit Advisory Panel and internal experts.” They’re built to hold users’ hands, giving step-by-step instructions to build healthy habits.

In the app, select the Discover tab and scroll down to Guided Programs. Guided programs that are only available to Premium subscribers display the “premium” tag.

Select what kind of program you’re looking for by choosing one of the categories at the top of the Guide Programs screen. You can select:

• Favorites
• At-Home Training
• Eat Health
• Sleep Better
• Move More

Tap the star icon on any program tile to mark it as a favorite.

Tap a program tile to see a description of what the program will entail. For example, the Push-Up Prep program in the At-Home Training category is a three-week plan that helps you build upper-body and core strength. Select the Get Started button to begin the program.

In the Push-Up Prep program, each week you’ll get access to video lessons from the Fitbit Coach. One nice feature is that the audio in these videos will keep playing even if your phone goes to sleep. Once you’ve finished a workout, it will be logged as complete.

Another example of a premium Guided Program is Get More Sleep. This program is tailored to you based on your answers to survey questions about your sleep habits. It uses your Fitbit’s sleep tracking feature to import your sleep stats and recommends a sleep goal and adjusts to your bedtime routine.

For any Guided Program you choose, you’ll be taken through a number of screens to set up your personalized program, including the option to set reminders. In some cases, such as the Mindful Eating program, rather than watching a video, you can choose to read an article version instead.

Workouts

Fitbit Workouts is one of the main features of the Premium service. You’ll get access to audio and video workout classes created by certified personal trainers. Similar to the guided workouts offered by Peloton, the Fitbit Premium workouts are available in these categories:

• Abs & Core
• Cardio
• For Kids
• Full Body
• Lower Body
• Upper Body

Workouts are also sorted into groups such as Under 15 Minutes, Audio Workouts, Dance Cardio & Kickboxing, and No Equipment Needed. You can also sort by time (low to high) or by intensity (easy to hard), so it’s easy to find a workout that meets your requirements.

You’ll find a wide variety of workout videos, from High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts to get your heart rate going to lower intensity yoga, stretching, and barre exercises.

Many classes come from trainers from PopSugar, barre3, BodyCombat, Daily Burn, Les Mills, and Will Smith’s StrongWill curriculum. These trainers are popular for a reason, and their positivity will help motivate you to keep going.

Premium Challenges

If you’re bored with your regular workout routine, select Premium at the bottom of the Fitbit app and then choose Fun games & new challenges. There you’ll find challenges like Get Fit Bingo, All for One, and an option to create a custom challenge.

Get Fit Bingo is a clever mashup of bingo and fitness that can be played alone or with up to 100 other people. You start with a bingo board and a pattern you’re aiming for. Your goal is to flip bingo tiles until you form the pattern.

Each bingo tile is marked with an activity goal like “100 steps” or “two active zone minutes,” and when you complete a goal, the bingo tile will flip. The game also includes four bonus tiles that can help you win faster.

Get Fit Bingo is more fun if you play with other people. You can invite friends who have Fitbits to play. Other players will be able to see your profile photo, name, and the tiles you’ve flipped.

Games in Challenges & Adventures come and go, so check it out to see what new fun activities have been added.

Daily Readiness Score

Your Daily Readiness Score is meant to tell you how prepared your body is for physical activity each day. Fitbit recommends that you check your Readiness Score every morning to see how recovered you are and decide how much physical activity is appropriate for the day ahead.

Readiness scores range from 1-100. If you score below 30, you have Low Readiness. That means you should rest and recover and focus on lower-intensity activities like yoga or stretching.

A score between 30 and 64 means you have Good Readiness, so you’re all set for a regular amount of exercise. Scoring between 65 and 100 means you have Excellent readiness, so you might want to try a new and/or more intense activity that day.

The Daily Readiness screen also displays your activity, recent sleep, and heart rate variability. Wear your Fitbit tracker for four days and nights to start getting Daily Readiness Scores.

Advanced Sleep Analytics

Users of the free Fitbit app will be familiar with the Sleep Score, a daily snapshot of your sleep quality and duration. Premium subscribers get additional insights into their sleep data. Your sleep score is based on your sleeping heart rate, the time you spend asleep, and your sleep stages.

Sleep score ranges are:

• 90-100: Excellent
• 80-89: Good
• 69-79: Fair
• Less than 60: Poor

Fitbit uses a combination of your restlessness and your heart rate while sleeping to estimate which stage of sleep you’re in. In the app, you’ll see your sleep stage data compared to benchmark ranges for someone your age and sex. You should aim for increased deep sleep since that’s the prime time your muscles repair themselves and your energy is restored.

You’ll also get a detailed breakdown of your Restoration score, including a graph of your sleeping heart rate and what percent of the night was spent tossing and turning.

Wellness Report

Once you’ve been wearing your Fitbit device for at least thirty days, you’ll be able to download a PDF of your Wellness Report. The report includes an overview of the last 30 days and the last year.

The Wellness Report has sections on your resting heart rate, weight, activity, and sleep. Women will also find a section on menstrual cycles. Each section has easy-to-read graphs and tables of information.

This report is a great way to start a conversation with your doctor about your health and wellness goals. 

Mindfulness Sessions

The best self-care and wellbeing practices include tending to your mental health. Look for Mindfulness Sessions on the Premium tab of the Fitbit app to find dozens of mindfulness and meditation sessions from Deepak Chopra as well as meditations for sleep and stress. Sessions are generally short, lasting between four and fifteen minutes, and can help you reduce anxiety, chronic pain, depression, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Other sections include audio and videos to help boost your body positivity, be more mindful about your meals, and start your day off on the right foot with morning meditations.

Recipe Inspiration

Fitbit Premium’s Recipe Inspiration section is packed with videos with ideas for nutritious meals and snacks. You can filter by:

• Diabetes-Friendly
• Gluten-Free
• Heart-Healthy
• High Fiber
• Low Calorie
• Make Ahead
• Quick
• Under 5 Ingredients
• Vegetarian

Ideas are also organized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Annoyingly, written instructions aren’t provided, so if you see something that looks good, you’ll have to watch the video to get the recipe.

Health Metrics

With a Premium subscription, you’ll see an extra section on the Fitbit app’s Home screen called Health Metrics. You can view data from today or trends from the previous seven, thirty, or ninety days.

Metrics include breathing rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, and resting heart rate. Each section has a Learn More link that explains the metrics in more detail.

So, Is Fitbit Premium Worth It?

Your health is priceless, so if having access to Fitbit Premium helps you take better care of yourself, then, yes, it’s worth it. After all, you probably pay more than $10/month for Netflix or another streaming service, and watching movies isn’t making you any healthier.

Having said that, the Premium service seems better suited for beginners than fitness gurus. We definitely recommend taking advantage of one of the various free trials to help you decide whether the extra features are worth the cash. Beyond that, the worth of a Fitbit Premium subscription will depend on your motivation for a healthy lifestyle.

The post What Is Fitbit Premium, How Much Is It, and Is It Worth It? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

But if you’re looking to get started with a Coinbase account yourself, you must first decide which version of the trading platform you wish to use. Coinbase Pro is a significantly modified version of the more simplified Coinbase experience, offering advanced features usually found on exchanges like Binance.

This begs the question: Do you even need the Pro version? What exactly is the difference between Coinbase and Coinbase Pro? And most importantly of all – which one is the best?

Coinbase vs. Coinbase Pro: An Overview

While there are many mobile apps for buying stocks, the same couldn’t be said about cryptos. At launch, Coinbase was mostly targeted at beginners to the world of cryptocurrency, and that is a quality that still rings true. Where most Bitcoin exchanges were a nightmare to use, Coinbase allowed users to buy BTC using their bank accounts and credit cards, or fiat currencies as it is called in crypto circles.

With time, however, the platform and its audience have matured in many ways. Coinbase facilitates crypto trading in many trading pairs using USD, opening up the market to hobbyists and serious investors alike. As such, there was a need for a more advanced trading platform.

Coinbase Pro is that advanced crypto exchange. With lower fees and powerful trading options like limit orders and stop orders, it is a brokerage geared for advanced traders who want to trade in digital assets more frequently. For example, if you are looking to mine and sell crypto yourself, you need better margins to be profitable.

There is no de-facto best Coinbase platform; each cryptocurrency exchange has its own benefits and issues. While the standard platform is user-friendly and lets people purchase crypto with a debit card, the Pro version of the Coinbase wallet is more powerful and charges lower trading fees.

What Makes Coinbase So Good

To the uninitiated, Coinbase is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Available as a website or a mobile app on Android or iOS, the platform allows any user to buy and sell cryptocurrency using fiat currencies like USD or EUR.

Not only is the application secured using two-factor authentication, but the FDIC mandated insurance policy also protects your investments from fraud or theft. Coinbase doesn’t give users access to their private keys though, instead offering password-managed accounts.

Coinbase charges a percentage of each sale as a transaction fee, with an additional charge levied for credit card purchases. The higher fees dissuade large-scale investors from Coinbase, though it makes little difference to the casual user. And if fees are a concern, there is always Coinbase Pro.

The Advantages of Coinbase Pro

For proper crypto trading using the toolset and features available in the stock market, you should switch to Coinbase Pro. Formerly known as GDAX, Coinbase Pro offers the complete functionality you expect from a crypto exchange, such as the ability to trade in crypto pairs or track their portfolios.

The crypto platform also offers a more developed UI, with advanced charting functions to better understand the market. Coinbase Pro fees are also much lower than the standard app, though there is still no flat fee pricing scheme.

Instead, the fee structure follows the maker-taker module. If you are adding liquidity to the order book, you have to pay the maker fee, but if you are fulfilling a listed trade, you pay the taker fee. The low fees on both ensure that Coinbase Pro is one of the most competitive cryptocurrency brokerages in the USA and Europe.

You can even use the Coinbase Pro API to set up automated trading or portfolio tracking. Earlier, Coinbase Pro also offered margin trading via USDC pairs, but the feature was later disabled due to regulatory concerns.

Which Crypto Exchange Is the Best for You?

Both Coinbase and Coinbase Pro perform the basic function of cryptocurrency exchange: buy Bitcoin and other cryptos like Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC) using a variety of payment methods, from the usual options like a debit card and credit card to things like a wire transfer or ACH transfer as well. The differences come in based on their features and user interface.

Coinbase is great for beginners in the world of crypto. You don’t have to settle for just the blockchain database technology but can also start speculating in crypto as an asset. Its ease of use allows even complete newbies to start investing in cryptocurrency, using fiat currencies U.S. dollars or GBP instead of BTC trading pairs. Security features like two-step verification and FDIC insurance protect you against fraud seen in some lesser-known digital wallets.

Coinbase Pro, on the other hand, offers a great platform for serious crypto traders. The lower transaction fees make it worthwhile to buy and sell cryptocurrency more frequently and in larger volumes. The advanced features like limit orders and stop orders help the platform hold up against exchanges like Binance.

So if you are new to cryptocurrencies and are just looking to get your feet wet, choose Coinbase. But if you are a veteran of cryptocurrency trading and want an exchange that doesn’t hold your hand, Coinbase Pro is just the platform for you.

The post Coinbase Pro vs. Coinbase: What’s the Difference? first appeared on Online Tech Tips.

Sounds great, but how does it perform? In this article, we’ll introduce you to the Aloha Browser, cover its many features, and give you a final verdict of whether we think it’s worth using.

What Is the Aloha Browser?

Aloha is a web browser available on the Google Play Store (for Android 4.4 and up) and on the App Store (for iPhone or iPad with iOS 9.0 and up). So far, it’s had over 5 million downloads and has a rating of 4.4 stars. There’s also a desktop PC version currently in early access. 

Aloha uses the Aloha Find search engine which is based on Google, though without the data collection and tracking. 

What Are the Main Features of Aloha?

Aloha is packed with features. Like a normal browser, it offers web search, bookmarks, and the typical browser features. Here, we’ll take a deep dive and explain each of Aloha’s unique features, how they work, and how good they are.

Simple, Easy-to-Use Interface

The UI is essentially the same as any browser. There’s a search bar and a series of quick links. As you scroll down, there’s a list of suggested content such as recent news and a few non-targeted advertisements (in the free version).

In the search bar, there’s an icon to activate the VPN and another to utilize the built-in QR reader.

Free Unlimited VPN

Aloha’s main marketing point is the built-in free VPN that can be turned on with the tap of a button.

The VPN provides a strong layer of security through military-strength encryption (256-bit). It also lets you access sites that may be blocked in your region, something many users find useful. 

As with all VPNs, you can only trust them as far as you can trust the company creating them since they are able to actively monitor and log your activity. Aloha claims that their VPN doesn’t log your activity.

To activate the VPN:

1. Open Aloha.
2. Click the shield icon at the left of the search bar.

3. In the pop-up, hit OK.

4. Tap and hold the shield icon again to change VPN location or change settings.

5. Tap the shield icon again to turn the VPN off.

Passcode or Fingerprint Lock

An added layer of security, the passcode locks the browser so that prying eyes can’t access it. This is helpful when it comes to preventing your kids from accessing sites that they shouldn’t (such as buying themselves a brand new present from Amazon).

To turn on the passcode lock:

1. Press the Settings icon at the top-right of the main screen.

2. Select Privacy.

3. Toggle on Passcode.

4. Enter your passcode and confirm it.

AdBlock

Aloha mobile has built-in AdBlock, preventing many ads from appearing, and cutting the ad network code and trackers to prevent them from building a user profile or targeting you. 

Weirdly, the free version of Aloha still features adverts, and they come by default as personalized ads which do track you. The premium version of Aloha offers a completely ad-free experience.

You can enable AdBlock in Settings > AdBlock.

Tracking Protection

Aloha provides tracking protection and claims to not track your activity online, unlike other major browsers like Google and Safari. This includes searches, data usage, downloads, location, and websites you visit.

Aloha does send diagnostic and error reports by default, but it’s opt-out. Frustratingly, by default, Aloha also allows personalized adverts with their “trusted partners”. For a browser that claims to put privacy and security above all else, this is an odd move. 

To opt-out of these tracking services:

1. Open Settings > Privacy.

2. Scroll down and toggle off Personalized ads, UX improvement program, and Crash reporting.

Support for Downloading Files and Video

A welcome feature of Aloha is that it allows you to download almost any files and video to your device. In fact, it’s one of the only browser apps that let you do this.

Private File Vault

The Aloha browser comes with an integrated file and download manager. With this, all downloaded files are stored securely with the option to lock specific folders with a password.

Media Player with Chromecast Support

Aloha’s full-featured media player is able to play movies, music, virtual reality content, and supports Chromecast functionality.

Premium Features

The premium version of Aloha offers a few extra features which improve the overall browsing experience. These include:

• Premium VPN — always on, faster servers in more countries
• No advertisements
• Advanced file management — parallel downloads, faster downloading, ZIP support

Aloha Premium costs $2.99/month or $24.99/year.

Downsides of the Aloha Browser

Overall, the Aloha browser is a decent choice if you want to keep your data private and secure. But, there are a few things that could be better.

• The browser is a little slower than many of its competitors, like Chrome or Firefox. But, the lack of speed is primarily due to the VPN connection.
• Aloha isn’t open source. If you’re an average user, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, many experts recommend open source software as it allows you to review exactly what the program is doing and whether it’s as private and secure as the developers claim.
• As of version 3.10.2, Aloha actually uses four trackers despite claiming not to. However, you can opt-out of Personalized Ads under Privacy which may disable at least two of these trackers.

Is Aloha Right For You?

Overall, Aloha is a decent mobile web browser if you’re looking for free, more private, and secure browsing. Though, there are plenty of alternatives that protect your privacy like DuckDuckGo, Privacy Browser, Bromite, and the Brave Browser. 

If you’ve used Aloha, let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

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Garmin Connect is similar to other popular health tracker apps, and even offers several features that other apps don’t. Let’s learn all about the Garmin Connect app and what you can do with it if you own a compatible Garmin health tracking device, such as any Garmin Instinct smartwatch.

Note: If you purchase a Garmin smart device, know that you aren’t limited to using only the Garmin Connect app. Garmin devices are compatible with many other fitness apps on the market. Hopefully, this article will help you choose whether or not to use the Garmin Connect fitness app with your device.

The Garmin Connect Home Page

When you first launch the Garmin Connect app, it will default to the My Day page. Here you’ll see every single one of your health stats listed out in order. Depending on the activities you want to track with your Garmin, there is a lot of information to scroll through.

You’ll see information and stats such as:

• Cardio stats like average heart rate, max heart rate, and calories burned
• Your day’s resting and high heart rate
• Daily step count
• Calories you’ve burned and consumed (if you’re logging calories)
• A history of stats for the previous day and previous week

You can tap any stats boxes on this page to see more details. 

For example, selecting the Cardio page shows you your day’s calories burned, total activity time, and average heart rate. On the charts page, you can see the details for the day for heart rate, elevation climbed, and more.

Likewise, pages for heart rate and steps show you how that health stats varied around specific activities during your day.

If you want to see just a log of all of your activities, select the menu from the main page and choose the activity type you want to see a log for.

Or you can select All Activities to see a log of everything, including the date and time of the activity and calories burned.

You’ll see several menu choices at the bottom of the main page.

• Challenges: Join a challenge to achieve new badges
• Calendar: See a visual display of all of your workout activities on a calendar
• News Feed: Review a log of all of your past fitness activities
• Notifications: Retrieve app notifications

These quick links are a convenient way to access some of the same information you can find by tapping through the menus.

Garmin Connect Health Stats

In the main menu, you’ll see another section called Health Stats. Under this section are all of the core stats that your device tracks.

You can choose each of these to dive into more details around your tracking data. Select Sleep to see your sleeping patterns, including deep sleep, light sleep, REM, and wake time, along with your Pulse Ox data.

Select Calories to see a history of calories consumed, broken down by calories you burned at rest and calories burned during your activities.

Two unique health stats that the Garmin Instinct smartwatches calculate and track are Stress and Body Battery. We’ll explore each of these in more detail in the next section.

Stress and Body Battery Health Stats

There is a variety of data that Garmin uses to calculate these stats for the app charts and history.

• Stress Level: If your Garmin smart device supports the stress feature, it will measure the variability of your heartbeat throughout the day. Since your nervous system regulates time between each heartbeat, a very steady and predictable heartbeat means you’re experiencing less stress. More variability means more stress. 
• Body Battery: Like the Stress stat, Body Battery is also calculated using heart rate variability, but it also incorporates stress and your activity levels to calculate your body’s energy stores at any given moment during the day. This is rated from 1 to 100%. This calculation is eerily accurate.

These two unique stats go a long way toward helping you manage your daily stress levels and ensure that you’re getting enough rest to accomplish what you want to achieve every day.

Garmin Connect Training Features

Under the Training section of the menu, you’ll find various features that’ll help you take your workouts and training to the next level.

Tap Workouts to search the library for various workouts. You can filter by muscle groups, activity type, goals, and more. Tap the exercise to see the series of workout activities, and tap each activity to see the workout steps.

Just tap Next to walk through the workout. You can also create custom workouts.

Tap Training Plans from the Workouts menu to see training plans centered around running or cycling.

Each plan will help you train for a specific goal like running a 5K or accomplishing a 100-mile bike ride.

You can save the courses you run or ride for workouts you already do frequently. To do this, select Courses from the Training menu. In the course type just choose the workout you do, like Road Cycling or Trail Running. 

On the next page, you’ll have the option to create an Automatic course using your GPS location, or a Custom one where you can draw out your course on a map.

Saving your courses to the Garmin Connect app lets you display your course for tracking with your Garmin device any time you’re out on our course and training.

Tap PacePro Pacing Strategies under the Training menu to use the pacing feature. This feature will help you maintain a healthy pace while you’re racing (running or biking) by displaying your pace against your pace target on your Garmin device.

Set up your pace by selecting a course or race distance, choosing the race type, and then set your goal time for the entire race in the Goal Time field. You’ll see the calculated pace in the Goal Pace field.

Garmin Connect also has an Insights feature (in the main menu) that uses your stats and history to customize tips and advice about improving your health and fitness.

Once you enable the Insights feature, you’ll just need to give the app time to analyze your current stats and history. Then, you’ll start seeing new advice and tips on the Insights page.

Other Garmin Connect Features

Under the main menu, you’ll also see a few other features to choose from.

Connections: You’ll have the option to see if your friends on Facebook, Google, or in your phone’s contact list are currently using Garmin Connect as well. You can invite them to join you in your group if they are.

Groups: You can search for public groups of people interested in collaborating with others on training activities. 

This is a fun way to add a social aspect to your workouts. You can see where your activity performance falls in line with other people’s performance in the group. One of the best ways to stay motivated is to see how other people are doing and maybe even try to compete with them!

Safety & Tracking: Select this to access the LiveTrack feature. This is a great way to let family or friends know your exact location while working out.

To set up LiveTrack you’ll just need to give the app permission to use your location and then select your contacts to share your live workout location. 

Connecting Devices and Apps

You aren’t limited to just one Garmin device when using the Garmin Connect app. You can select Garmin Devices from the main menu to add any Garmin devices you may own.

You can also pull in health and activity tracking data from any compatible fitness apps that you have installed on your phone. You can do this by selecting Settings from the main menu and selecting Connected Apps.

If you have the apps installed on your phone, you’ll see them appear under Available Apps. Select the app and then select Agree to connect it to Garmin Connect.

The Settings menu lets you configure how Garmin Connect will issue notifications from your Garmin device. For example, you can enable push SMS, email, or app notifications.

Keep in mind that at any time you can tap the image of your Garmin device at the top of the main screen to see device status information.

This includes the status of sensors specific to your device and the ability to adjust settings for your Garmin device like vibration alerts, notifications, and do not disturb.

Should You Use the Garmin Connect App for Instinct Devices?

The Garmin Connect app is handy for Garmin Instinct smart sports watches. It lets you see your data and customize settings for your watch. However, it may not be useful as a standalone fitness app if you don’t own a Garmin device.

Although, you don’t have to give up your favorite fitness apps if you use Garmin Connect because it integrates with most other popular fitness apps.

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