Why Ricoh’s GR IIIx Is the Perfect Camera for Smartphone Photographers

The GR IIIx is an update to Ricohs popularalmost cultGR line. This makes it perfect for portraits, as well as for general snapshotting. Hardware, Not Software A phone camera suffers two impossible-to-change setbacks when it comes to cameras. Ricoh Because phones are so slim, theres not enough space for a camera. Phone cams make up for this with software. Thats not the only advantage. Ricoh A phone is essentially a computer screen, which offers flexibility....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 215 words · Lauren Malone

Why Rising Energy Prices Don't Necessarily Mean Higher Power Bills

The average price an American household paid for a kilowatt-hour of electricity went up significantly last year. But the averagemonthly electric billrose only a little. The reasons why are a little complicated. That increase isn’t nothing. Can solar panels save you money? Interested in understanding the impact solar can have on your home? Enter some basic information below, and well instantly provide a free estimate of your energy savings. For some, the surprise from that data set comes in its relationship withinflation....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 407 words · Jessica Clark

Why Running Windows Games on the Mac Might Be the Killer App

Applehas releasednew software that makes it easier for developers to bring Windows games to the Mac. But most games are released for Windows first and come to the Mac late, if at all. “Compatibility issues, performance disparities, and a narrower selection of game titles were common challenges.” Gaming on a MacBook with macOS Sonoma.Apple Apple is also boosting game development with itsupcoming macOS Sonoma operating system. A newGame Modeprioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming....

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 160 words · Ryan Miller

Why Safari Extensions on iOS Are a Big Deal

And they will totally change how you use the web client. Safari is probably the most important app on your iPhone or iPad. Some folks rarely leave it, other than to post photos to Instagram or reply to a WhatsApp. Taras Shypka / Unsplash And yet, it remains quite limited compared to a desktop web app. In iOS 15, thats about to change. So what’s happening? Thankfully, Apple went for the de-facto extension industry-standard technology called WebExtensions, app developerAlex Chernikovtold Lifewire via email....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 385 words · Martha Scott

Why Self-Driving Cars May Never Work Out

The closest we have to a self-driving car on the road today is the Tesla. In reality, its little more than a fancy cruise control. Will self-driving cars ever be good enough for cities? Kenneth Koh / Unsplash And do we even want or need them? “As such, we’re not likely going to see self-driving cars become ubiquitous any time soon.” Charlie Sorrel / Lifewire For you and me, spotting a road is easy....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 225 words · Casey Smith

Why Shortening 'Hey Siri' May Not Change the Way You Speak to the Assistant

Only then do they process the subsequent words as a request. And won’t it make Siri less accurate? Catchphrase I have a friend who rarely uses Siri and has the always-listening feature switched off. Unsplash / Omid Armin Not only is that how we have learned to speak to our iPhones, but we’re also human. This move towards a one-word response would tilt the entire process towards an advanced artificial intelligence system....

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 199 words · Jeffrey Clark

Why Signal's Stories Might Be the Perfect Social Network

Share dance videos like nobodys watching Prostock-Studio / Getty Images Signal is now doing stories. And it might be the best thing to happen to you and your friends in quite a while. There are two kinds of social networks. Prostock-Studio / Getty Images Signal’s new Stories feature brings the former’s advantages to the latter’s more private space. The thing is, stories can be pretty great. They let you gather images and/or video clips and arrange them into a mini slideshow....

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 206 words · Zachary Williams

Why Siri's New Health Features Are a Big Deal for the Apple Watch

Apple typically adds new health-oriented features to theApple Watch. But in 2023, Apple is taking a different approach. Above all else, Siri’s new health smarts could solve a big problem. Even in 2023, the myriad health statistics our wearables gather can still be difficult to parse. “And so we think this feature certainly brings us more and more closer to that goal.” According to Caldbeck, Siri support for health-related queries on the watch has been a highly requested feature....

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 175 words · Emily Galloway

Why Slow iPhone mini Sales Really Don't Matter

These reports also speculate that this spells the end for the smallest iPhone. It even quotes a J.P. Morgan analyst who thinks Apple might soon stop production. But this speculation ignores three things. Denis Cherkashin / Unsplash One, the iPhone 12 mini may be a sleeper hit. Two, not all iPhones can be the best-selling model. And three, the iPhone mini is just awesome. Charlie Sorrel / Lifewire “I love mine a lot,“app developer Adam SmakatoldLifewirevia direct message....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 309 words · Phillip Richmond

Why Smartphone Batteries Still Suck

Does anyone have a charger I can borrow? “Smartphone designers have to contend with the user preferences. As it stands, people want slim, pocket-fitting smartphones. juststock / Getty Images A big battery would push the phone’s thickness to new areas.” Its a precarious balance, Freiberger says, and one that hasnt quite been mastered just yet. How you use your phone does, too. Andrei Berezovskii / Getty Images So, a phone with a rating of 3,000mAh could supply up to 3,000 milli-Amps for one hour....

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 150 words · Christopher Miller

Why Smartphone Sales Have Slowed Down

Prices may come down, soon, too. Jenny Ueberberg / Unsplash Smartphone sales have tanked. iPhone sales dropped 15%, and other makers suffered even more. Jenny Ueberberg / Unsplash It seems like we have just stopped buying them. Apple’ssales in the December quarter were downto 72.3 million iPhones, compared to 85 million from the previous year. Samsung’s drop was similar, and Chinese maker Xiaomi dropped by over 26%. Samsung UK / Unsplash...

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 244 words · Arthur Carney

Why Social Media Can't Always Shelter Us From Offensive Content

Who decides whats offensive? Twitter’s policyautomatically removes tweets containing abusive contentmeant to harass or intimidate someone. Facebook also has content moderation practices in place. Getty Images / Westend61 For example, the social networkdoes not allow self-harm images or content that glorifies eating disorders. Who determines what is offensive? Will users have to select from a list of topics they find offensive? Will Facebook and Instagram decide what is offensive? How will offensive even be defined?...

April 15, 2025 · 1 min · 106 words · Chad Cobb

Why Solar Panels Will Likely Keep Getting Cheaper

There’s a big new solar tax credit in town. Can solar panels save you money? Interested in understanding the impact solar can have on your home? Enter some basic information below, and well instantly provide a free estimate of your energy savings. Costs will continue to drop The cost of solar has been falling for a long time. Theaverage cost of a rooftop solar systemnow hovers around $25,000. “You’ve really seen, across the board in the last decade, costs coming down....

April 15, 2025 · 2 min · 423 words · Lori Hernandez