Tech Explained - Page 3 of 6 - Make Tech Easier

What Is Bluetooth 5.1 and How Is It Different?

Bluetooth 5.1 is here, and it comes with handy improvements. This short primer on Bluetooth 5.1 shows how it’s different from the previous standard.

How Secure Is Your Stolen Encrypted Data?

Chances are that some of your data has been stolen. There’s a good chance it was encrypted, but how secure is your stolen encrypted data?

What Is “Ping” and How Does It Affect the Internet?

You may have come across the term “ping,” but what is a “ping” really? What does it mean in the computing world, and why does it have such an odd name?

Hashing vs. Encryption: How Your Password Is Being Stored in Server

There are various methods used to safely store your password in a web server. Here we show how password hashing, encryption and storage works.

Audio Wars: Digital (S/PDIF) vs. HDMI vs. Analog

From analog to digital, there are quite a few audio formats that are still in use today. Should you use Digital (S/PDIF), HDMI or just plain analog? Let’s check it out.

The Pros and Cons of Your Technology’s Short Lifespan

Technology products are designed to have a short lifespan, whether you like it or not. There is some rationale behind them, though a little outrage over planned obsolescence is certainly justified.

How macOS App Sandboxing Protects Users

Sandboxing is a tool used by macOS to limit the damage that a hijacked app can do. Here is how macOS app sandboxing works to protect its users.

Why Do Data Breaches Happen So Often?

The news is packed with reports of huge data breaches, and they never seem to cease. This is a quick look at how data breaches work and why it is impossible to eradicate them.

9 Great Ergonomic Improvements to Make at Your Work Area

Ergonomics is about decreasing strain by ensuring safe and optimal working conditions. Here are nine great ergonomic improvements to get you started.

Robotic Process Automation vs. Artificial Intelligence: What’s the Difference?

Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence are starting to take over ever-increasing levels of knowledge work. Check out their differences and how they affect you.

How Does Airplane Wi-Fi Work?

Did you recently access the Internet on a commercial flight and wonder how you are able to connect to the Web at such a high altitude? Here’s how airplane Wi-Fi works.

What Is Ethical Hacking and How Do You Become One?

Ethical hackers are people who hack for a good cause. These people use their hacking skills to uncover security flaws of a website/app. Find out how ethical hacking works.

What is Polymorphic and Metamorphic Malware?

What happens if viruses change their “signatures” to avoid detection by antiviruses software? This is what polymorphic and metamorphic malware are about.

Bone Conduction Tech: How It Works and Where It’s Being Used

While bone conduction technology’s been around for a while, headphones based on it are starting to take off. Learn what bone conduction tech is and where it’s being used.

What Does Predictive Analytics Predict, and How Well Does It Do?

Predictive analytics analyzes data to figure out what might happen in the future. How does predictive analytics really work, and how reliable are its forecasts?

What Does an Algorithm Look Like?

We know that Google and Amazon have algorithms that give us updates, search results, and product recommendations, but what does that actually mean? What qualifies as an algorithm?

How Do Solid State Batteries Work?

Solid-state batteries are smaller, lighter, and provide greater power density than lithium-ion batteries based on liquid electrolytes.

How GandCrab Ransomware Made Its Developers Nine Figures

Recently, BitDefender released an estimate of the ransom made by the popular GandCrab ransomware, and the figures were a little worryisome.

What is WiGig and How Is It Different from Wi-Fi 6?

While Wi-Fi 6 brings faster speed to your wireless devices, there is another Wi-Fi standard, WiGig, that is even faster. Find out what WiGig is and its limitations.

Compulsion Loops and Dopamine Hits: How Games Are Designed to Be Addictive

The dopamine that we get from video games and the techniques we’ve devised to get that dopamine lie at the root of both good and addictive game design.

JPG vs. PNG vs. GIF: The Differences Between Image File Formats

There are many different image file formats, and it can be confusing. Check out the differences between these image file formats and learn which one to use.

What You Need to Know About “Dark Patterns” and How They Trick Users

Many websites and apps come with dark pattern interfaces to confuse and trick their users. Find out what “dark patterns” are and how they are used to trick people.

What Is a “Piggybacking” Mobile Network?

You might be surprised to learn that different mobile network operators are sharing the same infrastructure. This is known as a piggybacking mobile network. Find out more about it here.

Why Does Everyone Want Your Data?

Data: companies want it, users have it, and it’s valuable. But it’s not often clear what user data consists of, where it goes, and how it’s profitable.

What Is “The Great Firewall of China”?

Have you wondered why you can’t access popular services like Facebook or WhatsApp in China? This is because of the great firewall of China. Learn more about it here.

What Is a “Banking Trojan?”

A banking trojan disguises itself as a genuine app so as to access your banking details. Learn all about banking trojans and how to keep yourself safe.

What Is “Bloatware,” and Why Is It Installed?

Most of the new phones and computers you buy come with pre-installed software in them. This bloatware can be annoying at best and storage hogs at worst. But what can you do about it?

Cryptocurrency vs. Blockchain – What’s the Difference?

Blockchains and cryptocurrencies are parts of a cryptographically administrated and secured system. Despite being used as interchangeable terms, they’re not the same thing.

How Does Code Injection Work?

Code injection is an attack perpetrated by an attacker’s ability to inject and execute malicious code into an application. Here’s how code injection works in detail.

SIM Card Hijacking: How It Works and What You Can Do About It

SIM hijacking has been around for a while, and its becoming a lot more popular for hackers to steal phone numbers and use them to gain access to accounts.

What Is Ray Tracing and Why Is It the Next Big Thing in Gaming Technology

Nvidia revealed their newest lineup of graphics cards which include ray tracing. What exactly is ray tracing, and why is it so important to the future of gaming?

What Is Virtualization, and Why Should You Use it?

You have heard of virtualization everywhere, but what does it really mean? Find out here.

DeepLocker: The Demonstration of AI-Based Malware

Deeplocker is an application made by IBM to demostrate how one software can use AI to turn itself into malware that strikes only the right people.

Do Blue Light Filtering Apps Really Work?

There are many apps that filter out blue light so you can sleep better at night. How can blue light hurt you? Do blue light filtering apps really work? Let’s find out.

How Solid State Drives Works

If you’re not quite sure how solid state drives work, you’re not alone. Here we explain how flash memory, a.k.a. NAND memory, actually works.

What Are Bluetooth Profiles and What Are They For?

Bluetooth Profiles are a set of rules that allow technology to complete a particular task. Here are some of the most commonly used Bluetooth Profiles on your mobile.

What Do Router AC Ratings Like AC1200 and AC3200 Mean?

If you look at your router’s model number, you will always see a term like “AC 1200,” “AC 1900,” etc. So what does this router AC rating mean? Let’s find out.

Is Your Phone Waterproof or Just “Splash-resistant?” A Quick Guide to Water Ratings on Technology

Ever wonder what your device IP rating is? Can it really go into the water without damage? Find out what the water rating means regarding technology.

The Unusual Desktop Shortcut Malware, and How It Works

A new type of desktop shortcut malware changes the destination a desktop shortcut is pointing to so it executes malware on click.

What Is FPGA and Is It the Future of Crypto Mining?

FPGA makes crypto mining more efficient. Is it be the future of crypto mining? Let’s find out!

Captchas: Why We Need Them, How They’re Evolving, and How You Can Solve Them More Easily

As humans, we have to claim we’re not robots fairly often. But there’s more to captchas than meets the eye, and they’re far from foolproof.

What Are Top-Level Domains (TLD) and How Does They Work?

Every web URL ends with something like .com, .net, etc. Those three letters are called Top Level Domains and are important to bring you to where you want to go.

How Music-Identification Apps Work

Apps like Shazam and Soundhound are great for identifying music. They are easy to use, but how they work is a mystery.

RSS Feeds: What Are They and Are They Still Relevant?

RSS feeds are still a fantastic tool for any news junkie, market-watcher, or social-media-averse individual.

How Secure Is Bluetooth?

You may have seen some attacks occur via Bluetooth, so is Bluetooth really safe, or is it so full of holes you might as well keep it turned off?

From NAND to NOR: What Do the Different Types of Flash Memory Mean

When buying an SSD, you might notice that you can choose from a few different types of flash memory. The technical terms can be confusing. This explains what NAND and NOR mean.

Quantum Computers Are Here. They’re Complicated and Probably Won’t Make Your Phone Faster

Quantum computers is great and useless at the same time. Here’s why.

In-Ear vs. Earbud Headphones: Is There a Difference?

Both “in-ear” and “earbuds” headphones look similar, but they are really different from each other.

The Difference Between Machine Learning, AI and Deep Learning

The only similarity between machine learning, AI, and deep learning is that they are all difficult to understand.

Why Are There So Many Bitcoin Variants?

There are plenty of cryptocurrencies that come with the “Bitcoin” label that you will think are associated with Bitcoin. Why are there so many Bitcoin variants? Let’s find out.