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Two-step verification can help thwart malicious attacks against your online accounts. Anyone trying to break into your account would need both your password and the mobile device that authentication codes are sent to in order to gain access.

Google has done a splendid job of providing options for those who are interested in setting up this extra security measure: you can get text alerts, or you can use Google's authenticator app, available for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS.

When using the app as your method of authentication code delivery, you may wonder what happens when you want to retire an … Read more

I love animated GIFs. They're quick, there's an art to them, and as obnoxious as they might be visually -- they're silent.

My big problem with this whole Vine and Instagram video boom is that the end product is often unintentionally noisy -- sometimes even jarring. I used to browse my Instagram feed like I was walking through an endless art gallery made by my friends. But now it seems like every few posts there's a video sucking down my bandwidth and assaulting my ears with a cut-up of ambient noise.

Close your eyes and your … Read more

There's a lot of language Web sites out there. Some are definitely more well-known than others, but what if you want something that works really well on your device? That's when it's time to use an Android app instead of just a Web site. Here are three of the top language-learning apps on Android.

Most of Babbel's language packs feature 3,000 vocabulary words (though you'll need to download more data to complete the language pack). The vocabulary is divided into categories, so if you need to learn words related to … Read more

It's easy to get caught up in a personally curated YouTube video marathon. From a "G.I. Joe" PSA to sad cat diaries, there's no shortage of funny things to watch. Here's a collection of Chrome extensions that can do things like automatically crank up the quality of YouTube videos, or even pause them when you switch tabs.

AutoHD for YouTube YouTube has a setting that will choose the best quality for your connection and player size. The HD option can be forced to turn on for full screen, but doesn't apply to all … Read more

Think of how you share files with friends and family. Do you send it to them in an e-mail, through a Skype conversation, or upload it to Dropbox and share a link? Now you can use Pipe on Facebook to send files up to 1GB.

Pipe, a newly launched app for Facebook lets you send files to friends and family, even if they aren't online at that moment. The great thing about using an app that integrates with Facebook over another service is that both parties are probably using Facebook already. You won't have to instruct a friend … Read more

You may have noticed in Apple's recent iTunes update that they played a little game of "hide the app update button." Well, not to spoil the surprise, but we uncovered it.

Instead of its usual location across the bottom of the App pane in iTunes, you now have to select the new Updates tab located above the pane. Once selected, an Update All Apps button will appear in the previous location on the bottom.

Apple also decided to festoon any app in need of an update with a red Update ribbon. Logically, you might think that you … Read more

When watching a YouTube video in Firefox, you may want to switch to another tab in your Web browser to research something you just saw or heard, or maybe to a word processing application to take notes. If keeping your eyes on the video isn't a priority, then you don't need to worry about finding the pause button before doing either of these things. However, if you want to pause, there's a browser extension called YouTube Smart Pause that can do it for you automatically.

YouTube Smart Pause offers options to pause YouTube videos when … Read more

Do you keep the receipts for everything you buy? Like me, you've probably noticed that the ones printed on thermal paper can begin to disappear over time. Soon, you're left with only a blank piece of paper that can't act as a proof of purchase or help you at tax time.

Wednesday's update to Google Drive on Android lets you easily store all of your receipts and even search through them. Doesn't a nice digital archive sound better than piles, folders, or boxes of receipts all over your home? Here's how to … Read more

I'm a big fan of Sony's Alpha NEX-7 and NEX-5n mirrorless cameras. They're practically more lens than camera, but both deliver exceptional image quality and advanced features for their small size.

For the past month I've been casually shooting photos and videos on the NEX-7 and scouring the Web for advice on getting the most from this camera. One tip that really changed the way I shoot video is Camera Dojo's advice on matching shutter speed with your camera's frame rate.

In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps to optimize … Read more