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Santa brought you a Surface Pro 3? Here's what to do first

Publié: décembre 25, 2014, 7:30pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Merry Christmas y'all! Today is all about celebrating Jesus' birth, but since he isn't here, we will give and get gifts in his honor. Santa Claus keeps us all saturated in gifts galore, ranging from socks and underwear, to new computers.

Speaking of computers, there is one that I find to be the best, and that is the Surface Pro 3. Did you get one under the tree today? If so, congratulations! You must have been really friggin' good this year. By all means, power it on, and have fun -- get your grimy fingerprints all over the screen. But please know that owning a Surface Pro 3 is a lifestyle -- a special club, if you will -- and there are some things you should consider.

First off, how do you plan to use it? As a tablet, laptop, desktop or all three? Yes, this powerhouse can serve as all of those things. If you want to use it as a laptop, you must buy the Type Cover. Not only is the keyboard easy to type on and features backlit keys, but it has a trackpad too. Best of all, it protects the screen when not in use. The magnetically-attached accessory will increase your productivity exponentially.

As great as the trackpad is, it is no match for a good mouse. Since the Surface Pro 3 has a USB port, you can plug in any such mouse with great success. However, to get the full Microsoft Surface experience, I recommend buying the Microsoft Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse. It folds flat, and connects wirelessly, making it great for portability. It is available on Amazon for a reasonable $49.99 here.

If you want to use it as a desktop, you can connect a monitor to the included Mini DisplayPort connector, plus connect a mouse and keyboard by USB or Bluetooth. While this works well, it is not elegant. Instead, I suggest buying the official Docking Station, which offers a USB 3.0 Hub, sound card, Ethernet card and video out. The $200 investment will allow you to easily dock your Surface Pro 3 without fiddling with cables. You can buy it on Amazon here.

If you are a Linux fan, you can easily run a distro from the USB port, or if you are more experienced, partition the Surface Pro 3 SSD. Since it is mostly an Intel-affair, all hardware should work out of the box. Heck, as you can see above, even the dock works flawlessly!

If you simply want to use the Surface Pro 3 as a tablet, you do not need to buy anything; even the stylus comes included with the computer. Believe it or not, the on-screen keyboard on Windows 8.1 is exceptional; better than stock iOS and Android variants.

Unfortunately, the Surface Pro 3 does not come with an optical drive; hopefully you already knew that. If you need one, you can easily add it over USB 3.0. My pick for best USB optical drive for Surface, is the Pioneer BDR-XD05. It is portable, fast and supports many formats, including Bluray.

So, if you did get a Surface Pro 3, again, congratulations. You have an awesome computer, that can meet many needs. Merry Christmas, and please share your experience with it in the comments below.
Santa brought you an Amazon Fire TV? Here's what to do first

Publié: décembre 25, 2014, 1:24pm CET par Alan Buckingham

This year Amazon jumped into the set-top box market with a remarkably mature competitor. Since its release, the Fire TV has continued to accumulate features and improve. In fact, it's now serious competition for the likes of Roku and Apple TV. So did you find one under your tree this year? If so, there are a few things to know.

First, and perhaps most obvious, you need to have an Amazon account. That shouldn't be a barrier for most people. You'll just need to enter your email and password to get up and running on your new set-top box. It also needs to connect to Wi-Fi, unless you can use a wired connection (which is better). If your router is password protected then that will be the final entry to start.

Once you're in, you'll find an easy to scroll menu sprawling down the left side of the screen. This is where all of your options reside. If you don't do so already, you can begin dropping things into your Amazon Watchlist (it helps to have a Prime account).

You can also activate other services like Huly (you'll need a Plus account) and Netflix. Additionally there is more you can add, just head to the app store -- it's divided by categories on the left -- and pick what you want. Some are free, some are not. You'll also find a nice selection of games there -- get yourself a controller to make playing them much easier.

The remote is Bluetooth -- no need to open the cabinet door to use it. It also has voice search, you'll just need to press the button at the top and speak your command. It's dead simple.

Settings is the final worry for you, and you likely won't be here long, if at all. Here you can change the display and sound, as well as delve into the system and set up Free Time for your children, which allows limited access to only what you deem is acceptable for them.

Congratulations, you got a great new set-top box. It will serve for many purposes, We hope you enjoy it in the coming year, and you can expect it to only improve during that time.
Santa brought you a Chromecast? Here's what to do first

Publié: décembre 25, 2014, 12:50pm CET par Wayne Williams

Google Chromecast is the perfect stocking filler -- it’s small, affordable, and guaranteed to be a hit with anyone who receives it as a gift this holiday season. Google is continuing to bolt on features (most recently it added a guest mode), so you’ll be able to do even more with it throughout the coming year.

The tiny powered dongle plugs into your TV set and lets you watch streaming video from the likes of YouTube, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Google Play. You can even 'cast' content from your Chrome browser on to the big screen, and play your own videos.

Get Set up

To use the Chromecast you’ll need a TV with a spare HDMI port, a nearby power socket -- or a USB port on your TV -- a Wi-Fi connection, and a PC or Mac, or smartphone or tablet.

Plug the power cable into the Chromecast and optionally attach the included HDMI Extender. Plug the Chromecast into a spare HDMI port on your TV, and then switch to the relevant TV input.

Go to chromecast.com/setup on a phone, tablet or laptop, and follow the instructions for your device. There are Chromecast apps for Android and iOS.

Launch the Chromecast app and accept the terms. The name of the Chromecast should match that displayed on your TV screen. Tap Set-Up and the app will connect to your Chromecast and display a pairing code. Assuming they match, tap 'I see the code'.

Give your Chromecast a memorable name, and tap Set Name. Enter the password details for your Wi-Fi network. The dongle will connect to your network and automatically update itself.

Get casting

You can cast from Chrome and various apps, but the best way to test out the Chromecast is from YouTube. Start a video playing on your smartphone or tablet, then tap the Chromecast icon at the top of the page and select your Chromecast name. After a brief pause the video will start playing on your TV. You can queue up multiple videos and watch them in sequence.

Next, try casting a tab from Chrome. Install the Google Cast extension and browse the web as normal. To cast a page, click or tap the Chromecast button at the top of the browser. You can adjust the quality of the display by clicking or tapping the Chromecast button and then selecting Options. You can choose between Extreme (720p high bitrate), High (720p), and Standard (480p) definition.

As well as casting YouTube videos and web pages, Chromecast can mirror an Android device’s screen on your TV, and with the right apps, cast audio, video and photos stored on your computer or mobile device. It can also be used to play simple games, such as Monopoly Dash, Big Web Quiz and Just Dance Now.

Apps

A lot of apps come with Chromecast support, and Google has a list of them here. Cast Store for Android is also worth an install. Reddit has a comprehensive (and regularly updated) list of Chromecast apps for iOS, Android and Chrome. Go here.

Photo Credit: andrej_sv/Shutterstock