YouTube started as an online dating site

Long before Tinder made swiping a thing for matchmaking apps, there was a little-known video site trying to play cupid to the Internet generation: YouTube. That’s not exactly what comes to mind when you think of the world’s largest video site, which welcomes a billion visitors a month. But that’s how the YouTube, which Google …

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Samsung Galaxy S7’s one flaw: It still runs Android

For the last several years, I’ve created a wish list of features I’d like to see in the next iPhone. Inevitably, when that new iPhone is unveiled it’s missing about half the “most-wanted” items on the list, leaving them to be carried over to the following year’s iPhone. It’s hard then not to look at the new Samsung Galaxy S7 …

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Avoid a phone bill shocker when going country

Spring break is almost upon us, which means it’s time to dust off your passport and get traveling. I’ve got a few tips to make traveling overseas with your cell phone a little less scary. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer advice about using your carrier’s international service plan versus an international SIM card. Dear Maggie, My family …

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Extreme performance: The Pass Labs HPA

As the selection of cost-no-object headphones grows, I keep looking for the very best headphone amplifiers. This all-new amp from Pass Labs, the HPA-1, should satisfy all but the most devout audiophiles. The power transformer was custom designed specifically for this amplifier; the circuits are low-feedback, wide-bandwidth designs employing JFET transistor input stages and Class A direct-coupled MOSFET output stages. …

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There’s something so right about the Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphones

Opening the Beyerdynamic DT 1350 headphone box gave me a déjà vu feeling. The headphone definitely looked similar to other Beyerdynamic on-ears I’ve tested over the years. That’s not a bad thing, I think they’re all attractive in a Euro modern way. This made in Germany ‘phone feels sturdy while weighing just 6.1 ounces (174 grams), so it’s nice and …

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Get to know the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge’s edge screen

Now playing: Watch this: Push the edge screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge to… 1:51 That slick edge screen on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is more than just a pretty design, it’s functional, too. Last year’s Galaxy S6 Edge had just a few features to make use of the curved screen, but the S7 ramps it up. The …

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J.K. Rowling writes new stories on wands, segregation, skin

To celebrate the upcoming movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is releasing four original stories from March 8-11 that delve into this history of wizarding in the colonies with a “Magic in North America” series. Rowling published the first installment — “History of Magic in North America: Fourteen Century – Seventeenth Century” — …

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What is UHD Alliance Premium Certified?

UHD Alliance Premium Certified is a rating applied to TVs that meet or exceed certain performance minimums for Ultra High Definition TVs. These specs include high dynamic range and wide color gamut, brightness and more. But…not all TV companies are in the UHD Alliance, so this isn’t as simple as it seems. Is the Premium Certified stamp something worth considering? …

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Krew Mobile unveils affordable phone plan for families

The writing is on the wall: Your kids are going to need smartphones. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon — and for the rest of their lives. That means a big bump in your monthly bill, right? Not necessarily. Newcomer Krew Mobile has put together a family- and budget-friendly smartphone plan: three lines for $39.95 per month. And …

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Galaxy S7 Edge proves tough to repair

Should you ever feel the urge to muck around the innards of your Galaxy S7 Edge, try to resist the temptation. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge phone, which launched Friday, has received the teardown treatment from iFixit to see what makes it tick. Along the way, iFixit noted pros and cons of the new phone but overall found that navigating its …

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Samsung Galaxy S7 gets promo love from Verizon

Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 phones only just went on sale Friday, but there’s already a bandwagon of carrier promotions for the devices and Verizon just jumped on it. Starting Friday and for a “limited time,” those who buy a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge for the full retail price or through a 24-month installment plan can get a Samsung Core …

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SnapGlass? HoloChat? Snapchat is secretly hiring wearable technology experts

If Snapchat made a gadget, what would it be? That’s not a rhetorical question. The social media startup, currently valued at $16 billion, is recruiting hardware experts for a stealthy new project. Snapchat now counts nearly a dozen wearable technology vets among its ranks, as well as industrial designers who worked on Nokia phones and Logitech’s popular UE Boom Bluetooth …

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Snowden, Pussy Riot take over online ads to protest censorship

People using ad-blockers will still get promotional messages when surfing the Web this weekend. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, Russian punk band Pussy Riot and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will use the space created by blocked ads to protest online censorship on Saturday, according to Amnesty International. The human rights group organized the takeover of the ad space with AdBlock, which …

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Apple exec: Background apps on iPhones don’t gobble up battery

If you constantly close apps running in the background on your iPhone to save battery life, you are wasting your time. Background apps don’t affect your battery, according to a top Apple executive. A reader of blog site 9to5Mac apparently sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking if he shuts down background apps and if doing so extends …

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