August 2018 ~ High Tech House Calls

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Sunday, August 26, 2018

How to Wrap Text Around Pictures and Other Illustrations in Word By Rob Woodgate

11:50 AM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

How to Wrap Text Around a Picture in Word by Carl Thorne on Scribd

7 Top Secret Features of the Free VLC Media Player by Saikat Basu

8:54 AM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

A few months back, VLC Media Player got Chromecast support and 360-degree video views. It’s just another tiny notch on the popularity of the open source player which can handle anything that you throw at it (as long as it’s a media file!).

The Windows version of the player is closing in on 50 million downloads, and that’s discounting all the other platforms it can be installed on. Perhaps the secret to its longevity is the modular design which gives it a rich set of features. Today, let’s focus on the few “secret” features under the hood which you can use every day.

1. Use VLC as a Video Downloader for YouTube

There are several capable free downloaders available for YouTube. But, VLC has this feature built in. Though it’s not a one-click downloader and you will have to take the help of your browser.

Click on Media > Open Network stream.
Paste the YouTube URL and click the Play button in the player.
VLC Media Player starts streaming the video. Now, click Tools > Codec Information and at the bottom of the window you will see a Location box.
Copy the long URL in the box and paste this into your browser’s address bar. The browser will now start playing the video file. You can download the video file to your desktop by doing a Save video as with a right-click on the video. Or you can choose to record the video.

2. Convert Videos to Any Format

Downloading a video is often the first part. Converting that video so you can play it on a device of your choice is the second part. The VLC Player can do this too.

From the toolbar, click on Media > Convert / Save.
In the Open Media dialog box, click on the Add button and choose the media file for conversion. Then, click on the Convert / Save dropdown > Convert.
Open the dropdown menu for Profile and select the file format that you would like to convert your file to. You can also click on the gear icon next to it and edit the chosen profile.
Click on Browse and select a location to save the converted file. Then, click on Start to begin the conversion and monitor its progress in the bar below.

3. VLC as a Graphic Equalizer for Your Music

You may be using VLC as a video player only, but VLC is a cross-platform standalone media player too and that brings full audio effects with playlist support. VLC not only displays cover art but also has a pretty good graphic equalizer tucked away inside it.

Display it with the shortcut keystrokes Ctrl + E (or go to Tools > Effects and Filters > Audio Effects). Adjust the sound quality with the available presets, or fine-tune it with the Equalizer, Compressor, and Spatializer tabs.

4. Activate Audio Normalization to Protect Your Ears

The general audio settings for the VideoLan Player are located under Preferences. One of the key features called Audio Normalization helps to optimize the volume of any media by a fixed amount and improve the sound quality.

Go to Tools > Preferences > Audio > Enable Normalize volume to. The value you set here will help to adjust the decibel levels of dialog, music, explosions, gunshots etc. in the movies you watch. Restart VLC after enabling the setting.

In fact, configure this immediately after you download and install the VLC player. It will make your audio sound better.

Want Your Audio to Sound Even Better? Here Are 5 Top Tips Want Your Audio to Sound Even Better? Here Are 5 Top Tips When you're recording and editing your own audio, the chances are that you'll want to make the output sound as great as possible. Here are five top tips that'll help. Read More

5. Play Internet Radio and Podcasts in VLC

One of VLC’s little used features could definitely be its ability to find and play internet radio. The VLC Player can fill all your audio needs as it can not only stream radio but also play podcasts.

Launch VLC and open the Playlist sidebar.
Under Internet, you can browse through the two radio servers—Jamendo and Icecast—and choose a station of your choice by clicking on it. Also, make sure the Playlist view mode is set to List (Go to View > Playlist View Mode > List).
If your favorite internet radio station is not on the list, use the station’s URL to stream it via VLC. Go to Media > Open Network Stream… Enter the URL and press Play in order to begin listening.

And to play podcasts in VLC:

You can manage your favorite podcasts via the same Playlist interface.
Go to Playlist and under the Internet section, select Podcasts.
As soon your cursor is over the Podcasts section, click the plus sign.
Copy and paste the RSS feed URL of the podcast you wish to listen and click on OK. The podcast will be added to the sidebar and you can pick the episode you want to listen to.

6. Loop a Section of a Video or Audio File

Most media players can loop an entire video or a soundtrack. With VLC, you have the added bonus of looping any specific section of a media file.

Open the video or audio file with VLC. Go to View > Advanced Controls.
Now, a few more buttons will be displayed above the normal play and stop controls.
To start the loop from a specific part of the video, move the playhead to the part where you want the loop to start (Point A).
Click the loop button once. The “A” mark on the button will turn red. To finish the loop, take the video to the endpoint and click on the same button again. You will see both the A and B points of the button are red.
Now play the video and the section will loop. Click the loop button once again if you want to switch it off.

This is a handy feature when you want to review a how-to video or hear an audio file over and over to get it right. I often use this feature to study Photoshop tutorial videos.

7. Add Features With VLC Add-Ons and Extensions

For everyday use, VLC’s default package of features may be enough. But if you are looking for added functionality then there’s an entire catalog of add-ons you can install alongside. Remember, VLC has a huge open-source community behind it and they have helped create extensions, skins, playlist parsers, and other assorted tools.

These extensions will help you add more “secret” features to the player like tools which will help you search for subtitles from the player itself. Extensions may also work in macOS and Linux, so do doublecheck the instructions on the add-on’s page.

Visit the VLC add-ons page and browse through the two views—Top or Latest.
Click the Download button on the add-ons page and download the ZIP file. Extract the file. (VLC add-ons have the LUA extension.)
On Windows, place the .lua files in this Windows directory:
```
C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Roaming\vlc\lua\extensions folder.
```
Restart VLC. You can access all your installed extensions from the View menu.

Some of the better extensions to consider include:

VLC Is Full of Cool Tricks

If you know about these features, then VLC hides few secrets from you. Now, flex your muscles and explore the more advanced possibilities of this fantastic player that has stood the test of time. Maybe create a streaming media server for your home or cast your media files from a Windows PC to your Android phone.

Best true wireless earbuds: Free yourself from the tyranny of cords

8:31 AM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

Earbud makers have been busy doing away with wires—a good thing whether or not your phone still has a headset jack. You no longer have to deal with cords if you don't want to. True wireless earbuds connect to one another and your audio source via Bluetooth.

No wires mean no inline microphones or controls, but truly wireless earbuds sound just as good as traditional Bluetooth counterparts (for better or worse). They also boast all of the features we've come to expect from earbuds designed to work with your smartphone, tablet, or PC.

Since Apple’s AirPods became a runaway hit, an endless stream of companies have rolled out their own true wireless earbuds and earphones. As you might expect, not all of them are worth your time or money—so we've got your back with buying suggestions to meet a wide variety of needs.

Latest update (8/23/2018): We've added a review of the Crazybaby Air Nano to our overall list. Check out our full review here.

Table of Contents

Best true wireless earbuds

The $169.99 Jabra Elite 65t are priced close to our former Best True Wireless Earbud pick, the Jaybird Run, and only cost a few bucks more than a pair of AirPods. With their customizable sound, comfortable fit, light weight and excellent battery life, we feel the Elite 65t are better than either of these truly wireless earbud options, and worthy of top honors. (Read our review here.)

There are very few downsides to owning the Elite 65t. Sure, they feel a little cheap to the touch, but their build quality is actually great. And while their bass response may not please all music lovers (even after making EQ adjustments via Jabra’s free Sound+ app), they still sound great. When looking at the 65t as a total package, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better set of truly wireless earbuds for the money.

Best low-cost true wireless earbuds

To be honest, this category doesn't really exist. Truly wireless earbuds are a luxury item and their price reflects this.

However, given the current field of true wireless earbuds, Apple AirPods do the best at offering good value for a (relatively) reasonable price. (Read our review here.) A pair costs $20 less than the Jaybird Run, and if you have ears that will work with the one-size-fits-all design, they can sound great under the right circumstance. And for iPhone and iPad users, you can't find an better set of earbuds for ease of pairing.

You should know, however, AirPods aren’t as easy to use as other true wireless earbuds for controlling your music. It also has terrible passive sound cancelation, so you’ll hear a lot of the world around you when using it.

Best true wireless earbuds for working out

Bose’s $250 SoundSport Free is water- and sweat-resistant, can go five hours between charging, and is insanely comfortable to wear. (Read our review here.) What’s more, the design of these earbuds' silicon tips makes them almost impossible to shake out of your head—but you still keep a good deal of situational awareness, making the SoundSport Free a good choice for joggers or cyclists.

The only knock against the SoundSport Free is its size: The earbuds are considerably larger than its competition, making them a less than fashionable choice for style conscious individuals.

Best true wireless headphones for audiophiles

B&O’s Beoplay E8 true wireless earbuds cost $300, but if high-fidelity sound quality is important to you, they're worth every penny. (Our review here.)
Though you can't expect a set of earbuds to match the sound you'd find in a wired set of cans, the E8s provided the most pleasurable listening experience out of all the true wireless earbuds we've tested so far. As icing on the cake, you can further modify your audio experience using the free Beoplay app.
The Beoplay B8 is incredibly easy to use, too—touch panels make changing the volume of what you’re listening to or tinkering with audio tracks no big deal.

What to look for

Sound

Sounding good is a set of earbuds' raison d’être. When you invest in a new pair of true wireless earbuds, it’s fair to assume that they should make everything sound its best.

We start each sound test by listening to a playlist of five songs that spans different genres and features strong, layered performances: that we know very very well: Feel Right (Mark Ronson, featuring Mystikal); Up & Rise (Hazmat Modine); Shake Your Hips (The Legendary Shack Shakers); Déjà Loin (Yann Tiersen); and I’m a Little Mixed up (Diana Krall).

We play this set of songs for an hour, paying attention to low, mid, and high-frequency performance, and whether they provide a broad, rich soundstage. We also listen for any sign of distortion at low or high volumes. Afterward, we use the earbuds in our daily lives for a minimum of three hours a day over the course of a week, making sure to take in at least one TV show or movie. (This allows us to verify that the audio keeps in sync with the video we see.) Finally, we pay attention to incoming and outgoing call quality, to make sure that you won't get annoyed during a chat.

Fit

A set of earbuds or earphones may sound amazing, but no one will know it if they don’t fit well—a good seal keeps environmental noise out and your audio channeled into your ears, where it belongs. Because no two pairs of ears are identical, we note if a set of true wireless earbuds comes with different ear pieces.

We also pay attention to the tightness of a seal, as a snug fit provides passive noise cancellation (aka the hush that falls over your life when you jam a pair of earphones or earplugs into your skull). If you're in a noisy airport, tuning out your environment is a plus—but it's less than ideal if you're out running, for safety reasons. We take this into consideration when evaluating earbuds designed for working out.

Comfort

They might fit and sound great, but if your new true wireless cans hurt your ears, you won’t wear them. We wear the earbuds for at least three hours a day for a week and note if a particular set becomes uncomfortable after a few hours of use.

Connectivity

True wireless headphones use Bluetooth to connect to each other and to your audio device. We pay attention to connectivity issues stemming from signal interruptions between the earbuds and their audio source, and also note if audio drops from the left or right side during playback.

Features

At minimum, a good pair of true wireless earbuds should be able to accept calls as well as play and pause music. If a pair offers additional features beyond the basics, those functions should work well and be easy to use.

Price

It almost goes without saying that if you pay a premium for earbuds, they should sound spectacular. If a pair of headphones sound great and don’t cost much? Even better!

All of our true wireless earbud reviews

Click on the links below to read the full reviews of all the products we tested. We'll continue to update this article as we put more true wireless earbuds and earphones through their paces, so keep checking for our latest opinions.

At a Glance

How to Position Images and Other Objects in Microsoft Word by Rob Woodgate

8:07 AM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

How to Position Images in Word by Carl Thorne on Scribd

Wi-Fi vs. Bluetooth vs. USB tethering: Which is best for you? By Amanda Kooser, Komando.com

7:59 AM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

You have your laptop open and ready. You need to answer some emails or complete a work assignment, but there’s no Wi-Fi in sight. This could end up being a frustrating situation, but there’s a simple workaround that can get you online in a jiffy.

All you need is a device, either Apple or Android, with a cellular connection. The connections are slightly different depending on the device you use.

The first thing you have to do is set up your personal hotspot. Apple and Android mobile devices can share their data connections just like a Wi-Fi hotspot. That means you can get your laptop online and enjoy working with a full keyboard rather than tapping with your thumbs. Your personal hotspot feature can also comes in handy when you don’t want to use your computer on an unknown or unsecured Wi-Fi network.
On Apple:

Go to Settings > Cellular.
Tap Personal Hotspot, then tap the slider to turn it on.

On Android:

Go to Settings.
Tap Network & Internet > Hotspot & tethering.
Tap Wi-Fi hotspot, then turn it on.

There are three different ways you can hook your computer up to your internet connection, a process known as “tethering.” Let’s take a look at all three possibilities: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB, and how to choose which method to use.

Wi-Fi

For most people, Wi-Fi tethering is the easy way to go. It’s simple and offers a fast connection.
In Apple:

Verify the name of your phone or tablet and your Wi-Fi password. Go ahead and leave this screen open while you’re connecting your computer.
On your laptop, open your Wi-Fi settings and look for your iPhone’s name on the list of available networks. Select it.
Enter your hotspot password.

As far as your computer is concerned, this works just like a normal Wi-Fi hotspot.
In Android:

Go to Settings on your other device.
Open the device's list of Wi-Fi options.
Pick the phone's hotspot name, enter the password and then click Connect.

Keep in mind that your laptop will eat into your mobile data plan, so be mindful of how much data you have to spare.
Here’s how to get free Wi-Fi almost anywhere.

Bluetooth

While Wi-Fi tethering works very well and should be your first choice, you might consider Bluetooth instead if you’re concerned about battery drain. The trade-off is that you may experience a slower connection, so keep this option in reserve for those times when your battery is running down and there’s no outlet available.
In Apple:

Go to Settings > Bluetooth and stay on the screen to make sure your iPhone or iPad is discoverable.
Go to your computer and follow the directions to set up a Bluetooth network connection. It should be ready to go then.

Personal Hotspot supports Bluetooth connections with Mac, PC and other third-party devices. To connect another iOS device, use Wi-Fi.
In Android:

Pair your phone with the other device.
Set up the device to connect by Bluetooth with the instructions that came with it.
Open Settings, then tap Network & internet, and then Hotspot & tethering.
Tap Bluetooth tethering, and you're set.

USB

In Apple:

Plug your iPhone or iPad USB cable directly into your computer. You will need to have the most recent version of iTunes installed on your laptop.
If you see an alert that says "Trust This Computer?," tap Trust. You're good to go.

In Android:

Connect your phone to the other device with a USB cable. A notification that says "Connected as a ... " will pop up at the top.
Open your device's Settings.
Tap Network & internet, then Hotspot & tethering.
Turn on USB tethering.

While simply hooking up a cable can be convenient, there can also be a speed trade-off with using USB tethering. You may prefer to stick with a Wi-Fi connection unless you’re having a technical issue that prevents you from using Wi-Fi.

Some carriers will throttle mobile hotspot data after a certain amount of usage. Check your contract or talk to your carrier if you’re unsure of what your plan allows. With occasional light use, you probably won’t have to worry, but you may run into issues if you’re using it to stream lots of high-quality video, or for other data-intensive purposes.

Think of tethering as your internet pinch hitter. It’s there when you need to call on it, but it might not make sense as an everyday way to get your computer online.

Microsoft Surface Go review: A pint-size PC for getting work done by Daniel Howley

3:52 PM High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting

Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface line of products has been a continuous bright spot for the company ever since it transitioned from Windows 8 to Windows 10. The Surface 3 and Surface Pro were fantastic tablet-laptop hybrids, and the Surface Laptop is a sleek notebook. Meanwhile, the Surface Book is an impressive powerhouse of a PC.

But Microsoft’s offerings weren’t inexpensive. Until now, that is. Meet the Surface Go, a $399, 10-inch version of the Surface tablet that’s meant to be your, well, on-the-go machine. Commuting to work? Taking a flight? Heading to class? This is the hybrid Microsoft believes can take on Apple’s (AAPL) iPad Pro and Google’s (GOOG, GOOGL) various Chromebooks.

And it does so admirably. The Surface Go can run a full desktop version of Windows 10 and offers the kind of fit and finish you’d expect from a Surface device. But the Surface Go isn’t perfect. Its keyboard is a bit too cramped for my liking, and if you want to do anything that requires serious performance, you’re out of luck.

Microsoft’s Surface Go is a pint-sized computer for working on the, well, go. But don’t expect it to replace your full-size PC.

The mini Surface

Microsoft’s Surface division makes some of the best products ever to sport the company’s logo. The brand’s trademark austere design, Alcantara soft-touch keyboards and, of course, the built-in kickstand for its 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrids, make for some attractive and useful devices. And all of that is present in the Surface Go.

It’s as if Microsoft’s head of hardware Panos Panay somehow got a hold of the shrink ray from “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” and decided to skip the kids part and just shrink the 12.3-inch Surface Pro.

The Surface Go is a a much smaller version of the standard Surface Pro.

There are a handful of notable differences. The edges of the Go are just a touch more rounded than those found on the Surface Pro. There’s also, mercifully, a USB C port. The Surface Pro still comes with a full-size USB port, which, at this point, is blasphemous. Especially, when you’re buying a device that starts at $799.

Outside of that, the Surface Go sports the same vibrant PixelSense display found on the Surface Pro, meaning you’ll get brilliant colors and sharp features out off the 10-inch panel. In other words, downsizing the Surface doesn’t mean you’re getting a subpar visual experience.

Smaller isn’t always better

But using Windows in desktop mode on a 10-inch tablet can also be a pain. For example, my father, who doesn’t have the best vision, would have trouble viewing text on the slate. It’s not something most people will run into, but it’s definitely worth taking into account.

In fact, I found the slate to be the perfect size for watching movies on the bus and in the car. It’s also just about the right size to prop up on my belly while catching up on “The Bachelorette” in bed.

My one complaint with the Surface Go’s size is its keyboard. Like the Surface Pro, the Go doesn’t come with a keyboard. Instead, you have to shell out an extra $99 on a basic Surface Type Cover or $129 for a Surface Go Signature Type Cover complete with soft-touch Alcantara. And you’re going to need that keyboard to use many of the Microsoft Store apps on the Surface Go.

The Alcantra-covered Surface Type Cover will cost you an extra $129.

As far as usability, though, the Surface Go’s keyboard is on a par with most Surface keyboards. There’s a good amount of key travel and the angle at which it sits when magnetically connected to the Surface is pleasant. But there’s a learning curve when it comes to typing on this pint-size puppy.

When I first began using the Surface Go’s keyboard, I regularly found myself mistyping words or pressing the caps lock button when I wanted to press the “A” key. Over time, though, I became more comfortable with the keyboard and fell right back into my normal touch-typing habit. My advice is if you have larger hands, or sausage-like fingers like me, you’ll want to try the Surface Go Type Cover before making your purchase.

Portable, not powerful

With only so much room inside to pack a processor, storage and RAM, Microsoft couldn’t pack the latest and greatest processor into the Surface Go. Instead, the tech giant equipped the small slate with an Intel Pentium Gold processor. That’s not going to give you the kind of performance you’d expect out of a Core i5, or even Core i3 processor.

That’s not to say that the Go crawls. On the contrary, I was able to have multiple tabs open in Microsoft’s Edge browser, while running Spotify, streaming Netflix and chatting on Slack without running into a problem. That said, don’t expect to play any games on this thing outside of basic tablet games.

But the Surface Go comes loaded with Microsoft’s Windows 10 in S mode, which limits you to only downloading apps from the company’s own Microsoft app store. That means you’ll end up using the tech giant’s Edge web browser rather than Google’s Chrome. You’ll get the best performance out of the Go when it’s in S mode, since the hybrid was specifically designed to work with it. But if you want to branch out to different programs, you can always switch to full Windows mode.

The Surface Go is a solid machine that’s great for productivity while you travel.

The process takes less than five minutes and doesn’t even require a system restart. I didn’t even notice the change over, and I was staring at the Go the whole time.

But Google’s Chrome is a resource hog. When I went back to browsing with several tabs open, while streaming Spotify and Netflix and chatting on Slack, I began to notice performance issues with the Go. Specifically, websites, especially image-heavy sites like Polygon.com and our own Yahoofinance.com began to load more slowly.

It’s important to note that my test machine came with 8GB of RAM, which is an upgrade from the base model of the Go which starts at $399. That upgrade will cost you, though, as the 8GB model starts at $549, plus thee extra $99 for the base keyboard.

Still, the fact that the Go gives you the ability to use full desktop apps makes it more useful than any Chromebook or Apple’s iPad Pro.

Should you get it?

I rank the Surface Go above the iPad Pro and any of Google’s Chromebooks when it comes to overall productivity. The iPad Pro’s keyboard isn’t nearly as good as the Surface Go’s, despite its size, and Chromebooks can’t run full desktop apps. As a straight-up tablet, the Pro wins, but that’s not why you buy a Pro to begin with.

I wouldn’t recommend that you purchase the Surface Go as your primary device, though. This is a machine meant for use as a secondary PC you can quickly get work done on and then go back to watching Hulu — which is exactly what I’m going to do now.

Disclosure: The writer’s spouse works for a public-relations agency that contracts with Microsoft’s Xbox division.

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