In this article, we’ll look at four creative IFTTT Google Home automations to streamline the most important areas of your life. IFTTT Made Creating Applets Harder Before getting started, it’s important to know that making new automation applets on IFTTT is a little harder now. IFTTT remodeled its website so that it’s much more difficult to find where you can create your own applet. When you first visit IFTTT, you’ll notice you only have an option to explore existing applets other people have made....

At first glance, the Sharp Pantone SoftBank 107SH is nothing else than a regular Android smartphone, available in a whole bunch of colors (eight of them, to be accurate – which would explain the Pantone in the name). The features are, basically, what you would expect from a good Android phone. A single core 1.4 GHz processor, 4 megapixel camera and a 3.7 inch touchscreen with 854 x 480 pixels....

Installing MicroSD Card on Surface Installing the microSD Card is straightforward. The problem is finding the slot for it. It’s actually tucked away behind the kickstand just above the power connector. After inserting the drive, it will be detected by Windows, and you’ll see a pop-up like this appear on your display. There you go! If you open “Computer” on the desktop, you should see your new card ready to handle your files....

Extract Images from PDF It actually couldn’t be easier. Open the PDF document from which you want images extracted. Then go to View » Tools » Document Processing on Adobe Acrobat Pro’s toolbar. Now you’ll see a menu opening up on the right side of your Acrobat Pro window. In that menu, click Export All Images. A window will pop up, allowing you to decide where you want the pictures saved....

Download Photoshop CS6 Beta here. Careful, it’s 1.7 GB in size, so will take a while to download on slower connections. The downloaded program files will be compressed in a .zip file. Just extract it and run Set-up.exe. On the first installation screen, select Try, not Install. A new “feature” of Photoshop CS6 is requiring an Adobe account, so on the next screen you’ll be prompted to login. By default in the install options it is set to Install BOTH 32-bit and 64-bit....

IMDb TV App for Android or iOS Since the initial IMDb Freedive launch earlier this year, it has been rebranded as IMDb TV. At first, it included a limited number of movies and shows including Fringe, Quantum Leap, The Last Samurai, and Awakenings. But since then, the lineup has been expanded through deals with major movie studios like Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and MGM Studios. Some of the popular titles include modern Oscar winners like La La Land as well as classics like Platoon, Easy Rider, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula....

This first option only works, as far as I could research, on some HTC Android smartphones. My HTC Desire HD has it, but quite a few of them don’t. If you have an Android Model that does, let me know in the comments. The number you want to block has to be saved as a contact. Now, open that contact and you’ll find Block caller. Then confirm you want to block the number....

On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch go to Settings » General » Restrictions. Tap Enable Restrictions. You’ll need to enter in a four digit Passcode twice. Now go through and set the restrictions. Move the slider to the Off position to disable access. You can turn on restrictions to disable music and in-app purchases from iTunes. Very handy if you let your kids use your device. It also lets you turn off links in Safari and only allow TV and music content by ratings....

Even in the absence of a major architectural upgrade in the form of an iPhone 5 — the 4S is selling like crazy. The press forgot one thing. There are millions and millions of us Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS users who would love a new contract — maybe with Verizon or Sprint? — and a better camera. The iPhone 4S turns out to have an excellent camera. For the holidays, marketwise at least, Apple is right on the money....

Well, we’re seeing a lot of temporary Apple Store closures today — stores in San Francisco, Seattle and other cities are temporarily blacking out and reopening just before, on or a day after Oct. 4. That’s the same day Apple invited media and analysts to its so-called “Let’s Talk iPhone” event at its Cupertino, CA headquarters at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. We expect newly appointed Apple CEO Tim Cook to make his onstage debut there, with the announcement of the long-awaited iPhone 5 in various iterations, as well a cheap $199 iPhone 4 as its entry-level phone....

Except none of this is true, at least not in the sincerest of terms. For Windows users, iTunes isn’t going anywhere– at least not anytime soon. For Mac users, the story is a little bit more confusing, but I’ll do my best to explain. If you’re in the latter category and don’t have the time to read further, be comfortable in knowing that the bottom line changes that are coming later this year aren’t nearly as substantial as some others might have lead you to believe....

One new features the update brings is called CarPlay. This helps you integrate maps, messaging, and music in select 2014 vehicles with built-in touch display’s. But you’ll need an iPhone 5, 5S, or 5C to use it. iOS 7.1 Update The iOS 7.1 update has some features you may or may not be able to use — depending on your device model. But the main reason you’ll want to grab this one is for the security patches under the hood....

From the main menu, go to Settings » General. Then scroll down and select Parental Controls. Now select Turn on Parental Controls. Next, set a four digit Passcode. This is where the the Remote app for an iDevice comes in handier than the physical remote. Verify your Passcode then select Done. Passcode is confirmed. Select OK. Now select the media services available on the Apple TV. Change the options between Ask, Show and Hide....

We recently covered how horrible CNET’s download.com has become to install software, as everything on the site is wrapped in vicious crapware. CNET’s site isn’t the only culprit though, essentially any software aggregation site has some type of bloatware associated with it. Sites like Filehippo, Softpedia, and brothersoft all have their own version of an “install manager” that contain malware that installs toolbars and hijacks your homepage and default search engine....

According to a recent report from market researcher IDC, global PC sales are set to fall by close to 8 percent this year. A few other considerations are that we keep getting increasing amounts of cloud storage, improved web services, powerful apps, and streaming music and video. So computers with tons of storage and CPU power just aren’t necessary these days. Of course, one can make the “what is a PC anymore?...

Backblaze Features Before Backblaze, I backed up my computers using custom scripts and external USB drives. I would take a backup every 30 days then store the USB drives in a fire “resistant” safe. The “plan” was that my data would be safe in the event of a burglary or fire. This got expensive and unrealistic, though, once my wife and I started having children. Can you say a million baby photos and long videos?...

Headphones Check out these deals on headphones. Other Audio and Electronics Check out these deals on speakers and other audio products. Note: Prices and supplies can change at any time.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been playing with a new Tool from OfficeLabs called Canvas for OneNote. Its main purpose in life is to allow you to Visually manage your Microsoft OneNote Notebooks. Update groovyReader Stew made a good point in the comments – Microsoft OneNote requires both Windows Vista and Office 2007. Sorry XP users. I’m also going to venture Windows 7 will run it; however, I’ve not tested it....

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could search your Gmail archive on the fly? Let’s say you’re in the middle of composing an email to a friend and you need to reference something from an archived email—such as a showtime, a confirmation number or account number. This happens to me all the time, and I end up having to pop open another window so I don’t have to abandon my draft....

However, if you’re a home user, running Outlook with a POP or IMAP email account i.e. Yahoo, Gmail, or Outlook.com, you can still create auto-replies, however, there is a bit more work involved. You’ll need to combine an Outlook email template and create a new rule to simulate an Exchange server-type solution. Just follow the steps below and you will be good to go. Create Auto Reply (Out of Office) in Outlook for POP or IMAP First, you need to create a message template....