When Was the Last Time You Checked Google Plus? [MakeUseOf Poll]

Google+ is, at the time of writing, still a thing, but its future is far from assured. Unless there’s a huge wave of interest, Google+ may not be long for this world. Or perhaps I’m just being pessimistic, and actually people are still interested in Google’s social network. There’s only one way to find out… POLL! Gmail Kills the Competition To answer this week’s question please scroll down the page until you see the poll staring back at you. But first, we need to look at the results from last week, when we asked, “Which of These Free Email Services...

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How Can You Stop the NSA Using Google Play to Spy on You?

Forget about Google collecting all your data. We already know that the tech-giant knows what you had for dinner last night and that your dog has got fleas. A more pressing question is how safe are you when using an app store? The nature of modern smartphones means the app store is one of a very small group of apps that is certain to be used by all owners of a phone, regardless of what else is on their device. As such, that makes it a very attractive resource, both for organisations and companies, and for criminals and hackers. The NSA...

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Virtual Reality is Real, and These VR Experiences Will Blow You Away

If you haven’t been paying attention to the technology world recently, than you may have missed a new technology that’s

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5 Music Apps Worth Listening to Now That Grooveshark is Dead

Ever since the day that Grooveshark died, millions of music fans are feeling lost. Where should they discover new bands? It depends on what kind of music you want. If you want to listen to music from the big labels, you need to look into Spotify or Rdio. But if you want to discover new, independent musicians you should check out SoundCloud and Bandcamp. We’ve made the argument that music lovers should all obsessively use SoundCloud, which is in practice everything Grooveshark pretended to be: a site where independent artists can share their work and users can find a never...

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Smile to Save: Facial Recognition Technology for Chrome

Polish up those pearly whites because you can now mark pages to bookmark, like, tweet, and share, by simply smiling! Smile Suggest, a Chrome browser extension, uses facial recognition technology to identify things on the Internet that make you smile. It saves a list of everything you smiled at, so later you can review the list and decide which things to save or share with your friends on social media. After all, even if you end up sharing nothing, it could be interesting to be able to look back and reflect on all the things that got a grin out...

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Train for a Half Marathon with These Running Websites & Tools

Training for a half marathon is very challenging, but whatever your final time ends up being, the process itself will make you healthier and give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Setting and working toward the goal of completing a half marathon will strengthen your determination, resilience and ability to follow through on goals. It’s a journey that will teach you a lot about yourself and benefit all areas of your life. Read on to discover seven great websites with tons of information and tools you need to get started. Active (Web, iOS & Android, Free) Active is a treasure trove...

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Love Movies? 4 Awesome YouTube Channels You Need to Watch

YouTube has revolutionized how people create and consume videos. Which makes it easier than ever to learn about any subject you want to learn about. Fans of film — true movie lovers — are particularly well served. While there are a lot of channels that focus on reviewing movies, there are some YouTubers who go beyond simple reaction videos and dig deep into what makes films special. If you’re a big fan of movies, here are four YouTube channels you should be sure to check out. Every Frame A Painting Every Frame A Painting is one of my favourite YouTube...

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10 Fascinating Engineering Channels on YouTube

You can do it. Not just little DIY projects around the house, but full blown feats of engineering. Do you need to go to university? Maybe. Get your inspiration from these amazing engineering videos today.

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Microsoft Loves Apple – These Mac and iOS Apps Prove it

Stuffy, boring, insular. These are three adjectives that have been used to describe the Microsoft of yesteryear. But that Microsoft is gone. They’ve changed. Radically. Microsoft now produces interesting, innovative products. Products you probably want to use. They’ve entered interesting, cutting edge new fields, like the Internet of Things. Perhaps most interestingly, they’re producing software for their old adversaries, Apple and the Linux community. In particular, the frosty relationship between Microsoft and users of Apple’s products has thawed, and in the past year, they’ve launched a number of significant and beautiful products for the Mac and the iPhone. Here are five of the most significant,...

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A Quick Start Guide to the iPhone Camera

The iPhone is still the most popular point-and-shoot camera on the planet, but many users still aren’t away of all that the camera can do. Since our last beginner’s guide, Apple has added many more features and made various enhancements to its camera app. With leaps in hardware and software, you’d be forgiven for no longer carrying a dedicated compact camera. If you’re new or still haven’t explored the iPhone camera, today you’re going to learn a few things about exactly what your camera can achieve. Note: The features described in this article are found mostly on the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus phones. Some features may not be present in older models of the...

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Why Not to Restore Your Computer to Factory Settings & What to Do Instead

If you’ve purchased a computer from a manufacturer then you’ll likely find it’s weighed down with unnecessary junk like trial software and unsightly customizations. You shouldn’t have to put up with this. If you’re looking to restore your system, think twice before restoring to the factory settings. You might speed up your system by wiping the slate, but it’s not as clean as it could be. That’ll only come from installing completely fresh from the operating system. Be sure to leave us a comment afterwards to let us know if you’ve ever been frustrated with manufacturer bloatware and installed fresh...

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