Articles by Jeramy Johnson

As an introvert by nature, one of the things I love most about smart doorbells is the ability for me not to have to get off of my keister and answer every knock or ring at the front door. All I have to do is ask Alexa to show me who is at the front door. We’ve compiled a list of great smart doorbells that work with Alexa, but my favorite is the Ring Video Doorbell 3. There are plenty of good devices on this list, so be sure to check them out and see what might be the best fit for your situation.

Best Overall For Alexa: Ring Video Doorbell 3

It may seem a cop-out to pick a Ring product as my top choice, but the fact is that since Amazon purchased the smart home products company, it has been churning out quality products that work well with Alexa. Once again, the company took what was popular and successful from the previous generation device (the Ring Video Doorbell 2), and made some tweaks to make it even better.

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 brings 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi support, advanced m…

What are those random strings of letters mean?

These days with most people working from home, video conferencing is all the rage. Some platforms require you to create an account, while others let just about anyone join in, provided they have an invitation from the meeting organizer. The way Google Meet handles this is through meeting codes. We’ll explain what these are, and just what you are supposed to do with them.

Explaining Google Meet codes

Now that Google is opening up Google Meet to non-enterprise G Suite users (a.k.a. the rest of us), more people are starting to use the service to connect with colleagues, friends, and family. As they do, many are noticing these strange looking alpha codes associated with the meeting invitations they receive.

What are these random text strings? Basically, they are an arrangement of random letters that make up a unique code, providing access to a scheduled meeting or one that is already underway. The meeting codes are typically appended …

Best answer: Even though Google is making its video conferencing platform Meet free, you’ll still technically need a Google account to use it. I say technically, because there is at least one way you can use Meet without an account, which we’ll address below.

Desktop version: Google Meet (See at Google)
Mobile app: Google Meet (See at Google Play Store)

What is Google Meet?

Google Meet (formerly Hangouts Meet) is part of Google’s enterprise-level software offerings known as G Suite. As an enterprise product, G Suite is not a free service; rather, it is a paid service whose fees are based on the number of users in an organization.

While Google is planning on making a version of Meet available for free in direct response to the meteoric rise in popularity of services like Zoom, the version that non-enterprise users will be getting is scaled back in some areas. For example, free Meet sessions will be limited to one-hour increments, and features like dial-in phone numbers and the…

Best answer: Google Meet is one of Google’s videoconferencing platforms that comes bundled as part of the company’s enterprise software package known as G Suite. Google is making Meet free to use from May through September 2020, and it is a solid alternative to other popular video platforms.

Desktop version: Google Meet (See at Google)
Mobile app: Google Meet (See at Google Play Store)

What is Google Meet?

Meet is Google’s version of an enterprise or corporate videoconferencing solution. It’s included as part of its G Suite platform, and is meant to compete against similar premium offerings like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco WebEx, and GoToMeeting, just to name a few.

Google Meet can be used in a web browser or through an Android or iOS app on your smartphone or tablet, and can host up to 250 people simultaneously. It also has useful features like screen sharing and in-conference chatting. If your G Suite administrator has enabled the function, you can record the meeting to allo…

Whether you’re socially distancing or if working from home is the norm for you, a video conferencing tool like Google Meet can be a lifesaver for staying connected and productive. However, sometimes you need a bit more firepower than your smiling face, particularly when you want to show your colleagues what you’re talking about. We’ll show you the simple steps to share your screen during your next Google Meet session.

How to share your screen on a Google Meet call in a browser

From an active Google Meet call, click on Present Screen at the bottom right of the screen.

Choose whether you want to share your entire screen, a specific window, or a specific Chrome tab (this is new).

When you’re done sharing your screen, click the blue button at the top left of the screen that says Stop, or click on the link at the bottom right of the screen that says or click here to return to the video call when you’re ready to stop presenting.

That will take you back to the Google Meet window, w…

All users can take advantage of this feature throughout the summer.

Google Meet is a fantastic collaboration platform, particularly for those who are on distributed teams or who are working from home. As you can imagine, it integrates seamlessly with other G Suite apps like Gmail and Calendar, and you can not only send out invitations through those apps but you can also schedule future Meet sessions based on your team’s availability. Currently only paid G Suite subscribers can schedule Google Meet sessions, but thanks to Google’s recent announcement that Meet will be free through the summer, all users will be able to take advantage of this feature soon. Let’s dive into just how to get started.

How to schedule a Google Meet in Google Calendar on mobile

Open the Google Calendar app on your smartphone or tablet.
Tap on the multicolored + button at the bottom right of the screen.
Tap on Event.
Scroll down, and tap Add conferencing.

Tap Google Meet.
Set a time, add participants, and…

I’ve been using gesture navigation on my smartphones since the iPhone X came out, and I was thrilled when some Android OEMs like Samsung and OnePlus started adding in their own interpretations before it was introduced at an OS level in Android 9 and perfected with Android 10. If you have an older Samsung Galaxy phone and have not enabled gesture navigation, or weren’t aware of all the customizations and settings you can tweak, you’re in for some fun surprises! We’ll show you how to get gesture navigation set up and configured to your liking in the steps below.

How to enable gesture navigation on your Samsung Galaxy phone

Open the Settings app.
Tap on Display.
Scroll down and tap on Navigation bar.
Tap on Full screen gestures.

Now you’ll be able to do a half swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the multitasker or swipe left or right along the bottom of the screen to switch apps.

If you want to customize your gesture settings further, do the following:

Under Full sc…

In the case of the iPhone SE, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Ever since Apple announced the much-anticipated second coming of the iPhone SE, tech reviewers on both sides of the iOS vs. Android camp have been dumbfounded by just what a great value the smartphone seems to be. And while it is an impressive specimen in terms of fit, finish, and features, the hardware and appearance of the device are not what make it truly special. They’re also not what makes the phone a legitimate threat not only to mid-range Android devices, but ostensibly to the entire Android ecosystem. No, that honor goes to something less obvious, less flashy, less — sexy. The iPhone SE’s real allure is all about the software/security updates and support. Period.

Some SE background

There had been rumors and speculation about the iPhone SE (2020) for years. Ever since the outsized popularity that the undersized 2016 handset generated, Apple faithful, as well as those still longing for quality, smaller phones …

Whether you’re socially distancing or if working from home is the norm for you, a video conferencing tool like Google Meet can be a lifesaver for staying connected and productive. However, sometimes you need a bit more firepower than your smiling face, particularly when you want to show your colleagues what you’re talking about. We’ll show you the simple steps to share your screen during your next Google Meet session.

How to share your screen on a Google Meet call in a browser

From an active Google Meet call, click on Present Screen at the bottom right of the screen.

Choose whether you want to share your entire screen, a specific window, or a specific Chrome tab (this is new).

When you’re done sharing your screen, click the blue button at the top left of the screen that says Stop, or click on the link at the bottom right of the screen that says or click here to return to the video call when you’re ready to stop presenting.

That will take you back to the Google Meet window, w…

Need to order groceries? You can do it without leaving your home.

Instacart is one of the oldest and most well-known grocery delivery services around. I remember placing my first order through the app nearly 10 years ago, and I still use it on occasion thanks to its large selection of stores and a large number of delivery associates. In the steps below, I’ll show you how you can place an order for groceries through the app, whether you’re social distancing and working from home or just want to place an order in.

Products used in this guide

The default grocery app: Instacart (Free at Google Play)

How to order groceries on Instacart

Open the Instacart app on your phone, or visit instacart.com.
Select the store you wish to order from by tapping on it from the list.

Search for and select products by tapping on them.
Once you’re satisfied with your selections, tap on Go to Checkout.
When entering your payment information, make sure that you leave the driver a good tip! These peo…