Some fictional characters have been around for so long that we cant even fathom how old they actually are, especially since the characters themselves are, of course, eternally young. The jovial rodent Mickey Mouse, for example, is nearing his first century, while Barbie celebrated her 65th birthday last year. Of course, this means that fans of these franchises arent just the kids theyre targeted at but also adults who have grown to love them through the years.She might not be as old, but Hello Kitty also just turned 50 a few months back, which has naturally led to a flood of new designs and collaborations to celebrate the Japanese-born bow-toting feline. That line of merchandise now includes a smartwatch thats clearly not just for a younger audience. And Hello Kitty isnt coming alone and has a few of her friends to help sell the idea of a Sanrio-branded wearable, at least to the Japanese market.Designer: Green HouseSmartwatch design collabs are always interesting, though not always in a good way. It often involves special watch faces and straps designed to highlight a specific brand or franchise, but those dont always have the same impact as limited edition wristwatches. After all, its always possible to change a watch face to some specific design or swap out straps that make the special edition smartwatch lose its uniqueness. Theres just too much flexibility with this wearable device that such special designs become almost meaningless.In that sense, the Hello Kitty and Sanrio smartwatch line is pretty unique in that it tries to preserve that limited character while still trying to offer the standard features of a smartwatch. Yes, you have a variety of smartwatch faces to choose from and pre-installed ringtones and notification sounds using the characters voices. The most distinctive part of the design, however, is the lug joints that are shaped into the heads of their corresponding characters, and it doesnt seem like theres a way to swap them out with standard straps.The smartwatch line features four of Sanrios troupe, including Hello Kitty, Kuromi, Pompompurin, and Cinnamoroll, each with its own exclusive color scheme. In addition to those custom visuals and sounds, the devices also feature your typical smartwatch capabilities like notifications, activity tracking, and health monitoring. It even has the ability to act as a remote shutter button for your smartphone camera.These features actually mark the Hello Kitty and Friends smartwatch line as something more oriented for grown-up fans of the franchise. There is no mention of the underlying platform used for the smartwatch, so youll probably be stuck with some unknown software that wont let you install other apps, presuming you can even get your hands, or wrist, on one. Unfortunately, it seems that availability is limited to Japan for now, which makes the mouth-watering $93 price tag a tragedy.The post Hello Kitty and Friends Get Their Own Smartwatch Line But Theres a Catch first appeared on Yanko Design.

Its proof that AI and human creativity can coexist.

A bold vision of fantasy and ambiguity Skylight Collective's Executive Creative Director and Obsidian's Game Director explain how it was made.

This shiny coffee maker and grinder arrives with an innovative autogrind feature pretty much unheard of in drip coffee.

Meta's Waterworth Project will provide internet connectivity on five continents, with landing points in India, the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.

MacworldAll signs point to this being another big week for Apple. Thats unusual for February, generally a bleak and cold month for Cupertino watchers. Apple loves to launch in the spring, summer, and fall, but ever since Apple abandoned Macworld San Francisco, it generally hibernates during the winter months. Theres been precisely one February event in Apples history and that, inauspiciously, was the launch of the iPod Hi-Fi 19 Februaries ago.Of course, this weeks launch isnt an Apple event in the usual sense of hype and hyperbole, skits and specs, and bento grids showing off the new features. All we have to go on is a brief and cryptic tweet posted last week by Tim Cook: Get ready to meet the newest member of the family. Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch Thats hashtag AppleLaunch, not hashtag AppleEvent as he tweeted last spring ahead of the Let Loose bash. Hashtag BigDifference.Rather than a weirdly early spring event, then, the newest member of Apples family will probably be announced via a press release and an update to the companys website. One of the companys lower-key launches, but still teased almost a week in advance. Its the same sort of canny compromisebuild anticipation, without raising expectations beyond what can be metthat we saw last year when Greg Joswiak advised us to Mac our calendars for a week of event-free announcement action. Is this a model for how Apple will launch more of its products in the future? Maybe.In any case, as with the week of Mac, the likely absence of a conventional press event should not be taken as an admission of insignificance. Were pretty sure, despite the AirTag-resembling artwork, that the family member in question is the latest iPhone SE (or 16e if one rumor proves to be correct), and as weve explained on numerous occasions, this is an important and valuable addition to the Cupertino ecosystemone that will change the iPhone lineup in major ways. In one sense it helps to close out a departing era, with the new handsets USB-C port likely to solve a big headache in the EU and marking the end of the Lightning port in the U.S. And in another, it helps to usher in a new one: Apple Intelligence on a sub-$500 phone would be something of a game-changer in driving the adoption of an AI platform thats playing a desperate game of catch-up and starting to limp.We dont know how much Apple will ask for the new SE. But if its anywhere close to the $429 previous model, we could be looking at a real bargain: a true budget phone we can recommend wholeheartedly. The 4th-gen SE is going to boast a killer set of specs, not because Apple is feeling generous, but because it needs the SE to support Apple Intelligence. So were looking at an A17 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM, minimum. On that level at least its going to be punching the same weight as an iPhone 15 Pro.Thats comparing the device to a phone that was state of the art as recently as late 2023. But compared to the 3rd-gen SE, which came out in early 2022 and was underwhelming even then, the SE 4 should be a massive step forward. Its screen will grow, lose the obstruction of a Home button, and see an upgrade from LCD (the last in Apples iPhone lineup) to OLED. The rear camera will get a lot more powerful (48MP is expected). The baseline storage is likely to jump from an inadequate 64GB to 128GB. We even think Apples long-awaited in-house 5G modem, bringing power and battery improvements, will make its debut on this phone, a solid six months before it lands on a flagship iPhone in the fall. For those whove been waiting three years for this update, it should represent an almost irresistible buy.For understandable reasons, Apple loves to talk about its top-end products. Theyre the ones its most proud of, and the ones most likely to win over Android or Windows waverers. A budget phone is never going to get the same red-carpet treatment as a flagship. But a substantive upgrade to the SE will affect far more people in far more profound ways than a redesign to the camera module on the iPhone 17 Pro. This is about raising the baseline offering and delivering a high standard of design and processing power to those who cant afford to pay silly money for a new smartphone every fall.Starting Wednesday, the clunky older iPhones still on the Apple Store will start to be phased out. Apple fans on a budget wont have to settle anymore; theyll be able to afford a phone with a relatively new design, top-notch components, and access to all the software features on the way in the next few years. This is huge. Event or no event, Im really excited.Unless, you know, it just turns out to be a new AirTag.FoundryWelcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but its cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.Trending: Top storiesCould it be that the era of the Apple event is over?Mahmoud Itani explains how a single Apple Watch alert changed his life.Apple Intelligences biggest problem isnt the Intelligenceits Apple.Apples magic robot lamp is coming to save us all, reports a cheerful Macalope.iCloud encryption explained: How secure is your data?Any case can protect your iPad. This one protects you when you die.You can get extra cash for your Mac trade-in until April 2.Podcast of the weekApples smallest products are actually some of the biggest in its lineup. The latest Macworld Podcast discusses the state of Apples AirPods lineup, the new Powerbeats Pro 2, and more.You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify,Soundcloud, thePodcasts app, orour own site.Reviews cornerPowerbeats Pro 2 review: The best fitness earbuds groove to their own (heart) beat.Malwarebytes Free Antivirus review: Good at removing malware, but bugs dont help.Surfshark VPN review: A great option for families.Best antivirus for Mac 2025: Top security software compared.Best Mac cleaner software: Boost performance and disk space.The rumor millApples going to unveil the newest member of the family on February 19! (Our moneys on a new iPhone.)Talking of new iPhones Leak reveals iPhone 17 Pros bizarre redesigned camera module.2025 iPad Air: Everything you need to know about Apples next mid-range tablet.Apple research video offers a glimpse into its tabletop robot tech.Apple still chasing the AR glasses dream but fears another flop.Software updates, bugs, and problemsU.K. demands backdoor to Apples encrypted cloud storage, putting everyone at risk.iOS 18.3.1 released to fix extremely sophisticated security flaw.PSA: Apples latest updates turn on Apple Intelligence even if you had switched it off.U.S. iPhone users can no longer find the Gulf of Mexico on Apple Maps.And with that, were done for this weeks Apple Breakfast. If youd like to get regular roundups, sign up forour newsletters, including our new email from The Macalopean irreverent, humorous take on the latest news and rumors from a half-man, half-mythical Mac beast. You can also follow usonFacebook,Threads,Bluesky, orXfor discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.

MacworldIf youre fully immersed in the Apple ecosphere of products, you may not have noticed a big trend thats happening with computing. No, were not talking about AI, though that is the hot trend, its something thats actually tied to AI development: graphics cards.You might typically associate graphics cards with gaming and other video-focused pursuits, but AI has had a major influence on graphics card sales. The tech involved can handle AIs large-scale calculations well. Because of that, Nvidia, perhaps the largest player in the graphics card market, has seen its products popularity explode.Apple has had success with its M-series chips for its Macs and iPads. When the M1 debuted, it demonstrated impressive gains over the Intel processors it replaced, and each new M chip continues to show remarkable speed. Apple chips feature an integrated CPU, GPU, and other components, and the integration contributes to Apple silicon performance and power efficiency.But as the hype around graphics cards continues with the launch of the Nvidia RTX 5070ti, we started wondering, would Apple ever endeavor to make a standalone graphics card? The current M4 chips offer impressive graphics performance, and Apple has meddled with such an endeavor in the past with its proprietary AMD Radeon MPX modules for the Mac Pro.Before Apple silicon, users could install discreet graphics cards into the 2019 Mac Pro.Thiago TrevisanThe tight integration of hardware, software, and user experience has been a hallmark of Apples modus operandi. But a separate Apple graphics card could ease the burden of releasing chip updates for the Mac Pro and Mac Studiowhich currently use M2 Ultra chips released in June 2023. Theres also the Asus Thunderbolt 5 eGPU for the PC that made us wonder if Apple would ever do the same or allow such devices back on its Macs.What the Apple silicon change meant for graphicsBefore we ponder the possibilities, lets look at the recent history of Apple and graphics hardware. The move to Apple silicon did not just cut off one giant chipmaker from Apple products, it also removed AMD and its Radeon GPUs from the equation. Long a staple of Macs, AMD Radeon graphics came in various flavors ranging from integrated graphics in its MacBook to discreet standalone GPUs available for the 2019 Mac Pro.Apple once used Nvidia graphics in Macs, with an Nvidia graphics card making its Mac debut with the Power Mac G4 in 2001. Apple stopped using Nvidia GPUs in 2013, to the chagrin of many professionals and enthusiasts. Apple also used ATi graphics cards, but eventually, Apple settled on AMD.Which brings us to Apple silicon. With the M series chips, Apple proved that both a high-performing CPU and GPU can coexist in an integrated chip, along with RAM and storage. The ultimate goal of this change was to create a tremendously powerful and efficient chip. It succeeded.The empty Mac Pro seems like a design afterthought with no graphics card to install.Thiago TrevisanThe most salient example of the stark infrastructure change is in the 2023 Mac Pro, which has the same chassis as the 2019 Mac Pro and is clearly designed to use standalone GPUs or MPX modules. The M2 Ultra chip, with its 24-core CPU, 60-core GPU, 64GB of unified memory, and 1TB SSD (in the base configuration) is all integrated in one piece of silicon. The graphics performance of the M2 Ultra is enough for many Mac Pro customers while being more efficient than the power-hungry AMD Radeon MPX modules.Apple also had its Afterburner card, which helped to boost ProRes performance on the 2019 Mac Pro. Eventually, Apple did what it considered ideal: it created an integrated Media Engine within the M chip itself. So now, without these modules, the Mac Pro is a cavernous chassis.What Mac Pro users are missing out onThe way the Mac Pro with Apple silicon is currently built, it cannot use graphics cards in its PCI Express expansion slots. Apples GPU is built into its M-series chip and the company sees no need to create its own separate GPU card and compromise performance and efficiency.But that also means third-party cards arent compatible, either. With the performance Nvidia has on tap for its latest GeForce RTX 50 Series, most serious professionals who rely on graphics have likely abandoned Apple. While the M4 is excellent, it still cannot hold a candle to Nvidias offerings in advanced workloads. The M5 generation of Apple silicon is not likely to breach that divide, either. Apple would need some other way to boost graphics performanceif it wants to.Asus new Thunderbolt 5 eGPU looks impressive, but it cant be used on a Mac.AsusHistorically, Apple has allowed external GPUs (eGPUs) to function with its Intel Macs. Many users would use an eGPU fitted with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT to boost graphics, for example. But eGPU support was dropped with the switch to Apple siliconso you can stop eyeing that sick-looking Asus ROG XG Mobile Thunderbolt 5 eGPU/Dock.Is there demand for increased GPU performance on a Mac?The truth is that there just may not be the demand in the market for Apple to supply more graphics poweryet.Lets look at the core Apple consumer that depends on GPU performance and how they differ from the rest of the industry: its mostly video editors and production studios. As someone who edits video (often from 6K or 8K Raw formats), the current Apple silicon offerings are more than sufficient, and a more powerful GPU would make only a minor difference. Apples terrific encoders and decoders also make easy work of many common formats, so the emphasis here is no longer on raw GPU performance.How about those who do 3D creation and graphics-heavy workloads? Those users have likely been using Windows or Linux and Nvidias Cuda platform, but for those who are on the Mac, more graphics performance certainly would help. It could even bring users back to macOS, users who left because they needed more power but they miss the Mac experience. This may not be a large enough set of users to entice Apple, though.A card like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 would look pretty nice inside the Mac Pro.Adam Patrick Murray / FoundryHow about one of the biggest growing markets worldwide, gaming? Apple consumers are into gaming, just in a different way than on the PC side. Apple has been making efforts recently to push Apple Arcade, as well as popular games such as Resident Evil 4. With ray tracing and good graphics performance from the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple certainly has the foundation at the ready.On the PC side, gamers want next-generation GPUs because the newest titles demand ray tracing and higher resolutions. The way this demand is met is by graphics cards that can be upgraded when necessary. I find it unlikely that Apple would abandon its idealized vision of an integrated Apple silicon solution to address this user need.Theres also a perception problem: Macs just arent seen as a gaming platform. Coincidentally, the same perception is being conveyed with the Apple Vision Pro; its portrayed as a productivity device first and entertainment second. On the other hand, users of the Meta Quest 3 are enthusiast gamers, increasing its reach. The Vision Pro has the horsepower and resolution for a great gaming experience but its missing a big push from Apple and developers. Sound familiar? Its another instance of how Apple isnt highly motivated for the gaming market beyond what it has already done, which makes graphics card adoption unlikely.Even if Apple facilitated developers to want to make more games for the Mac, chances are it would do this within the framework of its Apple silicon graphics performance.Thiago TrevisanThe future could be brightIt isnt all bad news for Apple fans who dream of more graphics power. Apples silicon Macs have impressed with every new release, so there is a good chance the tortoise may indeed eventually win the race. Or push ahead just enough to have ample performance without needing other solutions, which it arguably has done already for many.The past cant be ignored, however. The Afterburner and MPX modules it offered with the Intel Mac Pro show that Apple is willing to address the needs of niche markets. While it will require some engineering ingenuity and new implementations of M-series chips, Apple is capable of it, and it feels as if there is a very remote chance that the company could entertain standalone graphic cards. But the days of eGPUs working with Macs are likely long behind us. The Mac Pro doesnt face limits concerning power consumption or sizeits clearly big enough to fit larger Apple silicon inside.But just because Apple can do it, doesnt mean it should. As Apple silicon gets so good that everything is neatly packed in a Mac mini-sized graphics powerhouse, do users even want an external graphics card? Probably not. The best bet is for Apple to continue its integrated silicon journey as intended. But we can always dream.

For decades, Microsoft Office has been the business worlds dominant productivity software suite. If you use word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and email applications, particularly on Windows, those apps are very likely to be Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.In the 2010s, Microsoft began selling the Office suite under two models: the traditionally licensed, perpetual version, where you purchase the software and own it forever, and a new subscription-based version where you pay a monthly or annual fee to use the software and receive frequent updates and new feature rollouts. With the perpetual version, you only pay once, but you dont get new features unless you purchase a later Office version.Microsoft strongly pushes customers toward the subscription version, initially called Office 365 and now rebranded as Microsoft 365. But the company has continued to release new perpetual versions of the Office suite, typically containing a subset of the features and apps available in Microsoft 365, about once every three years. Many businesses and individuals still prefer the old model and today use either Office 2021 or Office 2024, the two latest perpetual-license releases.Over these two releases, Microsoft has added or updated several features and tools that enhance the way you work with your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and emails. In this cheat sheet, we go over the most useful new features in the four core Office apps. Well start with tips that apply across the Office suite and move on to the individual apps, noting which features are available in Office 2024 but not Office 2021.Note: This guide refers specifically to the Office 2021 and 2024 desktop apps for Windows. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, see our separate cheat sheets for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook in M365.In this article:Collaborate on documents in real timeUse the modern comments feature effectivelyWord: Use Line Focus to concentrateExcel: Create dynamic arrays and chartsExcel: Create custom-filtered views for a spreadsheetExcel: Place images in cells with the IMAGE functionPowerPoint: Create internal hyperlinks in a presentationPowerPoint: Create a video recording of a presentationPowerPoint: Insert live webcam video into your presentationPowerPoint: Add captions to video or audio on a slideOutlook: Find emails quickly with Instant SearchOutlook: Translate emails from and to other languagesCollaborate on documents in real timeThe co-authoring feature in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint lets you and your co-workers collaborate on a document simultaneously. In real time, everyone can see all changes being made to the document as they happen.Co-authoring was available in the Word 2019 desktop app, but Excel and PowerPoint users without a Microsoft 365 subscription had to use the web apps for real-time collaboration. With Office 2021 and 2024, real-time co-authoring is finally available in all three desktop apps.Save your document in OneDriveTo use co-authoring, your document needs to be stored in OneDrive. If its not already, open the document in Excel, PowerPoint, or Word. On the Ribbon toolbar at the top, click the File tab. On the page that appears, select Save a Copy in the left pane. Click on your OneDrive account to open File Explorer, then select a folder in your OneDrive to save the document into.If your OneDrive account isnt listed on this page, click Add a Place under Other locations and add your OneDrive account.Share your documentNext, share your document with your co-workers: Click the Share button at the upper right of the screen, and then click Share on the menu that appears.On the panel that opens, type in co-workers names or email addresses for people in your contacts. Click the pencil icon to set access permissions to your document whether recipients will be able to edit it or only view it. (Enterprise users may have additional options or restrictions as set by their IT admins.) Add an optional message describing what youre sharing and click Send. Theyll get an email inviting them to click a link to join in on collaborating on your document.Sharing a document with co-workers.Howard Wen / FoundryAlternatively, on this share panel, you can generate a link to your document that you can then paste elsewhere (e.g., in an email or messaging app). When someone clicks this link, theyll have access to either edit or view your document.See others working on your documentWhen there are multiple people working on a document, each persons presence is indicated by a flagged cursor that has a color unique to them. At the upper right of the screen, colored circles show the headshots or initials of your co-workers who presently have your document opened.Three co-workers collaborating live on a Word doc.Howard Wen / FoundryIf a co-worker is typing or making changes to your document, youll see their colored cursor perform these actions in real time.Use the modern comments feature effectivelyThe comments feature was updated in Office 2021 with enhancements such as threaded discussions and text formatting options (bold, bullet points, italics, etc.). The user experience is designed to be similar and seamless across the desktop app and web versions of Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.Comments now have threading and text formatting options.Howard Wen / FoundryAdd a commentHighlight a passage of text and right-click on it. Or right-click an area in your document, or a cell in a spreadsheet or table, where you want to add a comment. On the menu that opens, click New Comment.A blank comment card will open. Type in a brief comment and click the right arrow on the lower right of the card to post your comment. A word balloon icon will appear at the appropriate place in the document.As youre writing a comment, you can mention a co-worker in it: Type the @ symbol, followed by their name or email address. If theyre in your contacts, a dropdown will appear with suggestions; select their name from the list. Once youve posted the comment, theyll be sent a notification alerting that youve mentioned them in it.View a comment, reply to it, resolve it, or delete itTo see a comment, click its word balloon icon in the document. This opens the comment card associated with it in the right margin. Type in your reply and click the right arrow to post it.If you click the three-dot icon to the right of the commenters name, you can take various actions on the comment, such as copying a link to it, marking the comment thread as resolved, or deleting the thread. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/office21-24-04-word-comment-actions.png?quality=50&strip=all 715w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/office21-24-04-word-comment-actions.png?resize=300%2C99&quality=50&strip=all 300w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/office21-24-04-word-comment-actions.png?resize=150%2C50&quality=50&strip=all 150w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/office21-24-04-word-comment-actions.png?resize=640%2C211&quality=50&strip=all 640w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/office21-24-04-word-comment-actions.png?resize=444%2C147&quality=50&strip=all 444w" width="715" height="236" sizes="(max-width: 715px) 100vw, 715px">You can reply to a comment or take actions on it, such as marking the thread resolved.Howard Wen / FoundryView and manage all comments in a documentAt the top of the screen, click the Review tab, then click the down arrow at the right edge of the Show Comments button on the toolbar. On the menu that opens, clicking Contextual will open all the comment cards in the document, with each card appearing to the right of the comments location in the document.Clicking List opens the Comments pane along the right of the screen with all the comments grouped together at the top. On this pane, you can conveniently scroll through and manage all the comments in the document at once, replying, resolving, or deleting them. The Comments pane lets you view and manage all the comments in a document at once.Howard Wen / FoundryIf you click on a comment in the Comments pane, youll be taken to its location in the document. You can also click the funnel icon to filter the comments for example, viewing only the comments that youre @ mentioned in.Word: Use Line Focus to concentrateAs you read or edit your document in Word, the Line Focus feature can help you focus better on specific lines of text by eliminating everything around it in your document.To activate Line Focus, click the View tab at the top. On the toolbar, click Immersive Reader. Then click the Immersive Reader tab that appears to the right of the Help tab. On the toolbar that opens, click Line Focus and select the number of lines of text that you want to focus on.The lines of text in your document above and below the cursor will dim. To move the visible area up or down, click the up or down arrows along the right of the screen, press the arrow keys on your keyboard, or use your mouse to move the cursor.The Line Focus feature removes distractions, letting you focus on a few lines of text.Howard Wen / FoundryTo adjust the readability options to your liking, click the Immersive Reader tab, and on the toolbar that opens, click the Column Width, Page Color, and/or Text Spacing buttons.Excel: Create dynamic arrays and chartsDynamic arrays are available in Excel 2021 and 2024. Dynamic charts require Excel 2024.Traditionally, Excel formulas and functions could return only a single value. If you wanted more values returned from your data, you had to copy the formula into a new cell. But new dynamic arrays let you write one formula and have it return multiple values. Dynamic arrays automatically update and resize themselves when their source data is updated.In Office 2024, Excel takes dynamic arrays a step further, letting you create dynamic charts based on them.Set up your data as a tableEnter your data into cells. You should have a column that lists categories and at least one column to its right listing corresponding values. Each column should have a header at the top.An example: If youre putting together a budget for a business trip, Column A could list expense items (plane tickets, hotel, car rental, etc.), while Column B could list the cost for each item on the same row.To turn the data into a table, select the column headers and full range of data in Columns A and B. At the top of the spreadsheet, click the Insert tab and click Table on the toolbar. Click OK.Put your data in table format.Howard Wen / FoundryUse a dynamic array function on the tableYou can use a dynamic array function such as FILTER, SORT, or UNIQUE to create a dynamic array next to your table. These functions allow you to dynamically filter, sort, and manipulate your data in the table.For our example well use the FILTER function. Enter the following formula into cell D1:=FILTER(A2:B9, B2:B9 < 2000)This creates a new data range that lists items from column A (A2:A9 means column A, rows 2 to 9) where the corresponding costs in Column B (B2:B9) are below $2,000 (2000).The FILTER function created a data array showing only the items with costs below $2,000.Howard Wen / FoundryEven though the formula lives only in cell D1, the dynamic array it produces spills over into cells D1 through E6. If the source data changes for instance, if you add a new item that costs less than $2,000 to the original table, or reduce the cost of an existing item to less than $2,000 the dynamic array automatically updates and resizes itself to accommodate the changes. Because of this, the dynamic array is always up to date.Similarly, you can use the SORT function to sort selected data and the UNIQUE function to remove duplicates, with the resulting arrays automatically updating when the source data is changed. (You can read about more ways to use the FILTER, SORT, and UNIQUE functions from Microsoft support.)Create a dynamic chart from your dynamic arraySelect the cells containing the dynamic array that you want to use to generate a chart. At the top of your spreadsheet, click the Insert tab and select a chart type (Column, Line, Pie, Bar, etc.) on the ribbon toolbar. Excel 2024 will generate the chart.Creating a chart from a dynamic array in Excel 2024.Howard Wen / FoundryChanges made to the original table data that update the dynamic array will also be reflected in the dynamic chart automatically.To customize the appearance of your chart, click on the chart to select it. At the top of your spreadsheet, select the Chart Design tab. You can then add a title to your chart, adjust its axes, or change its colors. For more about working with charts in Excel, see our charts and sparklines tutorial.Excel: Create custom-filtered views for a spreadsheetUsing Excels Sheet Views feature, you can create a copy of a sheet and then apply filtered or sorted views of the data to the duplicate sheet. This can be helpful when youre collaborating on a spreadsheet, where someone would like to create a customized view without altering the original sheet.You and your collaborators can create several such custom-filtered/sorted views for a sheet. Then each person can select among them, switching from one view to another.Note: In order for this feature to work, the Excel file must be stored in OneDrive.Create a sheet viewAlong the bottom of your spreadsheet, click the tab for the sheet that you want to create a sheet view for.Then at the top of the spreadsheet, click the View tab, and on the toolbar, select Sheet View > New. Youll be switched to a new sheet view of this sheet.Creating a new sheet view. Here you can filter or sort the data without affecting the original data set.Howard Wen / FoundryApply whatever filters and sorting you like to the data on this sheet your actions wont affect the original version of the sheet.When youre finished making your customizations, save the new sheet view and give it a unique name: On the View tab, click Temporary View (this is the name given to a new sheet view by default). Youll be prompted to type in a new name for your new sheet view. Then click the Keep button.When you click Exit on this toolbar, the sheet view is dismissed, and the spreadsheet returns to its original, default state.Switch among sheet viewsOnce you and any of your collaborators have created sheet views for the spreadsheet, you can easily switch from one to another. At the top of the spreadsheet, click the View tab. Then at the left of the toolbar, select the name of the current view (it says Default if youre viewing the spreadsheet without a sheet view applied) to open a dropdown listing the names of sheet views that have been created for the spreadsheet. Click the name of one of these sheet views to switch to it.Click the dropdown on the toolbar to switch to a different sheet view.Howard Wen / FoundryManage your sheet viewsYou can delete, duplicate, or rename your sheet views. At the top of your spreadsheet, click the View tab. Then toward the left of the toolbar, click Options.On the Sheet Views options panel, click to select the name of a sheet view. Then click the Rename, Duplicate, or Delete button to perform that action on the selected sheet view.Excel: Place images in cells with the IMAGE functionThis feature requires Excel 2024.Using the IMAGE function, you can insert and display web-based images in your spreadsheets to create visually engaging dashboards, inventories, and so on. Instead of floating on top of a cell, images inserted with the IMAGE function live within a cell and will remain there when you sort, filter, calculate, or otherwise manipulate a table.The formula for the IMAGE function that you enter into a cell is:=IMAGE(source, [alt_text], [sizing], [height], [width])source: Insert the web link to an image here, whether its on the internet or stored in your OneDrive. You can also reference another cell that contains an image or web link. BMP, JPG/JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, ICO, and WEBP image formats are supported.alt_text: Optionally, you can type in text that names or very briefly describes the image. This is useful if the image cannot be displayed, such as if the link becomes inactive.sizing: This is also optional and determines how the image will be sized inside the cell. You can enter one of the following numbers:0: This is the default. The image will be sized to fit inside the size of the cell, while maintaining the images original aspect ratio.1: The images length and width will be stretched to fill the cell, which may distort its original aspect ratio.2: The images width will be stretched to fill the cells width, but not its height, thus maintaining the images original aspect ratio.3: The images height will be stretched to fill the cells height, but not its width, thus maintaining the images original aspect ratio.height: This optional value specifies the height of the image in pixels.width: This optional value specifies the width of the image in pixels.Heres an example that uses all the optional settings above:=IMAGE(https://cdn.subscribers.com/uploads/setting/modal_image/44546/CW-favicon-600px__1_.png, Computerworld Favicon, 3, 200, 300)The image file at the web link will display Computerworld Favicon if this link doesnt work. It will be sized to fill the cells height (3), but not its width. However, the image will be restricted to a height and width of 200 x 300 pixels. (Normally youd use either the sizing or the height and width controls, not all of them.)In this example, the square CW favicon has been distorted to a height of 200 pixels and a width of 300 pixels.Howard Wen / FoundryFor more about working with the IMAGE function, see Microsofts IMAGE function support page.PowerPoint: Create internal hyperlinks in a presentationYou can now create hyperlinks within a presentation: When you click linked text or a linked image on a slide, you will jump to another slide in the same presentation.Go to the slide that contains the object (text or image) that you want to link from. Right-click on this object, and on the menu that opens, select Hyperlink. Alternatively, you can click on the object to select it. Then, above the slide, click the Insert tab, and on the ribbon toolbar, click Link.Either action will open the Insert Hyperlink panel. In the left column of this panel, click Place in This Document. In the second column, select the slide that you want the new hyperlink to jump to when its clicked. Then click OK.Adding an internal hyperlink to a presentation.Howard Wen / FoundryTo test the hyperlink, go to the slide that contains the hyperlinked object. Above the slide, click the Slide Show tab. On the ribbon toolbar, click From Current Slide. Now click the object that you created a hyperlink for this action should jump to the slide that you selected.PowerPoint: Create a video recording of a presentationA presentation is about more than the slide deck. Equally important are the things you say that arent written on the slides and how you say them. That means colleagues who arent able to attend a live session may miss out on the full impact of your presentation.In PowerPoint 2021 and 2024, you can record both audio and video of a presentation and export it as a video to share with others.Above your presentation, click the Record tab. On the ribbon toolbar, click From Beginning or From Current Slide. This will open a recording studio panel over the screen.PowerPoints recording tools appear at the top of the screen.Howard Wen / FoundryAlong the top of this panel, you can click the webcam or microphone icons to turn these devices on or off for recording. If you have more than one camera and/or mic connected to your computer, you can switch among them by clicking the three-dot icon on this toolbar.Before you start the recording, take a moment to review the slides in your presentation at the lower-left corner, click the left and right arrows to scroll through them. In the area above the slide thumbnail, you can optionally type in notes or a script to read during your recording.Click the red circle button at the top to start recording. It will turn into a red square, indicating that your actions are now being recorded. Click through the slides and speak aloud, highlighting key points on the slides and providing more context for those who will be watching this video.You can click the laser pointer, pen, or highlighter icons on the toolbar below the large thumbnail of the slide to point out, draw on, or highlight things on the slide. These gestures will be included in the recording.At the top of the screen, click the Pause button (to the left of the webcam icon) to pause recording. Click it again to resume.Click the red square at the top of the screen to stop recording. On the large thumbnail of the slide, click the triangle icon to play back the recording. If you want to redo the recording, click the circular arrow icon at the top of the screen.When youre satisfied with the recording, click Export at the top of the screen. On the page that opens, you can type in a file name for the recording and optionally click Browse to select where on your PC you want to save the video file. Then click the Export Video button to save the recording to that location. Exporting a video of a presentation.Howard Wen / FoundryDepending on its length, the video may take a few minutes to export.PowerPoint: Insert live webcam video into your presentationThis feature requires PowerPoint 2024.With PowerPoints Cameo feature, you can embed live video from your webcam into one or more slides in your presentation. This can be useful when youre collaborating with your co-workers on a PowerPoint presentation so you can talk with them directly. Or when youre presenting a slideshow to others, you might want to insert your live webcam feed into a specific slide to explain the information on it.Go to the slide where you want to add live video. Above the slide, click the Insert tab. On the ribbon toolbar, click Cameo to insert your webcam feed. Select This Slide or All Slides. A large headshot icon will appear on the lower right of the slide. (If you selected All Slides, this icon will appear on all the other slides in the presentation.) Click the crossed-out camera icon on it to switch on a live feed of your webcam.Your live webcam feed appears at the lower right of the slide.Howard Wen / FoundryYou can reposition your webcam feed on the slide by clicking-and-holding onto it and dragging it to another area on the slide. You can resize it by dragging one of the nine points bordering it inward or outward.There are also several ways that you can customize your webcam feed, such as applying styles and visual effects. These options are listed on the ribbon toolbar in the Camera Styles area.When youre satisfied with the way you appear on the webcam feed, click the Slide Show tab above the slide. On the ribbon toolbar, select to start the presentation From Beginning or From Current Slide (the slide thats open in the main area of PowerPoint).As you advance through the presentation, your webcam feed will appear on the slide that you set it on. When the presentation is finished and you exit out of Slide Show mode, the webcam feed will turn off. You can also turn it off by simply clicking on the live feed image.PowerPoint: Add captions to video or audio on a slideThis feature requires PowerPoint 2024.If a video or audio file embedded on a slide has a closed captioning file that accompanies it, you can add this caption file so that the captions appear when the media is played. This can be helpful for viewers who are hard of hearing or who arent native speakers of your language.Adding a closed captioning file makes video playback more accessible.Howard Wen / Foundry(If a video or audio file isnt already on a slide, click the Insert tab at the top of the screen. On the ribbon toolbar, click Video or Audio. The interface will prompt you to select a video or audio file on your PC.)Right-click on the embedded video or audio file, and on the menu that opens, select Insert Captions. Alternatively, click on the video or audio file to select it. Above the slide, click the Playback tab. On the ribbon toolbar, click Insert Captions and select Insert Captions again on the menu that opens.Either way, the interface will prompt you to upload the caption file (in WebVTT or SRT format) that goes with the embedded video or audio file. Once the captions are uploaded, you can click the Play button below the video or audio clip to see the captions.Outlook: Find emails quickly with Instant SearchOutlook 2021 and 2024 offer much more powerful search features than their predecessors. Inside the search box at the top of the screen, type keywords related to an email youre looking for, such as the name of the sender or recipient, a subject line, or words or phrases that may be in the email. As you type, the Instant Search feature will generate results, if any, in a dropdown below the search bar.You can click the Files or People tabs to narrow the search to emails with a file attachment or a sender described by your keywords. To the left of the search box, clicking All folders will open a dropdown where you can select a specific folder to narrow the results to emails in that folder only.To search for emails, simply start typing in the search box at the top of the screen.Howard Wen / FoundryIn the dropdown, click on the email that you want to open. Or you can press the Enter key on your keyboard, and the full list of search results will appear below in the main window of the Outlook app.When you hit Enter, the full list of results appears below.Howard Wen / FoundryRefine the search results using filtersOn the toolbar just above the results, you can click options such as Has attachments, Unread, @ Mentions me, and so on to filter the results by those criteria.Another way to filter results: Back inside the search box at the top, click the Filters icon (three horizontal lines that vaguely resemble a funnel) to the right to open a panel listing various filtering options.Outlook offers several advanced search options, including searching within a specific date range.Howard Wen / FoundryPerform more complex searches with search operatorsAn even quicker way to refine a search is by using search operators inside the search box. For example, you can type from: and then an email address to find emails that were sent from that address. Type subject: or body: followed by a single word or a phrase in quotes to narrow results down to emails that contain the word or phrase in the subject line or body of an email.The operators received: and sent: narrow emails down to those that you received or sent on a specified date. For example, received:>=07/01/2024 will narrow the search to emails you received on or after July 1, 2024. And received:<=07/01/2024 will narrow results to emails you received before this date.For more info about searching in Outlook, including searching for calendar items and contacts, see Microsofts Outlook search support page.Outlook: Translate emails from and to other languagesOutlook can translate emails you receive written in foreign languages into your native language and it can translate emails you write in your own language into other languages.When you receive an email written in a foreign language, youll see a prompt above its message body. If English is your native tongue and you get an email written in Spanish, click Translate to English and the Spanish text in the body will be translated into English. Outlook automatically recognizes several languages that it can translate for you.You can translate an email into your own language with a single click.Howard Wen / FoundryAlternatively, you can click the three-dot icon at the upper right of the email. On the menu that opens, click Translate.Translate emails into another languageYou can also use Outlooks translator to translate your text to another language. So, for example, you can translate an email originally written in English into Spanish or another language.If youre using classic Outlook: Click the Home tab at the top, then click the Translate button on the toolbar. On the menu that opens, click Translation Preferences. This will open a panel where you can select the language you want to translate your email to.If youre using new Outlook: Click the View tab at the top, then click View settings on the toolbar. On the panel that opens: in the first column, click Mail. In the second column, click Message handling. And in the third column, scroll down to the subheading Translation. Below it, you can select the language that you want to translate your email to.Translate highlighted text in an emailThis feature is currently supported in classic Outlook only. Highlight portions of text that you want to translate in an email it can be an email youve received, one youve sent, or one youre composing.Right-click the highlighted words. On the menu that opens, select Translate > Translate Message. If the highlighted words are your own that you typed in an email draft, youll see them automatically translated on this second menu.Learn moreNow that youve familiarized yourself with the notable new features in Office 2021/2024, take a look back at our prior cheat sheets for Word 2016/2019, Excel 2016/2019, PowerPoint 2016/2019, and Outlook 2016/2019; most of the tips outlined in those articles still apply in the later releases.Or take a look at all of our Microsoft cheat sheets, which cover Windows as well as the Office apps.

Googles Pixel phones are practically overflowing with useful stuff. And some of the best options of all are things youve probably never even noticed.Thats true for the Pixels core Android software as well as its Google-made apps everything from theexcellent calling-related features in the Pixel Phone app to the splendidly useful reminder system built into the Pixel Screenshots app on more recent Pixel models.Its even true in apps that seem so basic and utilitarian, youd never think they had anything interesting lurking in their dusty virtual corners.Today, its time to explore one such app the seemingly mundane Pixel Clock app that came preinstalled on your phone. The Clock app may appear to be a simple spot for setting an alarm or timer, but dont let yourself be fooled: Beneath its second-ticking surface, that unassuming part of your Pixel has some powerful options thatll make your life a whole lot easier.Oh, and if you dont have a Pixel, dont worry: While the Clock app is the default time-keeping tool on Googles self-made phones, you can actually download it for free onany Android device and get the same exceptional experience this second, even outside of the Pixel universe.All right ready to see all the cool stuff your phones Clock app can do?[Psst: Dont stop here. Give yourself all sorts of advanced Pixel intelligence with my free Pixel Academy e-course.Seven full days of experience-enhancing sorcery!]Google Pixel Clock trick #1: Custom recurring alarmsIf youre anything like me, you probably find yourself getting up at different times for different purposes yknow, the standard workday time, the weekend or holiday time, and maybe even the pretending-to-be-a-platypus wacky Wednesday time (or whatever it is you do to celebrate the middle of the week).Well, stop futzing around with adjusting your alarms each time your wakey-wakey needs vary and start taking advantage of your Pixel Clocks custom recurring alarm features:First and foremost, on the main Alarm tab within the Clock app, tap the circular plus button at the bottom of the screen to add extra alarms into your list.Tap the Add label option within each card to give it a name thatll let you know what it is at a glance (even when your eyes are bleary and your brain is 94% offline).Remember, too, that you can keep any alarms you create off and available only for manual activation when you need em or you can flip the toggle within their cards into the on position and select certain days of the week to have em automatically activate on a regular weekly schedule.Its easy to maintain multiple recurring alarms within the Google Pixel Clock app on Android.JR Raphael, IDGAnd all of thats just the start.Google Pixel Clock trick #2: Advanced alarm pausingIn a relatively recent twist, once youve got an alarm scheduled and set to recur on some regular schedule, youll see a snazzy new option to pause it which is a bit confusing on the surface but could actually be quite handy in the right sort of situation.So heres how it works: With any alarm that has at least one recurring day selected, you can tap Pause alarm immediately beneath its schedule, within the Clock apps Alarm tab, and then select a series of dates on which you dont want the alarm to be running.The Pause alarm option lets you select a series of days on which a recurring alarm will not be active.JR Raphael, IDGThat way, if youre planning a week of vacation or any sort of shift from your standard schedule, you can tell your phone to stop sounding your regular alarm during that specific period but then to automatically pick back up with it right after. And you wont have to worry about forgetting to reenable your alarm after your downtime is done.Good to know, no?!Google Pixel Clock trick #3: Custom wake musicIn addition to your Pixels built-in alarm sounds, you can connect your Clock app to a handful of different music services and wake up to the likes of System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, or whatever soothing morning music you prefer.If youre using Googles Clock app on a Samsung phone, this is an especially noteworthy upgrade over the Clock app that came preinstalled on your device one Samsung is >slowly working to catch up to but still nowhere near close to matching.Here in the Pixel Clock app arena, though, all youve gotta do is get that connection set up once:Tap the sound configuration line within any of the alarms in your Pixel Clock apps Alarm tab. Itll be directly beneath the day selector when the card is expanded, and itll have a bell icon likely followed by the word Default.Now, heres the hidden part: After youve opened those alarm sound settings, tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.Thatll reveal options to install and connect compatible sound services.The Google Pixel Clock app supports custom alarm sounds from YouTube Music, Pandora, Spotify, and Calm.JR Raphael, IDGPick whatever service you prefer, and youll then see a tab for that service within the same Alarm sound screen. From there, its simply a matter of browsing through your available options within the services library or tapping the search icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to find something specific and picking the song or playlist most likely to annoy the living daylights out of anyone else sleeping in your vicinity.You can select any available song or sound to be used as your alarm.JR Raphael, IDGAhh nothing like a gentle start to the day.Google Pixel Clock trick #4: Specialized soundsIf the custom music isnt cuttin it for ya, take note: Your Pixel Clock appalso allows you to select any other standard sound file to use as your alarm audio.Just download whatever file you want onto your device (or transfer it over from a computer), then:Tap any individual alarm within the Clock apps Alarm tab.Tap the line with the current alarm sound like Default (Fresh Start) next to the little bell icon.Look for the Add new option.Smash your favorite phalange down on that option, and youll then be able to select any compatible sound file from your local phone storage or from any connected cloud services.Google Pixel Clock trick #5: Vocal varietyOne more potentially alarming alarm option to chew over is the Pixel Clocks amusing ability to let yourecord your ownself-made sound for an extra-special (and/or terrifying) wake-up experience.Just follow the same steps we just went over only this time, look for the Record new option within an individual alarms sound settings.The Pixel Clock apps Record new option lets you record your own custom sound for future alarms.JR Raphael, IDGBonus points if you manage to work a convincing Al Pacino impression into your recording.Google Pixel Clock trick #6: Automated automationAn especially cool trick in Googles Pixel Clock arsenal is the apps ability to connect to Google Assistant (which, yes, is still around in some forms, despite the ongoing march toward Gemini as a replacement) and trigger all sorts of automated actions as part of any alarm you set.Back in the apps Alarm tab, expand an alarms card and look for the Google Assistant Routine option. Tap that son of a dingus, and youll be taken to a screen where you can configure all sorts of extra actions to accompany your waking.The Pixel Clock apps Assistant Routines integration opens up all sorts of awesome automation options.JR Raphael, IDGThe options are virtually endless: Anything Assistant can do on your Pixel can be added into the mix things like reading out info about your day, adjusting various phone settings, turning on or off any manner of connected device, and even interacting with third-party apps in all manners of interesting ways.Hey Google: Any chance you can whip up some freshly made biscuits while youre at it?Google Pixel Clock trick #7: Wake-up weatherThis next trick seems to be limited only to scenarios where Googles Clock app is running on a Pixel device, specifically sorry, non-Pixel pals! but if youre in such a situation, take note of the nifty line that says Weather forecast within the expanded view of any alarm on the apps Alarm tab.Activating that will allow you to see an instant overview of the current weather in your area as soon as you dismiss an alarm. Itll just pop up automatically, as a full-screen forecast with the option to get even more detail.Get a glimpse at the weather as part of every alarm with Googles Clock app on a Pixel.JR Raphael, IDGThe forecast for today and every other day an alarm is set, incidentally, is sleepy with a strong chance of surliness. Consider yourself warned.Google Pixel Clock tricks #8, 9, and 10: Custom alarm behaviorsOn a more foundational level, your friendly neighborhood Pixel Clock app can let you take total control of how your alarms act and how you interact with em.Tap that three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner of the Clock apps main screen and select Settings from the list that comes up. Then pay careful attention to a trio of important yet easily overlooked options:Within the Alarms section, Silence after lets you customize exactly how long your alarm will harass you before giving up and shutting its virtual yap.In that same area of the screen, Snooze length allows you to shorten or extend the number of minutes your Pixel Clock will let you rest before attempting to buzz you out of bed again.And also in that section, Volume buttons will empower you to reprogram your Pixels physical volume keys so that they either snooze an active alarm or stop it entirely instead of simply adjusting its volume an excellent set of choices for anyone who finds fumbling with the screen first thing in the morning as irksome as I do.Oh, and one more thing worth noting on this frontGoogle Pixel Clock trick #11: The gentle volume phaserHearing any sound at full blast is an unfortunate way to welcome yourself back to the land of the living. Your Pixel phone has a more pleasant option, though if you find it and take the time to turn it on.In that same Clock app settings area we were just exploring, youll see lines labeled Gradually increase volume under both Alarms and Timers. Tap either or both of those lines, and hey wouldya look that?A less alarming alarm sound? Yes, please!JR Raphael, IDGPlay around with the options, see what works best for you, and enjoy a slightly less jarring start to your next busy work/platypus day.Google Pixel Clock trick #12: Simpler snoozingWhile were on the subject of unwanted waking, if you start your days as foggy and groggy as I do, Googles Pixel Clock app has a helpful way to stop an alarm without so much as lifting a single fingie.So long as youve got Google Assistant/Gemini enabled with hands-free Hey Google activation and if you arent sure, search your system settings for Assistant settings and then pull up the Hey Google section you can silence any active Clock app alarm simply by saying Hey Google, stop or Hey Google, snooze.Better yet, if youve got a reasonably Pixel phone with support for Googles Quick Phrases system available on the Pixel 6 and up, with English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish set as your primary language you can actually skip the Hey Google and just say Stop or Snooze to make the same thing happen.Head back into those same Assistant settings and seek out the Quick phrases option to make sure youve got it activated, then mumble away in the morning without a worry in the world.All youve gotta do is utter a single word to stop or snooze an alarm once the Pixel-specific Quick Phrases feature is active.JR Raphael, IDGGoogle Pixel Clock trick #13: Simple syncingIf youre using a Pixel phone and a Pixel Watch, be sure to dig into the Google Clock apps settings to find the Alarm sync option.That simple-seeming toggle will let you connect the alarms on your phone and watch so theyre one and the same and any alarms set on one device will also be set and present on the other.You can choose whether you want alarms to ring on both your phone and watch or if youd rather use an Adaptive ringing option that automatically sounds the alarm only on whichever device youre actively using at the moment its scheduled to occur.Simple syncing is a splendid setting when youre using a Pixel phone and Pixel Watch together.JR Raphael, IDGJust set it and forget it. What more could you ask for?Google Pixel Clock trick #14: The timer time-saverHeres a neat one I didnt actually notice myself until years into my personal Pixel journey: In your Pixel Clocks Timer tab, you can create multiple persistent timers and then keep em readily available for easy ongoing use.That way, if you have specific types of timers you use time and time again, you can pull em up quickly and get em going without wasting any time.To get started, look for the circular plus icon toward the bottom of the Timer tab after youve tapped in some amount of time and started a timer going. Once youve created some specific timers and set em up the way you want, be sure to tap the title above each one to customize it and give it a nice name for easy at-a-glance identifying.Youll then have on-demand access to all those different timers anytime you need em in the future.Stop starting new timers and instead save the ones you use the most.JR Raphael, IDGBout time you got this going!Google Pixel Clock trick #15: Timed sleep soundsSpeaking of timers, your Pixel Clock companion has a tucked-away option that might just help you function a bit better on your busy workdays by getting a good nights sleep.Tap the tantalizing Bedtime tab at the apps bottom edge and look for the section called Sleep sounds. (You might have to first tap a Get started option and do some initial setup, if youve never before accessed that area.)Tap the Choose another sound button on the screen that comes up next, and you can select from a small handful of relaxing noises waves, deep space, dial-up modem screech, and so on.Then, when you hit the play button back on the Bedtime tab, your sound of choice will start playing and you can tell the app exactly how long you want it to continue before shutting off and sending you away into a deep, relaxing slumber.Drift off to dreamy sounds with the Pixel Clock apps sleep sounds system.JR Raphael, IDG(Just kidding about the dial-up modem screech, by the way though if you really want to add that into the lineup, you can download it from this Wikipedia page and then use the specialized sounds option we went over a minute ago to make it available. Youre welcome and, simultaneously, apologies.)Google Pixel Clock trick #16: A custom bedtime scheduleAlso on the subject of bedtime, be sure to browse through the Schedule section of the Pixel Clock apps Bedtime tab while youre there. That area will let you set a simple schedule to have your phone automatically enter Do Not Disturb mode and optionally even adjust its screen into a less distracting black-and-white grayscale setting during your sleepy-time hours.You can configure exactly how the Clock-connected Bedtime mode works within Androids main system settings.JR Raphael, IDGYou can either create a strictly time-driven schedule or check an option to have your bedtime mode turn on only when your Pixel is actively being charged during certain hours a welcome bit of contextual intelligence to accompany those of us with irregular sleep patterns.Google Pixel Clock trick #17: The multiple time zone trackerI dont know about you, but I am an absolute nit when it comes to keeping track of multiple time zones. For whatever reason, at least one out of every five times, I end up mixing up the most basic time zone conversions and confusing my mushy ol man-noggin about when, exactly, some manner of event is occurring.Your Pixel Clock app has a helpful way to make managing multiple time zones easier: In the Clock tab, tap the circular plus icon and search for any city you think about during the day. You can add as many cities in as you want, and youll then be able to see em all on the same screen with a clear indication of the current time in each area and its exact difference from your location. On reasonably recent Pixel devices, youll also see the weather for each area right then and there for easy at-a-glance access.Its as easy as can be to track multiple time zones within the Pixel Clock app.JR Raphael, IDGIf you really want to go all out, you can also slap the Clock apps handy world time widget onto your home screen for an even more accessible at-a-glance view of the same info. Long-press anywhere on your home screen and look for the widget-adding command to find it.Google Pixel Clock trick #18: Time travelNow, hang on: Dont gettoo excited. This isnt actual time travel in the DeLorean, Doc Brown, Great Scott! sense. But itis a supremely useful Pixel Clock option thatll help you better keep track of the time whenever youre traveling (whether via DeLorean or a more conventional transportation method).The feature will automatically add an extra clock into your Clock apps Clock tab that same list we expanded a second ago so you can always see the current time in your home city anytime youre somewhere else, without any extra thought or effort.You can confirm the feature is active and ready to roll on your phone by heading into the Clock apps settings (via the three-dot menu icon in its upper-right corner) and looking for the Automatic home clock toggle.Google Pixel Clock trick #19: Second precisionPrefer to track the exact time, down to the second? Googles Clock app has got ya covered.Gallop back into the apps settings section one more time and this time, look right toward the top of the list for a toggle to Display time with seconds.Tap that toggle, and in a split second, youll see an added second-counter on the end of the current time within the Clock apps Clock tab.Easy peasy!Google Pixel Clock trick #20: A secret shortcutFor the Pixel owners among us, youve got a simple built-in shortcut to zip into the Clock app anytime, from anywhere on your device. Its just up to you to realize its there.Luckily, theres really nothing to it: Just swipe down once from the top of your screen to open up your notification panel, then tap the current time in the upper-left corner of the screen.Thats it. Who knew?!Google Pixel Clock trick #21: On-demand alarm infoNo matter what type of Android device youre using, you can add your own custom Quick Settings tile to have a one-swipe-away view of your next alarm and an easy way to open up the Google Clock app from anywhere.Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to see your Quick Settings, then tap the pencil-shaped icon to edit it. (On some Samsung devices, you might have to tap a three-dot menu icon and then select an option to edit from there instead.) Find the Alarm tile in the section showing unused Quick Settings options and drag it into any position you like within the active tiles area. Then, you can always see your next scheduled alarm right then and there, in your Quick Settings, and tap that tile to jump right over into the Alarm tab of the Google Clock app. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?quality=50&strip=all 800w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=290%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 290w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=768%2C795&quality=50&strip=all 768w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=673%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 673w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=162%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 162w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=81%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 81w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=464%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 464w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=348%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 348w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-quick-settings-tile.webp?resize=242%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 242w" width="800" height="828" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px">The Google Clock apps Quick Settings tile is a smart addition for any Android device.JR Raphael, IDGGoogle Pixel Clock trick #22: Simple action shortcutsLast but not least, one final Pixel Clock possibility to ponder: Youd never know it, but hiding within the regular ol Clock icon in your app drawer is a series of spectacular shortcuts for performing certain simple actions in a single swift step.Its part of Androids oft-forgotten App Shortcuts system, and it can save you some serious time if you remember to use it.And it couldnt be much easier to use: Just press and hold your finger onto the Clock apps icon in your app drawer or on your home screen for a couple of seconds. And hey, how bout them apples?All sorts of time-saving Clock app actions never more than a long-press away.JR Raphael, IDGThere, right in front of your suspiciously steamy nostrils, are one-tap options for creating a new alarm, firing up a new timer, and starting a stopwatch as well as for launching the Clock apps time-focused screensaver, in case that urge ever strikes. Any of those commands will launch the associated action in the blink of an eye, without any spelunkin around within the apps menus.And heres one more bonus trick: If you find yourself using any of those options regularly, you can make it even easier to access by pressing and holding your finger onto it and then dragging it directly onto your home screen. See? srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?quality=50&strip=all 800w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=296%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 296w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=768%2C780&quality=50&strip=all 768w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=687%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 687w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=166%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 166w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=83%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 83w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=473%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 473w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=355%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 355w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-pixel-clock-app-actions.webp?resize=246%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 246w" width="800" height="812" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px">Dont sleep on all the ways Androids app actions can save you precious seconds.JR Raphael, IDGNow itll be just like any other shortcut on your home screen and never more than a single tap away.Saving time in an app thats all about seconds it just doesnt get much better than that.Dont let yourself miss an ounce of Pixel magic. Sign up for my free Pixel Academy e-course and discover tons of hidden features and time-saving tricks for your favorite Pixel phone.

Apple has confirmed that it is to permanently shut its Apple Northbrook store in Chicago.Apple NorthbrookIt's common for Apple to close an Apple Store, but very rare for it not just being that it's moving to a nearby and typically larger location. In the past few years, only a handful of stores have permanently closed, such as the Atlantic City one, Royal Hawaiian, and MacArthur Center.Now according to Crain's Chicago Business, Apple's store in the Northbrook Court shopping mall is about to be permanently closed. There are no further details of when it will be shut, but Apple did release a statement confirming the closure. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums