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TechyTommy Phones: IFTTT + Text Messages!

  A year ago, I did a blog post on a website called IFTTT! If you want to view that, click here ! But let me quickly explain why this is relevant to phones! Lots of carriers have a way to send text messages through email! This is carrier-specific, so you can't just send it to all phone numbers! For example, Cellcom has yournumber@cellcom.quiktxt.com and U.S Cellular has yournumber@email.uscc.net! (These are carrier emails for TechyTommy Email VIP users.) To use all of these, format your phone number like this: 1234567890! These are called "SMS to email gateways"! But what if your carrier is not listed here? Thankfully, there is a website with 92 carriers in the United States! Just go to email2sms.info  if your carrier isn't in this article! But how does IFTTT work here? While, IFTTT can send emails from your Gmail account! Previously, I was talking about connecting Gmail to Google Calendar, Alexa to Blogger, and Google Calendar to Contacts! But now, we can connect any
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TechyTommy Phones: Getting a Phone!

So today, I'm getting a phone! What phone am I going to get? The iPhone 13! So we went to Cellcom to get the phone! We had to wait a long time! But now I got it! This is my first phone! Now, when we went to the grocery store, I kept on sending videos to Philip while we were there, and when we were coming home! It did take a while, but it worked! I had one problem with it where text messages would take a while, but I no longer have that problem! Now, the iPhone 13 has a feature called Face ID! You can unlock just by looking at your phone! But the iPhone 13 supports a feature called Wi-Fi Calling! What is it like? While, it just feels like a normal phone call or text message! But I would rate my phone 10 out of 10! But I get the Premium Unlimited Medium during the summer, and Premium Unlimited Small during the school year! But let's look at Cellcom a little more! Now, phone quality! Cellcom has VoLTE (they call it "Advanced Calling"), which means phone calls and SMS/MMS

Should You Get a Chromebook Or a Windows Laptop?

Before reading this blog post, I recommend reading " The Pros and Cons of Using a Chromebook ", which is figuring out the pros and cons based on my experience of using both! But now, I will look at it in more detail, and try to figure out what is best for most people, and find what computer is best for you based on what purpose you use it for! Please note that I can't choose one choice for everybody. So, first, let's look at home use. What if you just use your computer for watching TV shows and movies at night? Well, a Windows laptop would be overkill for what you are doing with your computer! If that's all you do, just buy a budget detachable Chromebook! Currently, your best option is a Lenovo Chromebook Duet with 64 gigabytes for $279 dollars! It unlaptops into a tablet, so you can always laptop it and do the occasional work-in-bed! Now, what if you play games a lot? Well, a Windows laptop is the best option, as Chromebook gaming isn't that popular with gam

The Pros and Cons of Using a Chromebook

So, my computer habits keep on changing! From Summer 2018 to Christmas 2019, I used an Asus Chromebook C223. I'm not completely sure about that, but I went to the now-hidden Shop section of the Chromebook website, chose Laptop as the device type and Asus as the brand, and that one looked the most like the one I have. Here is the exact model ! Then, for Christmas 2019, I got the Acer Chromebook R11. The first blog post made with it was " Bloxels is really Fun! ", and the last is " Back to School, Virtually ". This is most likely the shortest-used computer that I have owned! Nowadays, the computer belongs to Philip, my brother. He never uses it, however. He mostly uses his iPad for everything. But, back to the Acer Chromebook R11. I used it until October 2020 when I got the Acer Spin 3, and then I used that until November 3, 2021 when I got the Pixelbook Go that I am typing this on right now! So, now we get to the name of this blog post. "The Pros and Cons of

My New Reading Device: Kindle Paperwhite

So, all the way back in October, I got a Kindle Paperwhite! And I've been using it frequently ever since! So, what does it look like? So, the Kindle is intended as a reading device. It can also handle audiobooks, but I don't have any to test. But the Kindle can do a lot more. It can go onto the store to buy and download books and audiobooks. But, there is Goodreads! But the best part is the web browser. But, the display technology makes it unusable for most tasks. And I ended up making my own Kindle unusable because of my own blog post . Don't click the link on a Kindle no matter what. However, there is an easier way to get websites onto a Kindle, of any kind. Send-To-Kindle! Just install Send-To-Kindle for Google Chrome, and you can send any sites to your Kindle, including my favorite blog post, "Google Meet vs Zoom: What Meeting Program is Better?". No images, but it feels like a magazine article now! So, the Kindle Paperwhite is a bad internet device because of

The Discontinuation of Google Hangouts

In sometime in 2021 or 2022, Google Hangouts, the chat service by Google, is going to be discontinued. If you have used it this year, you might have saw the warning. But what does Google want you to switch to? While, 2 apps! Google Meet and Google Chat. Most TechyTommy readers don't know what Google Chat is. Google Chat is the newest chat app by Google! Here is it in Gmail (these pictures are blurred out a lot): And here is just the Google Chat interface: Now, the weird thing is that back in 2017 or 2018, Google tried to replace Google Hangouts with not Meet and Chat, but some apps you probably not used. Those apps are called Google Allo and Google Duo. I still am on Google Duo, and Google Allo, I was never on Google Allo. That was a text messaging-instant messaging hybrid app that nobody used, except for the Google Assistant. Yes, really!  https://web.archive.org/web/20180208073539/https://allo.google.com/ . And they switched everybody to the worst app ever, MESSAGES for your Andr

How to use a TV as a second monitor

  Yes, I know TVs are plug-and-play, but you are not getting the best experience from it. First, open your Display Settings, and drag your TV to the proper place. And then, select your monitor, and then click on Advanced display settings. Now, click on XX.XXXX Hz (where X is the numbers). Now instead of that, you should choose the highest non-interlaced option. And on your TV, turn on Game Mode. Now, exit this menu, and click on XXX% (X is still the numbers). Now, click on all of them until you find the one you want. And then your mouse should work better, your second monitor should be faster, and your second monitor will look better! My TV is to the right of my laptop, it uses 60Hz, and I use 125%.

TechyTommy Programming: Coming Tomorrow!

  Ever wanted to learn Python? While, stay here! TechyTommy Programming is coming soon! All you need to do is go to TechyTommy (if you want, get TechyTommy through your email using TechyTommy Email ), and look for TechyTommy Programming! (And when you get to TechyTommy Email, click on Join Group.)

Should You Use A Password Manager?

Now, you need to keep track of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of passwords! You can reuse the same password, but what if you want to have an even bigger password or be more secure? While, you can use a password manager! But, isn't that more insecure? You just have a big program/extension that you can open up, and it can be opened by anyone? While, if you don't have a computer password, set it now. But then, you can set up a password for your password manager! When you open it, it asks for a password. Once you type it in, your passwords are there! There are 2 ways that password managers can work. First, a password manager can type in passwords for you. The second way is filling them in. And a password manager can generate THIS good of a password! 7Au2bi7enA@'32=DHOv2em~Jp:#<AlhsMtcoc<,b//(C/6EhHtMYj~^:]0_cYL3+~6_B`GUL9G;]>JYGW86_Or1paU+HBvOr!Fdy So, should you use a password manager? While, how easy is it for you to track passwords? While, you can choose that. Bu

Google Meet vs Zoom: What Meeting Program is Better?

Now, I usually don't talk about meeting programs here. But, I was able to try out Google Meet and Zoom! Remember about NetMeeting from my virtual learning blog post? While, I was able to run the Windows XP version in a Windows XP virtual machine (not my real computer), but I could not test it. And here is a Google Meet picture! So, to the comparison. Now,  the interface of Google Meet looks a lot better! But, the virtual background is not very good. It cuts my hair off! But, when it comes to integration with the operating system, Zoom is better. And the closed captions feature is not the most accurate.  What I said: This is a test of the Google Meet closed captions. What it think I said: This isn't Just the Girl Meet closed captions. But a couple hours after I wrote this, I learned about a new meeting program. Google Duo! Now, Google Duo is more like a phone call except for video than a meeting program. But weirdly, Google Duo is more like Microsoft NetMeeting. In NetMeeting, y

My New Tablet (Fire Tablet 10)

So for my birthday, I got a new tablet. That tablet is the Fire Tablet! Specifically, the Fire Tablet 10 (2019). So, the Fire Tablet is an Android tablet with a custom version of Android installed called Fire OS. Fire OS is basically Android with a custom launcher and the Amazon App Store! So, because of that, you can install Google Play onto it! And I use it almost everyday to read. The Fire Tablet comes with the Kindle app built in, so all your Kindle books can be delivered over as soon as you are done setting it up. Plus, you can even install Epic onto your Fire Tablet! And you can get Kindle books from the library! Just install the Libby app and choose that you read books through Kindle, and then you can deliver library books from your Fire Tablet to your Fire Tablet! This also works on all Kindle devices (Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, iPad, your Windows laptop, MacBooks, and more). Now, I don't know how expensive the Fire Tablet is right now. But as a Fire Tablet and Android tab

All About FeedBurner, FeedBurner Email, and RSS

Now, if you have read lots of blogs, you probably saw this icon at least once. And if you click that icon, you might have seen a website that starts with feedburner.com. First, that icon is for RSS. RSS is a format that contains all the posts from that blog. This is a snippet what my blog in RSS looks like.  ef =" http://feeds.feedburner.com/techytommy " /> <feedburner:info uri =" techytommy " /> <atom10:link xmlns:atom10 =" http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom " rel =" hub " href =" http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/ " /> <entry> <id> tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878542713109000453.post-7479948654457705158 </id> <published> 2021-07-06T06:59:00.002-05:00 </published> <updated> 2021-07-06T07:11:56.342-05:00 </updated> <category scheme =" http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns# " term =" Coding " /> <category scheme =" http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns# " term ="

IFTTT: Connect Gmail to Google Calendar, Alexa to Blogger, and even Google Calendar to Contacts!

  Now, you may want to connect your devices to each other. Like your smart home to your email to get an email when it is turned on and off! So, before you build a new app, there is already an app for what you want to do. That app is called IFTTT! So, to get started, go to IFTTT and create an account. And then, create a new applet! Now, select what you want to trigger your applet. You could use an Alexa command, sending an email, or even creating a new Google Contact! Now, you need to choose what happens. You could send a notification to your iPad or Fire Tablet, create a new Google Contact, or even create a Google Calendar event! This is the example I will do. Now, before you can use some services (like Alexa and Contacts), you need to link your account. Just log in and allow IFTTT to access your account! After you are done choosing your options, click on Continue. You can receive notifications when it runs. After that, click on Finish. Your applet is now ready! Now, there are 2 kinds

My New Computer (Acer Spin 3)

  So recently I got a new computer. So what are the differences? While, this laptop is a Windows laptop, which is new for me. This computer is an Acer Spin convertible, specifically an Acer Spin 3. One thing that this laptop has compared to my previous Chromebooks is that it has a Caps Lock key. So what is in this laptop? This has an Intel Iris Plus graphics card paired with an Intel Core i5 10th Gen processor, along with 8 gigabytes of RAM (memory) and 512 gigabytes of storage. WAY more than I need. So should you get it? Yes. Now, when should you get it? Your choice. You can get it now, or get it when it is not an outside vendor. And I forgot to say, it comes with a stylus. So how many stars do I rate it? 5 stars. And there is also a backlit keyboard, but you can turn that on or off with the F8 key. And you will need to turn it on to turn it off. But overall, the Acer Spin 3 is a good laptop. I recommend this laptop to anyone who needs a good Windows laptop. To actually press a functi

My First 2 Android Apps (maybe)

So, I am going to create my VERY first 2 Android apps.  If you want to see anything that I post about Android, go into the side menu, click on the "Labels" section, then "android". And, if you want to make YOUR very own Android apps, go to  https://developer.android.com/studio , then download Android Studio. (Note: You can not download Android Studio to an iPad, not even an Android device.) And, you do not need anything Android. They have an Android Emulator! I do not have Android Studio downloaded at the time I posted this blog post, but I will have it downloaded and installed when I publish the blog post called "My First Android App". And, if you need help installing Android Studio (you may not be able to on a school computer), go online to the "User Guide" section of the Android Studio/Developers website. The version of Android Studio when I posted this is 4.0, but it is not going to be 4.0 forever, and comment below if you have an app you wan

I published my first game on Bloxels

So, I just made a game on Bloxels. What is it called? The Turtle Game. When you click on the game (if you want, copy and paste this code into the Arcade to play it: 45871272), you should see this screen. If you click on play, tap the screen (or space bar) and play! So, you can play it also by searching "turtle".

Bloxels is really Fun!

So, I am having lots of fun on Bloxels. You can make your own video games, play videos games, and lot's more. I usually make video games, but sometimes I play them to get used to my keyboard (I play it on a Chromebook, not an iPad). This is what the Bloxels logo looks like. So, you have to pay $19.99 if you want it, but playing the video games are free. If you like Bloxels you can get a T-shirt! Now, as soon as I started, I had lots of fun! No matter if you have an iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, Chromebook, Chromebox, or even a Windows 10 computer, you can use Bloxels! According to my email, the time I started building on Bloxels is at April 4, 2020 at 10:16 AM (central time). You need an email to use to sign up, and most 2nd graders don't but most 2nd graders parents do! Your projects sync in the cloud (not up in the sky) and you can publish your video games! Need tutorials? There are plenty to watch!  But, you will need Wi-Fi! You have it if you're reading this right

One hidden feature in Google Slides

So, you may want a template for something like a true or false game. In Google Slides, you can add a template. So let's open it. Then you can add a theme to add to. So let's add a name. Now what are we waiting for? Let's go to that Slide menu. Press "Edit master" to start making templates. Now, right click and choose "New layout". Now, rename it, and make the template. Edit it the same way you do. (If you want text to be editable, do "Body text placeholder". You can delete that title if you want to.) See my template here. When you're done editing, press the x to close.   Happy template making!

Disney+-and you can sign up now

So November 12th, Disney+ came out and it's the best! It lets me watch Puppy Dog Pals without cable. And you can get Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with one subscription. And a few weeks ago I made the Library Pillows movie. So it's a good time for Disney+. Get it now. Try it at disneyplus.com . Homepage P.S. If you are a Chromebook user you will need to use the app.

Blogger? From March 12, 2013?

This is Blogger from March 12, 2013: You can find it here:  https://web.archive.org/web/20130312040117/https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=blogger&passive=1209600&continue=http://www.blogger.com/home&followup=http://www.blogger.com/home&ltmpl=start#s01 But, that looks like it could be from now. Here is it now: I like Blogger now.

What blogging engine would you like?

So, last night I was reading about blogging, and here are some blogging engines from my book: I chose Blogger because it was free with no ads ! I just needed my Google account! What do you like? Why? Post in the comments!

Alexa Skill Blueprints

This needs a Amazon account, a computer, and a type of Amazon Alexa. Go to https://blueprints.amazon.com/home Scroll a little bit, and choose a blueprint! Do everything it tells you to do! Wait a few minutes, and soon say "Alexa, open [skill name]"!

What is the Wayback Machine?

Have you ever seen this on your computer? That is the Wayback Machine! Here's a example of using it: Your teacher asks you to get the oldest version of the PBS Kids website. But you don't know how! So, you type in https://pbskids.org into the first text box, go to it from October 13, 1999, and there! Slideshow below: (P.S. I can't get to it from then) Now, where is the Wayback Machine? It's at web.archive.org !