There was a time when phones only contained text messages and contacts that the value of your device had been more important than what it stores. But that period is now long gone. In today’s age of smartphones, information has become more valuable than the device itself, which is why having a PIN on your smartphone has become more important than ever.

Tons of information -- such as your social media accounts, email messages and bank details -- can be accessed from your phone and we all know that security is not something to be ignored in this day and age. Setting up a passcode is an easy task on both Android and iOS smartphones and here’s how it’s done.

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Dropbox is awesome. There are less expensive cloud storage services nowadays, such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, but I don't care -- Dropbox is worth every penny. Why? Well, the company is constantly adding features while focusing on its customers. Not to mention, the artistic design and excellent interface make it a treat to use.

Today, Dropbox gets a slick new feature -- commenting. I know what you are thinking -- what makes such a simple thing so amazing, Brian? Ah grasshopper, sometimes it is the simplest things that make the biggest difference. Not only can you comment and collaborate on a file with others, but you can easily pull them into the conversation. The best part? They don't even need to be Dropbox users.

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Smartphone security takes a number of forms; you might access your phone with a PIN, your fingerprint, or via facial recognition. But if Yahoo's plans gather momentum, you could be using your ear to unlock your phone in the not-too-distant future. The idea builds on the idea of the unique fingerprint we all have, taking advantage of the capacitive touchscreens that are now a standard feature of phones.

There's no need for special sensors as the way different parts of your ears touch the screen when held in the 'talk' position can be used to uniquely identify you. It's all part of Yahoo's Bodyprint program, which is also looking at how the way you hold your phone could be used as an unlock tool.

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USB Type-C is certainly the future, but it will take a while for consumers to fully embrace it. If you bought the new MacBook, Apple hasn't given you much choice; users will have to use adapters to use something like a traditional Type-A USB flash drive. At least Google offers standard ports in addition to Type-C on its new Chromebook Pixel.

What if you didn't need an adapter to use your flash drive on the new ports? Patriot has developed a new flash drive that solves that exact problem.

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Android phones have become a bit of a boring affair. Sadly, what was once an exciting market has become stale and stagnant. Bigger screen? Faster processor? Yawn and yawn. In order to stand out, manufacturers need to offer something unique. Samsung accomplished this with the gorgeous Galaxy S6 edge -- the curved screen edges made consumers take notice. Gimmick? Maybe, but it worked.

Now it's LG's turn to attempt to wow. Today, the manufacturer announced its newest flagship, the G4. This time, it is the materials that attempt to make the device stand out. You see, LG is offering the options of beautiful leather or ceramic. In other words, LG seems to be creating a luxury experience. Android purists will greatly appreciate the removable battery and microSD card slot.

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Microsoft could face a ban on importing handsets into the US after a ruling by the International Trade Commission. The ITC found that Microsoft had used technology for which InterDigital owns the patents without obtaining the relevant permission.

Microsoft plans to challenge the ruling, saying "we have a successful track record challenging patent assertion entities that misuse industry standards". It is not the first handset manufacturer to have been hit with legal action from InterDigital, and it could severely hamper future handset sales.

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It's a great time of the year for sports fans, with hockey in the playoffs, the upcoming NFL draft, the Triple crown and baseball season well underway. Now Roku is bringing all of this to your TV via both its set-top boxes and Roku TVs. It arrives just in time for all of the action.

The NBC Live Extra Service promises over 3,000 events per year, including some exclusive coverage. That traverses an awful lot of ground.

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In theory, storing your files in the cloud means you can access them from anywhere. But in practice, there’s often a complication: you’ll have to find them first.

Treev is a free Chrome extension which can search all your Google Drive, Dropbox, Trello or Box accounts from a single search bar.

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Security issues affect smaller businesses just as much as big ones, but they're often less equipped to deal with them due to limited resources.

Today Kaspersky Lab is releasing the latest version of its Kaspersky Small Office Security, built specifically for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. It's aimed at providing world-class protection and easy use without the need for specialized IT skills.

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Opera 29 FINAL has been released for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, bringing major improvements for those who like to browse across a range of devices with the ability to sync tabs between mobile and desktop platforms.

Version 29 also adds support for customizable keyboard shortcuts as well as a new indicator tool to help pinpoint which browser tab audio is being played from. The update also includes some useful minor tweaks too.

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If you want a high-end 15-inch Windows laptop that is light and visually attractive you will most certainly not be spoilt for choice. PC makers are focusing on the smaller segments, which usually means a display size of around 13-inches. Sure, you can always grab a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and slap Windows on it, but that is not the same thing.

Fortunately, ASUS continues to include a 15-inch high-end option in its ZenBook lineup, as it just introduced ZenBook Pro UX501. It packs all the right features a buyer in this segment is looking for: ultra-high resolution screen, fast processor, lots of RAM, insanely fast SSD, dedicated graphics and a big battery, all in a package that is not much bigger and heavier than Apple's offering. What is not to like?

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If you need to work with PDFs then you’ve probably built up a whole library of tools to help out: a viewer, a creator, maybe a conversion tool, something else to split or merge files, and the list goes on.

EPapyrus PDF-Pro tries to replace all of these -- and a whole lot more -- with a single free (for personal use, $49 otherwise) package.

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Mobile engagement specialist OpenMarket has released the results of a study, commissioned from IDC, into the business impact of mobile messaging.

The study looks at how mobile messaging is being used across a number of key industries including automotive, education, financial services, healthcare and utilities. It shows that many companies have failed to adopt holistic mobile messaging with 62 percent having at least two messaging platforms deployed, and 78.5 percent with more than one active initiative.

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If you have a small business, and that business doesn’t have its own Facebook page, then you’re doing your business wrong.

Come on, people’s pets have Facebook fan pages, and your business doesn’t. Many will agree that having a fan page is essential to your business, but with basically everyone on there, the rules have changed.

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For many of us, smartphones have replaced dedicated cameras. And it is easy to understand why. But if there is one area where DSLRs and the like still shine, picture quality is definitely it. That said, smartphones are getting better and better each year, with today's flagships leading the charge.

Not all flagships are created equal though. Some are better than others in this regard, packing useful hardware features like optical image stabilization (OIS), which helps in low-light and video recording, and software to match, featuring clever algorithms that offer the right balance between image quality and noise. And if you are looking for the best all-around camera, that can take great photos and videos, apparently nothing can match Samsung's Galaxy S6 edge.

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