Superb Gaming Accessories for Your Laptop

You probably have shelled out most of your hard-earned money to buy a powerful gaming laptop, but wait -- it's probably not complete yet. After installing your favorite games, you think you're all set to jump in. But then you suddenly thought of accessories. You'll need a cool gaming headset, a wicked-fast mouse, and a crisp, sharp monitor to put on your desk -- add in other goodies like a mechanical keyboard and a powerful router.

Here is a compilation of some highly-recommended gaming peripherals that you can match with your laptop for home as well as on-the-go.

Razer Mamba		The latest Razer Mamba is a premium gaming mouse with an array of high-end features. It sports an appealing and sturdy design, with two customizable curved LED light strips, a matte finish, and rubberized side grips, as well as 10 fully programmable buttons. The Razer Mamba can be used wirelessly, thanks to an included charging dock that also serves as a receiver. Price: $149.99
Kingston Hyper Cloud		Pro-gaming optimized, HyperX Cloud is HiFi capable and delivers intense audio with crystal-clear low, mid and high tones plus enhanced bass-reproduction so you can lose yourself while you win. Plus, you'll look sharp while playing, thanks to the unique HyperX design. HyperX Cloud comes with a memory foam earpads and interchangeable ear cups for varying sound profiles and different texture options. The detachable premium microphone has a slimmer mic windshield and is easy to plug in for gaming use -- or just unplug it if you're simply going to listen to music. Price: $76.99
Acer B286HK		The Acer B286HK is a reasonably-priced UHD monitor that delivers a highly detailed image, good gray-scale production, and solid gaming performance. It's also loaded with features, has an ergonomic stand, a USB hub, and advanced color settings. Its stand has a mounting arm equipped with a siding hinge that raises the panel 6 inches and provides 35 degrees of tilt and 120 degrees of swivel adjustability. You can also rotate the panel 90 degrees for Portrait-mode viewing, however the image will not rotate automatically; you'll have to use your graphics control panel for that. Price: $599
Corsair K95 RGB		The Corsair Gaming K95 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard begins with the durability, styling, and responsiveness of the legendary K95, and adds multicolor per-key backlighting for virtually endless lighting combinations. It's built with 100% Cherry MX RGB key switches for fast, precise actuation and superior feel, and you can assign up to 108 macros to the 18 G-keys for faster gaming. Every one of the keys can be assigned a unique backlighting color, and multiple brightness levels for a level of customization never before seen in a mechanical keyboard. And, the K95 RGB is built to last, with a black anodized brushed aluminum finish that's both study and lightweight. Price: $189.99
Amped Wireless RTA2600 Athena		The Athena is the ultimate router for the multi-device household. Built with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Dual Core processor, 16 high-powered amplifiers, and 4 high gain antennas, the Athena delivers unmatched WiFi performance. It is equipped to provide unprecedented coverage, speed, and reliability for the most demanding networks with many connected devices. Extremely fast AC2600 Wi-Fi technology provides up to 2.53Gbps, making lag and buffering a thing of the past for any user. The Athena router also features cutting-edge MU-MIMO technology that enables multiple devices to receive data at once, granting uninterrupted streaming for everyone. So if you want to get that ultimate Wi-Fi experience, upgrade your network with the Athena router. Price: $207.95
Microsoft Xbox One Controller		Most gamers -- console or otherwise -- prefer the Xbox One controller when it's time to start button-mashing on a PC. The input device is known for its ergonomically friendly design, snappy button feedback and grippy analog sticks, which come in handy for those of us with sweaty hands. Typically, you'd need a USB cable to use the controller on a laptop. However, thanks to the Microsoft Xbox One Wireless Adapter ($25), gamers can now quit being wired. Price: $42.99

Cool Tips to Get You Started With Airmail for iPhone

Now, you have several options to choose from if ever you finally could call it quits with Apple's Mail app for iOS --there's Gmail from Google, and Inbox to Microsoft's Outlook for iOS. Enter Airmail -- an iPhone version of an already popular Mac mail client.

With dozens of customization options, one-tap inbox filters, and the ability to "snooze" messages, Airmail makes a great alternative to Mail, as long as you're willing to pay $5 for it. If you are curious enough to find out what other things this new mail client for Mac can do, learn more about them below.

Customize the Sidebar

When you launch Airmail, one of the things you will notice is its slide-open drawer on the left side of the screen, complete with navigation links to your various account inboxes, starred messages, sent mail, message labels, and more.

While the drawer of quick links to your accounts and messages is already a plus, even better is your ability to customize it. Simply tap on the edit button to move, add, or hide anything in the sidebar.

You can also tap and hold a message label in the sidebar to rename it, customize its color, or add it as "favorite."

Customize Some New Swipe Actions

Once you're finished with the drawer, you can proceed in customizing the actions when you swipe a message in one of your inboxes. There are more than a dozen swipe actions available under the Settings menu -- from archiving and trashing a message to giving it a new label, snoozing it (more on "snooze" in a moment) or filing it into a "to do" list.

Just tap the three-line "hamburger" button to open the sidebar, tap Settings near the bottom of the screen, tap Swipes, then start customizing both your left and right swipe shortcuts. Keep in mind that you get to choose two "actions" per swipe: One that deactivates once you swipe a message about halfway across the screen, and a second that snaps on after you've swiped about two-thirds or more across.

Choose a New Default Browser

Typically in iOS, tapping on a web link in a message or any other app will either open an in-app browser or Safari. In Airmail, though, you can decide which browser -- anything from Safari or Chrome to Firefox or iCab -- gets your business when you tap a link.

To do this, open the left side Airmail drawer, then tap Settings, and then go to Default Browser. From here, you can go on and take your pick.

"Snooze" Messages

If you want to avoid annoying messages, but you'll have the chance to read and respond to later, there's a smart way on how to deal with them. Instead of letting the message sit in your inbox marked as unread, you can "snooze" it.

When you do (just add the snooze feature as a left or right swipe action, or access it by going to the three-dot menu at the corner of the screen), the message will disappear from your inbox for however long you see fit -- anything from just a few hours to the next day, weekend, next week, or any date of your choosing.

You can also tap on Settings, then Snoozes to customize the message(s) as to when they will reappear on your inbox. For instance, you can set the snooze to "Later Today" on the message, which means it will reappear on your inbox between an hour to 24 hours later.

Add Airmail as a Button Under the Action Menu

When you're surfing the web in Safari and found a webpage you'd like to share, one way is to tap the Mail button to send the link via email, which will send the message using the default iOS Mail app.

If you want to share links (or photos, or something else) using Airmail instead, try this:

• Tap the Action button (the icon with a square with an arrow up in the middle, usually located at the bottom toolbar of Safari and other iOS apps), flick the top row of apps all the way to the end, then tap More.
• Scroll through the list of options until you see Airmail -- and when you do, enable it, then tap, hold, and drag the little three-line handle to move it ahead or behind other buttons in the list.

Now, you'll see the Airmail option the next time you tap the Action button; tap it and you're all ready to share it via email.

Important Twitter Limitations You May Not Be Aware Of

Recently, Twitter has announced that it's planning to increase the number of characters from 140 to 10,000. This is something that has caused users to complain because they feel that this new limit is going to make Twitter lose its identity. For better of for worse, the 140 character limitation is the only limit the social network has. Below are some Twitter limitations you may not know existed.

Usernames can only be 15 characters long
Usernames on Twitter can have a maximum of 15 characters, and that does not include the @ symbol. You can naturally add letters, numbers, and underscores. You could even create a username with a single character if there were any available.

Send a maximum of 1,000 messages a day
Since Twitter allowed users to send direct message to anyone, it provided a limit of 1,000 message for its users to avoid spam.

You can't tweet more than 2,400 times a day
A lot of people spend a lot of time on Twitter, but it's actually hard to believe that someone would send tweet more than 2,400 times a day. To pull that off, you would have to send 100 tweets an hour without sleeping. This is Twitter's another way to avoid spam.

You can't follow more that 2,000 users without limits
This one might just be interesting on of them all. This is probably the only limit of Twitter that you may possibly run into. Once you follow 2,000 users, you can only have 10% more followers than the people you follow. In other words, if you want to follow more than 2,000 people, you have more than 1,800 followers. When you reach a limit, Twitter will let you know with an error message telling you that.

Twitter won't allow to create more than 1,000 lists
Lists are very useful tool when you want to get information about a certain something of read tweets from a particular circle of people because you don't have enough time to read the entire timeline. However, it is difficult to believe that someone would have 1,00 lists (or even 50 for that matter). This seems like a method to avoid getting too much attention from other users by using dirty tactics.

Every account can only follow 5,000 users total
If you have somehow manage to follow 5,000 users, you will face limits as to the number of new users you can follow. Every Twitter account is open to limits, even API and high profile accounts. Twitter will not allow you to follow more than 1,000 accounts per day, and the social network says it's a technical limit to prevent flagrant abuse from spam accounts.

Even though Twitter says you can't follow more than 5,000 accounts, there is a way to work around that. You will need to wait until your have more followers before you can follow anyone else.

Since Christmas is just around the corner, it's that time of the year to go shopping for your loved ones! We know it's a challenge to find that perfect gift for those special tech geeks in your family. What's worse, these popular gadgets are usually ridiculously expensive. So to help you out, here is our modest compilation of some of the coolest yet affordable techie gift ideas, which you can use as your reference guide. Surely, this will guarantee you won't go over your Christmas budget for all those tech-savvy friends and family.

GoPro Hero+	GoPro offers the best value for an action camera with built-in Wi-Fi that shoots at 60 frames per second. Adrenaline junkies can shoot HD video and 8-megapixel stills, controlling the shots via the GoPro smartphone app for Android and iOS. The GoPro Hero+ is also waterproof straight out of the box, so you can turn it on and instantly dive right in. Price: $199.99 at Amazon
Polaroid Zip	The Zip is a super-simple photo printer. Turn it on, connect it to your iPhone or Android via Bluetooth, and hit the print button on a free app. What you'll get -- 2x3-inch instant prints. You don't have to worry about costly ink cartridges, either. The Zip uses special photo paper (a 30-pack costs $14.99) that's ink-free and comes out dry-to-touch. You don't even need to shake them. Price: $129.99 at Amazon
Google Chromecast	Wireless streaming sticks don't get any cheaper or easier to use than the Google Chromecast. This little HDMI dongle attaches to a TV, and using it is pretty simple. Simply open a supported app such as Netflix or Pandora on your laptop, tablet or smartphone, and hit the Cast button. Your content will show up instantly on your TV in full 1080p resolution, without any lag. You can even broadcast from a Google Chrome browser. Price: $35 at Amazon
Amazon Fire TV	You can't talk about media players and streaming devices without mentioning the Amazon Fire TV. It's the perfect balance between value and performance. The Amazon Fire TV can handle all your media needs, taking advantage of Amazon's ample content library. To make the deal even more enticing, this little set-top box can even handle some gaming! Just keep in mind these games will be mobile titles. Regardless, it's a fun little gadget any person looking for a smart TV set-top box will love. Price: $99.99 at Amazon
Amazon Echo	The Amazon Echo is so much more than a Bluetooth speaker -- the Echo can access Wi-Fi, buy products through Amazon and get traffic and weather reports. The Echo relies on Alexa, your own virtual assistant. With voice-recognition tech, Alexa hears and understands your voice commands, even when you're 15 feet away from the speaker. You can ask to check your calendar, add to-do lists, set alarms, check the news, play audio books or music, and more. Amazon also programmed Echo to connect to other smart-home devices such so you can turn on a light with your voice. Price: $179.99 at Amazon
Fuji Instax Mini 70	The retro Fujifilm's Instax Mini 70 was designed with modern selfies in mind. The instant camera features a small mirror next to its lens, a timer, an automatic exposure control and a Selfie Smart mode, which automatically adjusts settings for optimal shots. Price: $124.50 at Amazon

Clever Budgeting Strategies for Small Business Owners

If you're currently running a small business, most likely you're operating on a modest budget. Whether you bootstrapped your business or you're trying to recover from few loans you've made to cover your startup costs, it has always been your priority to save up money as much as you can possibly can.

Sure enough, it can be difficult to track and manage your expenses if you don't have a thorough budget plan. This is definitely true for any unexpected business expenses that may arise, as they often do. If you want to keep your business operating in the long run, you'll need to plan for both permanent and unexpected costs, and then create and stick to a solid budget.

Here are some smart budgeting tips small business owners can follow in order to keep their finances intact.

Create a realistic cash flow projection

Don't expect that your business sales will live up to your projected market potential within the first or second year of operation. Your dream business may be awesome, but reality is often quite different. Even though it can be a challenging task to project income since you don't have any idea how your business sales will exactly go in any month, strive to be as realistic in your projections as possible. It's better to underestimate your potential business income than to overestimate when you come to budgeting.

List your important expenses

Expenses that are considered important in any running business include wages, taxes, rent or mortgage payments on the business property, and operating expenses such as power, water, Internet, and phone bills. You may also have legal obligations that incur a cost, such as registering your business name. When you estimate your initial startup costs, include all the important expenses for the first six months of your operation, as this will give you ample time to get your business up and running. Even if your business is just home-based, there will still be essential services and costs that you need to cover in order to make your business thrive.

Reduce your debts quickly

While it may be challenging to put up a business without incurring any type of loan, it should be one of your priorities to minimize your existing debts as soon as possible. Debts costs the business more in interest repayments, so having a budget that has the business operating in the black sooner is always a good choice. If ever you do take out a debt for your business, see to it that you able to make repayments every month.

Avoid spending all of your profits

Make it a habit to keep some of your profits in reserve to cover any contingencies. Work out a spending budget that spends less than what your business is expected to generate. Even if your business is operating at your home, do not pay yourself all of the profits each month. Instead, try to work out a reasonable wage for yourself and pay it regularly, as part of the budgeted expenses each month. Stick to your finalized budget and keep the additional profits aside. That way, you'll have some reserve funds to cover the times if your business' sales fall short unexpectedly.

Constantly revisit your budget

Your budget will never be static or consistent -- it will change and evolve along with your business, which means you need to keep adjusting it based on your business' growth and profit patterns. Sooner or later, you will need to revise your monthly and annual budgets regularly to get a clearer, updated picture of your business finances.

Top Mobile Games to Keep Your Mind Active

It would be quite impossible to find one mobile phone user that doesn't have a game installed on their gadget. For some people's perception, the dependence on this mobile technology eventually makes us weak, but for some, having these kinds of skill set can give you the power to use your mental intelligence for good. And since almost everybody in this technology-based generation cannot live without using their mobile gadgets, it would be nice to know if you can do something with your phone that will make you smarter.

So, check out these top games for your mobile phone that will kick those sleeping neurons in your brain into high gear.

Lumosity

Lumosity is a program based on a number of cognitive science studies, which indicates that doing various brain exercises can greatly increase your memory and mental ability. When you start the program, you will be evaluated in a number of areas, and then a training plan will be created for you to do for 15 minutes a day. You can get the base program for free, but you can also purchase a subscription to get access to a wider variety of activities.

Math Workout

One of the most popular math games on the market today is Math Workout (for Android and iOS). The app is a unique brain training game that contains several mini-activities that work towards enhancing your mental arithmetic. Daily sessions let you practice at a variety of skill levels and monitor your progress.

Eidetic

Eidetic is a fascinating app that uses some interesting mental principles to help you remember anything. Using "spaced repetition," the app asks you to select a piece of information that you want to store, then interrupts you at irregular intervals to quiz you on it. The data is kept remotely in cloud storage, which allows you to train your memory from any device.

CogniFit Brain Fitness

The CogniFit app contains 10 challenges that measure cognitive ability, memory, and spatial perception. In addition to the base program, which uses numerous exercises and challenges to improve brain function, it has developed apps for emotional awareness and a customized program for sufferers of multiple sclerosis. CogniFit Brain Fitness has also sponsored several studies that showed positive results in brains of all types from their exercises.

100 Logic Games

100 Logic Games is the latest in a series of free releases that is packed full of content courtesy of developer Andrea Sabbatini. As the title suggests, the app features 100 different activities with the goal of stretching your problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. You will surely discover one or several activities that will tickle your brain cells.

Xperica HD

Xperica HD is one of the most fascinating mobile games in the market, which focuses on the physical sciences. Acting as a sort of "virtual laboratory," Xperica doesn't give the player-defined challenges to overcome. Instead, it stimulates a number of basic principles like hydrostatic motion and allows users to manipulate variables in the "lab" and view the results afterwards. A good understanding of the scientific method can reap dividends in multiple areas, so the free-wheeling experimentation that the Xperica HD app can surely improve your mental skills.