Technology

How To Get a Temporary Phone Number?

By Ashutosh Jha → Wednesday, August 24, 2022

A temporary phone number might be the best option for your situation, whether you're seeking for a way to communicate in a way that is both private and anonymous or you simply want to make your interactions via phone and text simpler and more efficient.

Let's go into everything you could ever want to know about the world of temporary virtual phone numbers, from how they operate and how much they cost for the reasons why you might want one (even if you haven't even realized it yet), so let's get started.

What are the temporary phone numbers?

Their functionality is identical to that of a regular phone numbers. The only distinction is that, as you probably figure, they are typically only temporary. Is it possible for people to remember their phone numbers for a few months, a few weeks, or even a few days at a time. Burner numbers, disposable phone numbers, false numbers, secondary phone numbers, and virtual phone numbers are all names that are occasionally used to refer to these numbers.

Why would you need one?

There are many reasons why you might need one. Consider these situations:

ANONYMOUS COMMUNICATION

Sometimes you just want to sneak beneath the radar and return to a time when individuals can truly interact privately. Ah, the days before Caller ID and the ability to Google a phone number to gain a wealth of details about its owner. It allows you to send anonymous texts, make anonymous phone calls, and assume any identity you like (at least behind your phone).

SHORT-TERM CIRCUMSTANCES

Operating a time-sensitive promotion? Volunteering for a month or two with an organization? Transient phone numbers are ideal for temporary situations in life. There is no need for a large number of strangers to retain your actual phone number (and maybe pester you in the future). Maintain a calm and transient atmosphere.

STARTING FRESH

Sometimes you can't get rid of your real phone number since it's someone's emergency contact number, your grandmother still calls it a few times a month, or your bank uses it periodically. However, you can utilize it to create a type of fresh start. Use your new temporary phone number to call the folks you want to speak with (sorry, Grandma), and let the *real* calls go to voicemail. Boom! You can still be reached, but only on your own terms.

SELLING SOMETHING ONLINE

Offering your flat for rent? Offering a sofa? Seeking a new home for your exotic pet? Even if you try to keep all the transaction discussions to email, there will always be some who insist on a phone call to iron out the specifics, request a showing, or inquire whether you'll exchange your PS4 for a stack of CDs. (Such as, who taught you to trade, buddy?) Everyone has been there. Therefore, acquire a temporary phone number to utilize the next time you sell stuff. You will never question whether to answer an anonymous call because you will immediately recognize that it is a call to that exact phone line for that specific purpose.

DISTINGUISHING YOUR BUSINESS AND PERSONAL LIFE

If you provide your clients with your actual CP number, you will never know whether an unexpected caller is a client or a school emergency. Wouldn't it be good to divide your personal and professional life? Indeed, it's simple. Instead of contacting your carrier and adding a new phone number to your carrier account ($$$), you can utilize a temporary number from Hushed at a minimum cost. You will recognize when your clients call and be able to respond effectively. You can also configure a distinct voicemail to this number, enabling callers to leave a message. (And your own voicemail greeting can be anything you want, such as "Hey, leave it at the beep.")

RUNNING A SIDE HUSTLE

Do you fantasize about selling handcrafted cupcakes, canine Kerchiefs, custom jewelry, or, well, something less adorable? Go all out! Starting a side business can be a lot of fun, and it could one day become your ideal job. Many people initially used their actual phone number, but subsequently ran into the issue described above (no separation between your business and your personal life). What happens when your side business becomes a success? Your clients will be accustomed to dialing your own number. Use a temporary phone number from the outset to maintain a professional atmosphere. If you become uninterested in making a small Christmas trees or painting cat portraits, you may easily get rid of your phone number and terminate your business.

SIGNING UP FOR AN ACCOUNT

Currently, it seems like everyone wants our email address and phone number, but if you know they won't need to call you for more than once, there's no reason to give them your genuine phone number. Prevent your actual number from ending up placed on a list of irritating telemarketers. Remember that you may have your genuine phone number for years (or perhaps decades), so you don't want years or decades' worth of spam clogging up your call logs or text message list.

TURNING AN OLD DEVICE INTO A PHONE

Why not give them a temporary phone number and convert them into genuine phones that can make and receive calls and texts? Most individuals like the idea of repurposing their outdated devices into "phones" for their children or elderly parents without the need for data.

How to get a temporary phone number: multiple ways

Here are some ways using which you can get a temporary phone number-

Google Voice

Google Voice is a free service that allows you to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, and send and receive voicemail messages. That's perfect if you want to keep your regular number private while giving out another one temporarily.

Create a Google Voice account by going to your settings and Click on "Manage Your Google Account." You will be asked to set up a phone number with which you can sign into Google Voice. Once you have done this, select "Voice" from the dropdown menu at the top of the page.

Free Online Phone

You can get a temporary phone number from Free Online Phone. You will get a number that is valid for 30 days and you can use your temporary number to receive SMS or make calls.

Temp-SMS

If you want to receive SMS online for free, Temp-SMS is a great service. You can send SMS to your own number as well as other number and you can use it with multiple numbers at once.

you can also use the service to send SMS to multiple numbers at once, which makes it very convenient to receive multiple messages from different accounts

Telnum

Telnum is an excellent source of temporary phone numbers. All All you have to do is sign up for the service and you will be provided with a number that can be used to receive SMS and phone calls. You can also send text messages from your computer using the Telnum website, which makes it easier than ever to test out SMS messaging strategies.

Conclusion

Temporary phone numbers protect your personal phone number when contact is required but you do not wish to reveal it.

We hope that you find this article helpful, and we hope you luck in your search for one.
Any questions? Feel free to check our website and the various offers we have at Telnum.

Technology

Yuri Milner Explains Why We Need to Continue Space Exploration to Survive

By Ashutosh Jha → Tuesday, July 26, 2022

The concept of aliens and extraterrestrial life has always been intriguing to humans. The only forms of life that are scientifically verified in the entire universe live on our planet. Thinking about what lies beyond Earth has undoubtedly inspired mankind to speculate on the existence of extraterrestrial life. Famous former-physicist and technology investor Yuri Milner has been on a mission to explore space through various initiatives.

He is also the author of the book Eureka Manifesto, in which he emphasizes our responsibilities as inhabitants of the universe. Milner underlines the importance of continuing to seek knowledge and explore the universe, which could lead to enormous benefits for humanity.

Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Initiatives for Space Exploration

Yuri Milner has committed his life to projects such as Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million project dedicated to the search for life beyond Earth. The Breakthrough Initiatives are a collection of space exploration and research activities aimed at identifying life elsewhere in the universe.

Breakthrough Listen, Breakthrough Message, Breakthrough Starshot, and Breakthrough Watch are among the initiatives. The great cosmologist and physicist Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner both had concerns regarding alien invasion and humanity's extinction, which led them to collaborate on Breakthrough Initiatives ventures to explore and understand space.

Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization

The Eureka Manifesto highlights Milner's views on the place of humanity in the cosmos and how humanity must have a unified goal to avoid human extinction in the future. The book also explains Yuri Milner's quest to explore the dynamics of the universe. The Eureka Manifesto explores the "universal story," which is the scientific study of the evolution of life, the process of development from energy and matter to structure and biological systems. Milner believes that for humanity's survival, we should emphasize scientific advancement so that we are ready to address any existential challenges.

Eureka Manifesto discusses the significance of identifying cosmic neighbors. Recent discoveries in the last two decades have shown the existence of many more planetary bodies beyond the solar system. Every star, according to statistics, has one or more planets, which may number in the millions in the galaxy alone.

The universe contains around a trillion galaxies. This means that there is a possibility of finding a planet where humans could survive and, if needed, people can migrate to this newfound world. Exploration of these vast and uncharted regions in space may well be the deciding factor in our survival as a species. It might play a critical role in locating a new home.

Milner also feels that even if extraterrestrials are harmless to us and pose no danger to our existence, neglecting our space exploration goals could be disastrous. He claims that no species, no matter how powerful or advanced, is safe from extinction and that no one is assured to live forever in an uncertain cosmos. According to him, the solution is to invest in science and improve our abilities to expand out into space.

Yuri Milner also described a proposal in the Eureka Manifesto in which humans as a collective species can participate in this great quest for our survival. He has devised five action items that can help humanity survive.

Milner proposed heavily investing in basic research and space exploration; enabling artificial intelligence to drive scientific breakthroughs, teaching students about the universal story and discussing it through art; and entering a new era of awareness in which everyone can contribute to a culture of collective knowledge.

Technology

CTF Loader in Windows 10- Everything To Know About It

By Ashutosh Jha → Wednesday, July 6, 2022

When you use your electronic device and find that the “CTF loader” is running in the task manager, I am sure it made you curious to know what it is. You have found the correct article as today, I will mention what exactly is CTF and many questions related to it. The first thing to know about CTF is that it’s harmless. Many applications on our electronic devices such as Microsoft use it.

But if you feel like your CTF loader is causing your electronic device to slow down or is causing any errors then the service can easily be disabled. The CTF loader services can be disabled at any time if it's not required for your efficient working. If it’s causing you errors, then you can easily fix it by yourself without any help and here you will find out how that happens.

Before jumping to more questions and concepts about CTF, let's see what exactly is CTF loader.

What is the CTF loader?

While you found that your task manager was running a CTF loader, it must have raised the question in your mind as to what is CTF loader is. The CTF is an abbreviation for a “collaborative translation framework”. CTF loader is used by applications like Microsoft to deduce the handwriting and voice recognition on your electronic device.

If your computer is fine and working with the CTF loader in function, then simply ignore it. But if it's causing it to slow down or other errors, then you have to check the same. If you are using a program that doesn't need a CTF loader, then you can disable it as well. There is a slight possibility that you may have a virus in your computer that is disguised as the CTF or ctmon.exe.

The basic function of the CTF is to help the computer with keyboard translation, speech or voice recognition, and handwriting recognition. Everything that you write and the audios recorded for your electronic device will be deduced with the help of CTF. Now that we know what is CTF loader, let's understand if CTF is a virus or not.

Is CTF loader a virus?

The most common question asked about CTF is “is CTF loader a virus?”. CTF loader is running even when you are not using any Microsoft office tools. After shutting down the program, the CTF still runs in the background. The CTF is a legitimate Windows file and hence it is not connected to any virus, spyware, or malware.

It’s certainly true that people who create the malware apps may often name it CTF or something identical to the .exe file to disguise their malware, spyware, or virus as CTF loader. In general, it is not a virus. But if a virus has entered your computer disguised as CTF, then get it checked by your security task manager.

If you feel that the CTF is causing errors in your computer, then disable it and you will find out if it's a virus disguised as CTF or a different virus that is causing you problems.

What does a CTF loader process do?

The CTF loader process handles and monitors the user-related functions on the application such as Microsoft Office and all its tools, for example, word, excel, etc. The user-related functions it handles are the inputs of the keyboard, recognition of speech, handwriting recognition, translation from speech to text, and many other language-related functions of the Microsoft.

When you type something from your keyboard on a Microsoft office tool or upload audio that has to be converted to speech or transcribe, you will need the CTF loader process to be running on the background. If you have disabled it in the past, then you have to enable it for you to use the Microsoft.

Issues with the CTF loader windows 10

There are many functions of the windows 10 and one of them is the CTF loader. We now know the role, functions, and basics of CTF loader so let's focus on some of the common issues related to the CTF loader windows 10.

1. CTF loader has crashed: The common complaint of many users is that the file of CTF loader windows 10 has stopped running itself. This leads other functions in the computer to cease its function as well. It causes great inconvenience for the user.
2. The computer is sluggish: The other common complaint is that the CTF loader causes the computer to slow down. This happens because of the high RAM usage by the computer and users.

What causes CTF to have errors?

We know everything about what does CTF loader do as well as that it sometimes causes issues but why does it cause any errors in the functioning? The problems mostly arise after your system has been updated. The update can affect the performance of the computer significantly. This happens because many other files of the windows clash with the CTF loader.

Other errors arise due to the error in the inputs or the language packs. It is possible that when you try to change the language of the windows, there might be a warning, that the language you wish to choose is not available in the language pack.

The third cause of the error can be malware. There can be hidden malware that obstructs the working of your CTF. To impair your operating system, a program that has viruses can target as well as destroy the CTFMON.exe and this will create many errors in the efficient functioning of the CTF.

Fixing CTF loader: a guide

If you have run into errors and problems due to your CTF loader, then there are certain steps by which you can fix it by yourself without any professional help.

Tools

7 Best Web Scrapping Tools For Data Extraction

By Ashutosh Jha →

There may be multiple requirements when you need data for your projects. And for such requirements, the best web scraping tools can help you. Using the below top data scraping tools, you can scrap a website and analyze those data for your work.

Just make sure you are using these scrapped data for meaningful purposes and legally. Although there are many ways you can scrap the data like writing the code also but that needs technical skill. You may write code in Python to scrape website data. But as said, you need to be good in Python scripting to do that.

If you’re not that technical then this article on best web scraping tools for data extraction is for you. Here these tools will help you get the website data without writing a single line of code. All you have to do is, just add the keyword or website name and get the data. Also, some of the below tools also give you the data in a structured format.

Usually, scrapped data through coding will be in a semi-structured format and again you need to clean the data to make it in a structured format. And so, these data scraping tools are in high demand as this gives you the structure you need for analysis.

Best web scrapping tools - top 7

Let’s start and look for the best web scraping sites. Some of these are paid while others are free. So, depending on your requirement, select from the below list.

Scraper API

The first in our list of best web scraping tools are scraper API which does the job exactly the way you need. Scraper API provides the API for web scraping that can handle proxies, browsers, and captchas. This will result in the output in the HTML format from any webpage with the simple API call.

Scraper API has handled over 5 billion requests so far for over 1500 business. The most important thing about Scraper API is, it is meant for the developer. One of the best features of Scraper API is, it’s IP never gets blocked. Usually, the IP blocking issue is one of the major problems you will face with web scrapping. With Scraper API, your IP won’t get blocked.

Features

• You can customize the Scraper API completely for request type, geolocation, etc.
• It is fast and reliable which guarantee unlimited bandwidth with speeds up to 100Mb/s
• It is great for developers with a 99.9% uptime guarantee
• Scaper API offers 40+ million IPs, 12+ locations, easy automation with unlimited bandwidth option

Pricing

• Scaper API offers 1000 free API calls with up to 5 concurrent requests
• The paid plans start at $29 per month with 250K+ API calls

Site: scraperapi.com

Grepsr

Grepsr makes the web data easy for you using their managed data scraping solution. Grepsr offers lead generation data, pricing and competitive data, financial and market data, distribution chain monitoring, and more.

Grepsr offers multiple products to get the managed data for you. Those are- browser extension using which using a single click you can get the data from any website, Grepsr realtime using which you can convert any web content into easy APIs, and Grepsr concierge which is a data as a service.

Features

• You don’t need to install any software to start scraping the web data
• You can scale your web scraping campaign anytime
• You can easily integrate and sync data with platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and more

Pricing

Grepsr browser extension offers a free plan with 1000 records per month and 500 records per run. If you’re looking for more and other features as well, start with the premium plan which starts with $20 per month which will be billed quarterly.

Site: grepsr.com

Scrapy

Scrapy is an open-source framework for extracting the data from the desired website. If you are a technical person then Scrapy can be one of the best data extraction tools you can use. Also, this is a free tool as it’s an open-source project. Using Scrapy, you can build and run your web spider and then can deploy them to Scrapy cloud as well.

Features

• Scrapy is a fast and powerful tool where you can write the rules to extract the data
• You can plug new functionality easily without the need to change from the core
• Uses an open-source system as it has been written in Python and runs on Linux, Windows, MAC, and BSD

Pricing

It is an open-source tool and so using Scrapy is free

Site: scrapy 

Diffbot

Another tool in our best list of top web scraping tools for data extraction is Diffbot. It is a premium tool to search and extract almost anything on the web. Diffbot uses machine learning to transform the internet into accessible and structured format data.

 

The best thing about Diffbot is, it can crawl around 98% of the public web data. Diffbot offers the following four products - API for customization of the web scraping jobs, crawl bot for crawling, knowledge graph, and natural language.

Features

• Able to crawl more than 98% of the websites available publicly
• Can parse the data correctly to the structured format
• Integrate with the apps like Tableau, Salesforce, MS Excel, Google sheet, and more

Pricing

Diffbot offers 2-weeks of free trial where you can test the products - extraction API and knowledge graph with a credit of 10k. The paid plan starts at $299 per month that comes with 250k credit and additional credit costs $0.001.

Site: diffbot.com

Import.io

The next in our list of best data scrapping tool is import.io. This has been recognized by INC 5000 as one of the fastest 100 software growing companies in the US with 640% growth. Import.io helps you with data extraction, web harvesting, data preparation, and data integration as well.

The tool works on the principle of 4 concepts- scale where you can use any number of sites, accuracy where it takes care of anomaly and other validation rules, completeness where it takes care of all data formats, and reliability for delivering on time. 

Features

• Allows easy integration with web forms and logins
• You can automate and schedule the data extraction and preparation
• Allows you to store and access data on import.io cloud
• Provides great dashboard with insights, reports, charts, and visualization

Pricing

Import.io doesn’t share the public pricing and is available only on the application

Webhose.io

Webhose allows you to tap into the web data on the scale with their different products like news API, blog API, online discussion API, dark web API, and more. It helps you turn the unstructured web content into a machine-readable data format which you can further consume as per demand.

Webhose gathers the data related to- news, online discussions, blogs, reviews, dark web, data breaches, historical data, and more.

Features

• Get the data in a structured and machine-readable format usually in XML and JSON formats
• It also helps with financial analysis, market research, AI and machine learning, media and web monitoring, cybersecurity, and more.

Pricing

Webhose offers pricing depending on the work and classified into three major categories- open web data feeds, cyber data feeds, and archived data feeds. For open web data feeds and archived data feeds, they offer 10-days of a free trial, and then you can connect with their expert to get the customized pricing details.

Site: Webhose.io

FMiner

Last but not the least, FMiner is the newest addition to our list of best data scraping tool for data extraction for multiple analysis. It is one of the leading visual web scraping software with macro recorder and diagram designer.

The software is available for both Windows and MAC. FMiner is an all-in-one software for web scraping, web data extraction, screen scraping, web harvesting, web crawling, and web macro support.

Features

• It’s a visual design tool and so no coding required
• FMiner is available with multiple crawl path navigation options and also can upload your list of keywords
• Nested data elements
• You can export the result datasets in multiple formats including- Excel, CSV, XML/HTML, JSON, and popular databases (Oracle, MS SQL, MySQL)

Pricing

FMiner offers 15-days of free trial and then the premium pricing comes with the following options-

• Windows: Here the basic version comes at $168 and the pro version comes at $248
• MAC: It comes at $228

All these pricing are one-time price and include free upgrades.

Site: fminer.com

Conclusion

These were the top 7 web scraping tools for data extraction. I have listed here the combination of free web scrapping tools and premium web scraping tools. Some of these tools also need some technical expertise while others are drag and drop interfaces. Depending on your requirement, you may select any of these tools for your data extraction project.

If you have used any of these or any other web scraping tool, feel free to share your thoughts below.

Technology

EaseUS Todo Backup Review: Backup & Restore & Clone your Data

By Ashutosh Jha → Thursday, April 14, 2022

Many times we come across the issues like hard drive got corrupted etc. and that time we don’t have any option and we lose the data. So it’s good to prepare for the worst case scenario.

Although the new version of Windows OS has the backup feature but it is very limited and users feel the need of some external software and tools which can save them from any such digital disaster. EaseUS Todo Backup Free is a standalone program which helps you to create backups, disk clones, emergency disks and much more.

I am using it since few days and it is working well for me and I am sure you will love it. I am using the free version of it and so have bit limited feature but if you are going with premium then you will have access to all the features which are much useful. Here in this EaseUS Todo Backup review, I am going to share all the features of the tool and will let you know how it is going to help you.

EaseUS Todo Backup Review

What is EaseUS Todo Backup?

---

EaseUS Todo Backup tool is a software by the well-known software product company EaseUS which is known for their data products since years.

This tool is free for Home but you will have to buy if you're using it commercially i.e. for business purpose.

In the free version, you can use Todo Backup Free. In the premium segment, you will have access to many tools which will help you a lot. I will be talking about those in detail later in this EaseUS Todo Backup review.

Who’s it for?

---

This tool is for all who need versatile backup and restore solutions. This Todo backup tool is a perfect solution if you need a solid tool which can help you in any situation and if you don’t have any technical knowledge as well.

Anyone from the average user to a seasoned administrator can benefit from this wizard-based backup solution. You can mount up the backup once created to ensure that all the files are at their places and working.

Features of EaseUS Todo Backup Tool

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Let’s start with the features and usability of this awesome and helpful backup software. To get started, I would first suggest you to download the software and check exactly how it is going to help you!

This software comes with four kinds of backup solutions-

• Disk/Partition backup
• File Backup
• System Backup
• Smart Backup

Now, let’s start with all these features one by one.

Disk/Partition backup

Using this option, you can backup any drive of you system or any partition. For this all you have to do is, open the wizard and select the drive you want to backup.

You can also backup external hard drive easily using this feature.

File Backup

If you don’t want to backup the entire drive and just need to backup the important stuff, then this feature is for you. Select the files you want to backup and done.

System Backup

This feature will backup your entire system including the software and apps installed in your PC with the files. If anytime you need to restore the system, you can easily do it.

Smart Backup

This is a smart feature by the company where it will automatically backup some important files from your system like files on desktop, documents sections etc.

Clone Feature of EaseUS Todo Backup Software

Using this feature you can clone a drive to another, a folder or anything you may need and want. This tool will show you all the partitions you have in your system which even includes the hidden files.

You can easily clone the hard drive using this software. You can check this article on how to clone hard drive for more details. You can also clone HDD to SSD (solid state device) using this tool.

There are much more features of this tool like-

Emergency disc creation: This can be used to create a disc quickly in case of any emergency like while restoring if the required disc will get failed or corrupted, you can create the new one quickly.

Wipe data: This will help you to delete everything in a one go

Mount/Unmount: Will help you to unmount the mounted drive and vice versa easily.

Conclusion

---

EaseUS Todo Backup tool is really a very helpful tool for everyone who use any kind of storage device no matter it is internal or external. It’s good to have some precautions rather regret later.

The best thing with this software is, it works perfectly with all the windows OS and you won’t feel any compatibility issue.

Which tool you use to backup and restore your data?

Technology

On Answering Service: Should You Go Cloud Or Not?

By Ashutosh Jha → Wednesday, June 9, 2021

How enterprises communicate has changed and evolved, especially since the dawn of the internet era. And the best among them have adapted to the times, knowing that failure to evolve will eventually lead to demise.

That’s why a lot of them have ditched the desk phone to go cloud with virtual numbers provided by companies like Telnum.

But that’s not where the evolution ends. The next step would be the use of this tech to free the business from handling communication so that everyone can concentrate on it becoming a formidable player in the industry. That's made possible with a cloud-based answering service.

A quick intro on cloud-based answering service

DO you know how some businesses outsource the phone communication aspect of their operations to others? That’s basically it, only that it’s available through the cloud.

This means that whoever is providing IVR services to you isn't using old tech that requires you to have physical equipment. Instead, it uses VoIP tech.

And as with anything that you can get virtually instead of physically, it’s usually an upgrade. You get everything that you can expect from its non-cloud-based counterpart and so much more.

Why should you get one?

It centralizes all communication

Even if you’re not handling the communication end per se, it’s still highly essential that you’re in the loop. That way, you know just where your money is going, thus increasing your confidence in your decision to outsource.

Having this kind of access – without doing any of the work – also allows you to target potential avenues for growth. Centralization makes everything so much easier to manage because everything is in one place.

It can be much more affordable

If your answering service needs to have a physical space from which they’d perform their tasks, the costs will soar through the roof. This is actually one of the reasons that before, only bigger and more established businesses can afford one.

Even if you recognize the potential of outsourcing, it wasn’t just possible for smaller businesses. But that’s not the case right now.

Thanks to the cloud, the company from which you'd outsource would have much lower overhead. And their savings pass on to you by offering the same service for much lower.

Reliability

In business terms, you’re not putting your eggs in one basket. Even if you’re just delegating the task to an outside company, you still want to keep whatever information they obtain safe and secure.

And that’s the beauty of this service. Using the cloud means the data isn’t stored in just one place. It’s stored in many places so even if disaster strikes, your information will never get lost.

Why shouldn't you get one?

Potential issues with call quality

As the entire service relies on internet connectivity, any issues with such will definitely affect the call quality that your customers get. That would unfortunately reflect on your brand even if you have nothing to do with it.

That’s why it’s very important to ask questions before you seal the deal. Most importantly, how do they ensure that there won’t be call quality issues. Do they have a backup connection?

Don’t say yes to a company that you’re not a hundred percent confident about.

Reputation issues

Because the transaction can be done over the internet, it’s so much easier for some to make it seem they’re bigger than they actually are.

So if possible, only contract those that are registered in the same country you’re in. This way, you can take legal action should they fail to fulfill their end of the bargain.

Not sure if it’s for you? Here are a few things to think about

Flexibility

If your needs change quickly, then this might be a great solution to employ in your enterprise. Especially for startups that are just establishing their systems, a cloud-based solution would be really helpful.

Potential savings

Trying to keep costs as low as possible without affecting the level of service that you can provide customers? Or perhaps hiring additional staff is out of the question right now?

You should consider outsourcing. This allows you to allocate money to a substantially smaller investment and still get the same results as before.

Efficiency

Let’s say you’re doing everything well. But maybe things can be a little better. Efficiency is an ever-moving goal, so anything that can improve on that 99% is worth considering.

Delegating tasks lets you focus on things that truly matter, to the heart of why you established your enterprise in the first place.

And considering the impact of communication on any business no matter what you’re selling, it’s important that we estimate your capabilities in handling such endeavor, especially for client-facing communication.

An answering service is definitely the right way forward if you want to maintain your relationship with your clients without the heavy lifting. But going cloud-based will definitely bring you even more opportunities for advancement.

Technology

How To Setup A New MAC - All You Need To Know

By Ashutosh Jha → Friday, January 15, 2021

Apple's latest Mac computers are Apple's newest computers undoubtedly remarkable. With their speed, battery life, and Apple Silicon M1 processor, it is no surprise that Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook are currently wanted by many.

If you recently got any of these computers, it is tempting to want to unbox, and start using them right away, but you might actually want to take a few steps back.

Setting up a new Mac is an easy task but there are some tips that will make the process more seamless. These things are exactly what this article is for.

What You Need

Setting up your Mac might take up to an hour or more so make sure to set enough time aside for it. In addition to time, you need your Apple ID login details, Wi-Fi details, and the computer's power cord or charger.

A pen and piece of paper will also come in very handy during the Mac's set up because you have to sign up and create an account.

While a piece of paper is not recommended for storing important things like passwords, it is useful for temporary storage after which it should be destroyed. With this in place, connect the charger to the computer and power it on to get started.

Apple's Setup Assistant

Once your Mac is on, a setup assistant pops up. This assistant helps with selecting your country, connecting the Mac to the internet, and many more.

At this point, you will need to create an account on your new Mac computer. This requires signing into your pre-existing Apple ID.

All through the setup process, the setup assistant will ask if you want to activate services like Find My Mac, File Vault, or iCloud Keychain.

>> Learn how to speed up MacBook Pro

While FileVault protects information saved on your hard drive from third party access, Cloud Keychain is Apple's inbuilt password manager for all its devices.

As the name implies, Find My Mac will help you track your computer if it ever gets lost or stolen. If you are unsure whether to activate these features, keep in mind that you can always deactivate them if need be

If you are setting up a MacBook, you also have to create a Touch ID, a fingerprint reader that comes with the computer.

The setup process is mostly easy and straightforward as long as you follow the instructions offered by the setup assistant and enter all necessary information.

Restoring From Time Machine Backup

While setting up your new Mac, you will be asked if you would like to restore your computer from a Time Machine backup of another Mac computer. This is possible through the Migration Assistant feature.

If you choose to restore, you need the storage device on which your Time Machine backup is saved. However, if your old Mac computer does not have a Time Machine backup yet, it can still be done.

Follow the instructions of the Migration Assistant tool and select that you want to transfer things from a Time Machine backup. Then select the most recent backup

After this, you have to confirm the things to transfer. This includes home folders, documents, and other important details. The transfer process can last for long, depending on the volume of documents you are transferring.

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One important info to remember is that your new Mac has to be on the same operating system as your old Mac computer for the backup to be successful.

Installing Software Updates

After completing the Setup Assistant and your Mac is ready for use, you should check if your computer has any pending software updates.

To find out, click the Apple icon on the top left corner of your screen. Follow this by selecting System Preferences and clicking Software Update.

You should also check if the preinstalled apps on your Mac are updated in the App Store. Visit the store and confirm if there are any pending updates.

In case your account has been disabled, find out why it was deactivated and fix the error so you can access the App Store for updates.

Now that you have set up your new Mac, it is time to start enjoying all the many amazing features Apple has to offer on their latest products.

It is however best to keep in mind that just like every other gadget, you might run into a few problems with your Mac computer sometimes. Apple can only try, there is really no such thing as perfection.

Tools

5 Top Cross-browser Testing Services

By Ashutosh Jha → Sunday, December 20, 2020

Are you a web developer looking to test your application on different platforms? Then this article is for you. Here we are going to talk about the most popular cross-browser testing services.

Cross-browser testing platforms will help you test your application in different browsers and operating systems. Such platforms are highly helpful as they provide an opportunity for cost reduction and easy infrastructure management.

For example, if you or your developer is working on Windows 10 and using Chrome browser for major application development, then when you roll out the product to the market, you can’t control what platform your users will be using it. So, you need to ensure your product is compatible with all major OS and browsers.

Although there are various cross-browser testing services and platforms available in the market, you should be careful while selecting. Whenever you’re going to use any cross-browser testing platforms, make sure you are able to test following KPIs:

• CSS, HTML, XHTML page validation with or without JavaScript
• Font size, font family, special character, and Unicode support
• Responsive page layout and image responsiveness in different resolutions
• Zoom in and out functionality
• Same look on different operating systems and browsers

When it comes to the cross-browser testing platforms, both paid and free platforms are available. Also, these paid platforms often offer you a free trial which you can use and if found the platform suitable, you can go ahead with the premium plans.

5 Top Cross-browser Testing Services

Now let’s review the top services for cross-browser testing. You can try them and see the one which suits best for your needs.

1 Browserling

The #1 in our list of best cross-browser testing platforms is Browserling. I have personally used this platform on multiple occasions in the last four years. You can check my earlier post on Browserling review to know more. When it comes to a live and interactive cross-browser testing platform, Browserling can be first on the list. What I especially like is that it requires no registration. You can just go to the homepage of Browserling and start testing in 5 seconds.

Browserling is the oldest platform with most experience for testing your applications on different browsers and operating systems. It offers solutions for individuals as well as companies. It supports all the major OS - like Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 can be accessed as well. Mobile platforms and operating systems include Android Marshmallow, KitKat, and Lollipop. MacOS, iPhone (iOS), and Linux platforms are coming soon.

Browserling features:

• It’s the simplest platform without complex terminology that lets you immediately get started with one click.
• It offers live interacting sessions and you can interact with browsers lively and not just the screenshot.
• It works like a real-browser on your computer and not just the emulators or fake simulators.
• Browserling always includes the new browser and so you can be sure about the latest updates in the market.
• You don’t need Java, flash, or any plug-in to use Browserling. It just uses JavaScript and HTML5.
• Browserling also helps you identify bugs and design issues with your pages instantly and using just a single click you can create bug reports for your team.
• It also offers Live API using which you can embed browsers in your own app on demand.

Browserling Pricing

Browserling offers free and paid plans. In the free plan, you can use limited 3 minutes sessions which is good for getting started. If you need all features and unlimited testing, subscribe to the paid plans which start at $19 per month. If you are a team and looking for a team solution, subscribe to the team plan which costs $29 per month.

2 Browsershots

My next favorite service is Browsershots. It’s a platform for verifying static browser compatibility in many browsers and platforms at once by selecting checkboxes. It is not interactive as Browserling above but it’s very easy to use to fulfil the testing needs. Browsershots gets you multiple screenshots of your site and it’s being used at large scale due to its quick user interface.

While testing your applications, you can also select multiple operating systems (Linux, Windows, mac, BSD) and customize browser features, such as color depth, JavaScript status, and system properties, such as screen size. This will help you test your applications from all perspectives. With the simple interface, you just need to put the website URL and you will get a grid of testing results. The only drawback I don’t like is the time it takes to show you the result when multiple browsers are selected.

Browsershots features:

• It’s a simple platform that gives you screenshots.
• It’s quick and easy to select which browsers you want.
• Browsers can be customized (JavaScript enabled or not, browser color depth, etc.)
• Systems can be customized (screen resolution).
• Supports the most number of various browsers - Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, SeaMonkey, Arora, Dillo, Epiphany, Konqueror, Lynx, Luakit, Rekonq, Midori, and many more.

Browsershots pricing:

Browsershots is free to use

3 CrossBrowserTesting

The third in our list of the best cross-browser testing platforms is CrossBrowserTesting. It helps you make every web experience perfect on any browser or mobile device. With CrossBrowserTesting you don’t need to have a huge infrastructure for your testing and design experience teams. With this, you can easily run manual, visual, and selenium tests in the cloud on 2050+ real desktop and mobile browsers.

CrossBrowserTesting offers four products for different testing works - live testing which is for interactive and manual testing, visual testing for automated screenshots and comparisons, automated testing for selenium and Appium test automation, and record and replay for automation testing.

CrossBrowserTesting features:

• It fits right in your CI process and integrates with tools like Jenkins, TeamCity, GitHub, Jira, and more.
• You can use real Android and iOS mobile devices for both manual and automated testing.
• Intuitive REST API allows you to access almost all the features of CrossBrowserTesting using the command line.
• Your team will be able to automate and scale the project testing easily.

CrossBrowserTesting pricing:

For open-source projects, you can use CrossBrowserTesting for free. For a freelancer, it costs $15 per month, and then product-wise plans are also available. Live testing costs $29 per month, automated at $78 per month, and unlimited at $100 per month.

4 LambdaTest

LambdaTest is a cross-browser testing cloud platform where you can perform live interactive and automated testing on real browsers and operating systems online. More than 300k users are using LambdaTest to test their applications.

LambdaTest also provides similar features to CrossBrowserTesting and have launched the following products: automated testing, live testing, and screenshot testing. Compared to other services, you can also use LambdaTest on your mobile phone.

LambdaTest features:

• Integrated developer tools to help the debug issues in live testing.
• Test locally hosted pages. This will help you ensure browser compatibility before you take your application to production.
• Geography location testing feature is available.
• You can integrate LambdaTest with the major productivity tools like Slack, Asana, and Trello.

LambdaTest pricing:

LambdaTest offers the lite plan which is free for lifetime where you can have 60 minutes/month realtime testing. If you need more options and more time, go with the paid plans which starts with $15 per month when it will be billed bi-anually.

5 TestingBot

Last but not least in our top cross-browser testing services is TestingBot. TestingBot offers similar features to previous services and primarily offers automated and manual testing. Additionally, it offers performance testing, headless testing, and testing on real-devices.

Overall, it allows you to test your applications on 2600+ browser and device combinations. Many top organizations like Microsoft, Grammarly, and Fox News are using this service to do cross-browser compatibility testing.

TestingBot features:

• It allows visual testing with screenshots on all browsers.
• You can compare the screenshot results (similar to Browsershots) and quickly see defects in the design.
• Support for real-devices to run automated tests on physical iOS and Android devices.
• Stress and performance testing websites and mobile apps.
• You can integrate TestingBot in your existing setup with Jenkins, Bamboo, Jira, and Azure.
• More than 6 million tests are performed each month on TestingBot.

TestingBot pricing

TestingBot has separate pricing for browser testing and mobile app testing. Browser testing starts at $30 per month while mobile app at $49 per month. Depending on your need you may look for a higher plan also.

Conclusion

These were the 5 top cross-browser testing platforms that you can use for your testing projects. Out of all, Browserling is my all-time favorite as I have been using it for so long and it always gives me good results, but you may try them all and pick the one that fits your needs.

Technology

The Benefits of AP Automation for Your Company

By Ashutosh Jha →

No matter what kind of business you're in, it's always wise to keep up with new trends, technologies, and tools that may be able to enhance your day to day operations or streamline your services. You never know what might be out there that could take your company to the next level or relieve your brand of so much stress.

We live in an ever-changing world, with new advancements and developments being discovered all the time, and when it comes to companies that are dealing with lots of vendors, suppliers, and so on, AP automation, or accounts payable automation, is proving hugely popular. What is it and what can it do for you? Here's a full guide.

What is Accounts Payable Automation?

AP automation is a kind of technology that is focused on streamlining and automatic AP-related processes, removing the need for so much manual user input and granting the user increased control over key financial data. It allows companies to process supplier invoices far more seamlessly, without the need for constant human interaction, creating a foolproof digital workflow to save time, money, and resources.

Usually, when it comes to AP processes, the AP department has to review and process transactions with suppliers, handling all invoice data, payments, and so on. It's relatively simple, but lengthy and tiring, especially when there are lots of different suppliers to consider, each with their own payment structures and methods, and it's also a system that can be prone to human error, especially when paper invoices are involved. AP automation helps to reduce or even eliminate all of these issues.

Key Benefits of AP Automation

Recent reports state that more and more companies are working with AP automation, and it's not hard to see why. There are many advantages to be enjoyed by making AP automation a part of your company, and here are just a few key examples:

Saves Time

Of course, one of the best benefits of AP automation is the sheer quantity of time it can save your company and the AP department in particular. Usually, processing and managing invoices and payments can be long, laborious work.

However, with a trusted AP automation system in place, a wide range of tasks can be taken care of in a matter of seconds, all automatically and seamlessly by the system itself. This can have a massive positive effect on your company, freeing workers up to focus their time and efforts elsewhere.

Fewer Errors

Just the simplest mistake in the AP department can spiral out of control and cause all kinds of consequences, leading to some serious supplier network horror stories your company would be much better off avoiding altogether. AP automation, as stated earlier on, helps to minimize the risk of human error by taking a lot of manual human input out of the equation and taking care of tasks automatically.

With a much lower chance of any errors occurring, you'll be able to operate with stronger confidence and peace of mind moving forward.

Ease of Use

Another interesting aspect of the best AP automation services is just how easy they are to use and the impressive levels of control and access they're able to provide. Accounting and AP professionals often need to be able to track the movement of money and the processing of invoices down to the finest detail, and an efficient AP automation service will allow you to do just that, removing the risks of lost paper files and giving you a secure digital database of all your information which is both easily accessible and simple to share too.

Focus Efforts Elsewhere

Since an AP automation system frees up so much time and so many resources for your AP department, your AP professionals will suddenly find themselves with far more free working time to focus on other, more important matters.

Rather than dealing with trivial and tedious tasks, they'll be able to put their expertise to better use elsewhere, such as identifying potential areas of improvement in supplier relationship management or looking for specific problem areas and working to address them.

Final Word

Overall, it's not hard to see why so many companies are turning to AP automation. Just like automation services across other industries, AP automation can help your company to save massive amounts of time, as well as streamlining simple, trivial tasks, giving workers more challenges to focus on elsewhere, and reducing the risks of errors too.

Consider making AP automation a part of your brand to move to the next level.

Tools

Best Reliable Data Eraser for Windows and MAC- Magoshare AweEraser Review

By Ashutosh Jha → Saturday, December 5, 2020

Millions of computer consumers are quite afraid of losing their data. And this becomes even more important when you’re selling your old computers. In such cases, you may want to erase everything from the computer.

In this post, we are going to share the best reliable data eraser for windows and MAC. The tool we are going to review from Magoshare’s AweEraser. In this Magoshare AweEraser review, we will share the features of the tool, how to erase data permanently from windows, and more.

Usually, you might have seen technicians who can get the data back from hard drives even if you delete it. So, it becomes important to not leave any footprint on the data. This way you can ensure your data is not getting exposed anywhere.

Magoshare AweEraser Review

Let’s start with the Magoshare AweEraser review and check its features, how it works, and more.

What is Magoshare AweEraser?

Magoshare AweEraser is a leading product by Magoshare which is known for the tools like data cleaning, disk eraser, disk cloning, and other utility software. The AweEraser tool is dedicated to reliable data erasing which helps you permanently shred files, erase hard drive, wipe unused disk space maintaining the certified data standard.

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Magoshare AweEraser Features

There are many features of the Magoshare AweEraser which you should know before you buy the tool. Here are some of the major features-

#1 All in one file shredder and disk wiper

Magoshare AweEraser is an all-in-one file shredder and disk wiper. It provides a flexible data erasure solution to help you permanently erase data under different scenarios. Along with data shredder, it can also erase hard drive, wipe free disk space, and many such data clearing features. It can do-

1. Erase files- It can delete files/folders permanently and securely without leaving any footprint.
2. Erase hard drive- It can delete all the data and files of the hard drive as well
3. Erase free space- Get the unused space using the tool by erasing free space
4. Reporting- The tool provides you full erase history as well for you to review

#2 Powerful uninstaller

Magoshare AweEraser also offers an uninstaller tool that can help you uninstall unwanted software and programs from your system. You can uninstall either one by one or in a batch. Eventually, this will also help you get the free space back.

#3 Secure privacy cleaner

If you don’t want anyone to know what you’re browsing and using for commercial uses then this tool is for you. Secure privacy cleaner can help you remove every footprint of your browser history. This includes browser history, cookies, passwords, caches, logs, junk files, etc.

#4 Flexible data eraser modes

Magoshare AweEraser offers 3 modes for data erasing-

Mode-1: Erase files and folders

In this mode, you can selectively and permanently erase files and folders. All you have to do is, just add files and folders to the erasure list and click on the erase button.

Mode-2: Erase hard drive

In this mode, you can format and wipe out the hard drive to permanently erase all data available on the drive.

Mode-3: Erase free space

In the mode-3, you can wipe out the free disk space of the hard drive to permanently erase all the deleted or lost data on the hard drive. This operation in no manner impacts the existing data on the drive.

#5 Supported device

Magoshare AweEraser offers the service for both Windows and MAC. You can download the respective software for your operating system. There are hundreds of storage devices in the market and so you might be thinking if Magoshare AweEraser can work or not.

The simple answer is simple- if windows and MAC can detect these storage devices then Magoshare AweEraser will support this for sure.

This includes but not limited to- Computer (desktop, laptop, PC), Hard drive (HDD/SSD), External hard drive, USB flash drive, Memory card/SD card, Digital device like camera, Server system/RAID, and Other data storage device.

#6 Hardware requirements

For windows, the requirement is very simple. Below are the minimum hardware requirements for using Magoshare AweEraser.

• Disk Space: at least 60MB
• RAM: at least 128 MB
• File system: FAT 12/16/32, NTFS, NTFS 5, EXT 2/3, exFAT, HFS, etc.

Magoshare AweEraser Pricing and Downloads

Magoshare AweEraser gives you a free trial and you can try it and see if this is working great for you. Once you have tried it, you may go ahead and buy the paid plan.

Magoshare AweEraser offers two pricing plans and the prices are the same for both Windows and MAC-

1. Personal lifetime license costs $29.95
2. Enterprise lifetime license costs $199

You can download the free trial using this link.

How to use Magoshare AweEraser on Windows 10?

Once you have downloaded and installed Magoshare AweEraser software, follow the below steps to erase the files and folders on your Windows 10.

Step-1: Launch the software and select the option from the left pane. If you want to erase files, select that and then click on the add button to add files or folders. If you erase the hard drive or free space, select the respective options accordingly.

Step-2: Once you have selected files/folders then select the file and click on the erase button.

Step-3: It will ask you for confirmation in the form of a pop-up notification. If you’re sure click on the continue.

Step-4: And done! You will get a notification for the successful completion of the operation.

Conclusion

These were all about the Magoshare AweEraser review where I talked about the best reliable data eraser for Windows and MAC. You can even use the software as a trial and get the basic work done. Although there are limitations of the free trial where you can get a maximum of 20 files erased. The best thing is the lifetime deal is available for just $29.95.

Try the tool and share your feedback if you find it useful.