Hasta La Gadget!

PDFs were designed to be a universal file format. If you send someone a PDF, you can be assured that they’re looking at an identical copy of what you sent — regardless of their operating system or what software they have installed. But what if you need to make changes to a portable document? Luckily, Adobe has packed Acrobat with more advanced features over the years, including the ability to add text and images, adjust fonts, add comments, sign forms, add images and more. The latest versions of Acrobat allow you to merge PDFs, delete pages and convert PDFs to practically every file format, and you can do a lot of this for free. Alternatively, a number of third-party PDF editors offer more options for altering documents, and many are free or include a free tier, too.

How to edit a PDF

In order to edit a PDF, you have a choice between using Adobe’s programs (Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Pro DC) or a third-party PDF editor.

It’s important to note that Adobe offers a number of PDF editing tools for free, but limits this perk to two free transactions every 30 days. You’ll only need to sign up for a free account, which allows you to convert PDFs to a number of different file formats as well as merge, split, delete, reorder, extract and insert new PDF pages. You can also sign a PDF, request a signature and password protect your PDF with a free Adobe account. If you only need to highlight text, add comment or text boxes or draw on the PDF document, Adobe allows you to do this for free with its online tool. And if you don’t want to sign up for an Adobe account, the company still lets you perform one task and download the file for free.

But if you need to fix a typo, change the font, add new text or do anything more advanced, you’ll need to pay for an Adobe Acrobat Pro subscription. While there’s no real substitute for Acrobat (given the company is the literal creator of PDFs), some users may balk at the $14.99 per month subscription price for Acrobat Pro DC. If your workplace or school doesn’t allow you to access Acrobat’s premium software for free, you can try a 7-day free trial of Acrobat Pro DC. Just remember to cancel the trial before the trial period is over.

There are also numerous PDF editors that offer editing tools for free like Sejda, PDFescape, SodaPDF, PDF Candy and many others. Keep in mind that free editing programs won’t have as wide of an array of tools as Adobe Acrobat, and many have limits on storage. But if you need to quickly delete a chunk of text or add a few images, a third-party PDF editor is a budget-friendly alternative. Be sure to shop around in order to make sure you find the right program for your project.

How to sign a PDF

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If you need to sign a lease or a tax form, you’ll have your choice of free form-filling programs. Adobe Acrobat has a free online PDF form filler tool that lets you fill out PDF form fields, add text boxes, checkmarks, circles and other symbols. The program also includes e-signing tools that allow you to add your signature or initials to any form.

If you don’t want to visit a website every time you need to sign a PDF, Windows users can download the free Acrobat Reader application and use the “Fill & Sign” functionality, macOS users can open a PDF in preview, click the Toolbox button and then click Sign. On mobile, Adobe’s Fill & Sign application does exactly what it sounds like and is available for Android and iOS.

Many third-party PDF editors include form-filling and e-signing tools. If you need to quickly sign a document, DocFly lets you directly drop or upload your document and either write out, draw or upload an image of your signature. You can get three free downloads per month, or pay extra for a monthly or annual subscription. Some signing programs with free tiers include DocuSign, HelloSign, PandaDoc and eSign.

How to combine or merge PDF files

Luckily, Adobe allows users to combine or merge PDF documents for free. Simply drag and drop your files, select the ones you’d like to merge and then reorder them if needed. Adobe’s tool lets users create a merged PDF of up to 1,500 pages and combine up to 100 files, with each file limited to 500 pages. You can also delete, move or rotate pages. Adobe’s tool works on any web browser and is compatible with any operating system, including Windows, Mac and Linux.

How to convert a PDF to Microsoft Word or another file format

In a similar fashion, Adobe allows users to convert PDFs to Word documents for free with its online tool. Keep in mind that fonts, images and alignment can go haywire when you switch between file formats (though Adobe does its best), and you may not be able to convert some protected PDFs at all. Just open the browser of your choice, go to Adobe’s site and either drag and drop or upload a PDF. Adobe will then convert it to a fully editable Microsoft Word document. The company’s free tool also allows you to convert PDFs to JPGs, Excel and Powerpoint documents, as well as vice versa.

If you need to convert your PDF to HTML, you’ll need to pay for the premium version. There are also a number of free conversion tools, like CloudConvert.

If you want a tablet just for browsing the internet, watching videos and playing games, you won’t need anything fancy. Amazon’s Fire tablets are exactly that. Most of them are under $200, and the Fire 7, which has been updated for 2022, starts at just $60 ($75 if you don’t want ads on the lock screen). It offers upgraded internals, as well as Amazon’s Fire OS 8, which adds minor improvements like a dark mode. Yet, it still suffers from many of the same limitations that plagued older models, like the lack of Google apps.

Updated hardware

The 2022 Fire 7 tablet has 2GB of RAM (double that of previous generation) and is powered by the same quad-core 2.0GHz processor as the Fire HD 8. Amazon also promises longer battery life and, importantly, now uses a USB-C port instead of micro-USB. That alone makes this worth the upgrade, since USB-C is fast becoming the new charging standard.

Aside from that, the overall look and feel of the Fire 7 is unchanged. It’s made out of plastic, with thick bezels surrounding its 7-inch display. Yet, it does feel durable. I also didn’t mind the bezels, as they gave me room to grip the tablet without accidentally launching apps.

The screen is one of the bigger disappointments with the Fire 7, though. Its 1,024 by 600 resolution just looks terribly dull, with fuzzy images and muddy colors. Even for a budget tablet – and granted, there aren’t that many in this price range – a display that’s less than full HD in this day and age seems outdated.

The rest of the Fire 7’s hardware is the same as its predecessor. It has 2-megapixel cameras on the front and rear, 16 or 32GB of built-in storage (expandable up to 1TB with microSD card) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. As expected, the camera quality isn’t impressive, but it’ll work for a quick video chat. Just don’t expect to use it for actual photography, unless you’re really into super grainy, washed out images.

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Meh performance, but solid battery life

Though the new Fire 7 has more RAM and a quad-core 2.0GHz processor, don’t expect lightning-fast performance. Navigating the Fire OS interface feels smooth for the most part, but it’s still sluggish at times. I experienced some lag when switching apps and scrolling through Instagram, for example. It can handle basic tasks like checking email, but the Fire 7 won’t be as fast as modern smartphones.

My favorite thing about the new Fire 7 is its long battery life. Amazon says it should last up to 10 hours on a charge, but of course that depends on how you use it. In the usual battery test we run for Android devices (where we play a locally stored video on loop), the Fire 7 lasted for close to 15 hours. I mostly used it to watch Prime videos, read books on the Kindle app, check Instagram and Twitter, and play a few rounds of Candy Crush Saga. After several days of occasional use (an hour or so a day for a week), the Fire 7 still has around 48 percent battery. I should note, however, that the Fire 7 doesn’t offer wireless or fast-charging. It comes with a 5W charger, which took around four hours to top up the battery. 

New software, but same ol issues

The Fire 7 comes with Fire OS 8, which adds Android 11 features like a system-wide dark theme. Yet, the interface looks the same. Like all other Fire tablets, it runs Amazon’s proprietary skin that forced me to use Amazon-approved apps rather than ones from the Google Play Store. As someone who relies a lot on Google apps, I was frustrated by this. Instead of the native version of Gmail or YouTube, for example, I had to use inferior third-party apps that just didn’t look or feel as intuitive.

If you’re an Amazon die-hard, however, you’ll benefit from Fire OS. As soon as I logged in, all of my favorite Amazon content showed up on the home screen, like TV shows on Prime Video, personalized recommendations on Kindle Unlimited, suggested Audible books based on my purchases and more.

Of course, the caveat is that you won’t be able to delete Amazon-related apps like Kindle, Goodreads and Prime Video. Plus, you won’t see recommendations for shows and content that’s not on Amazon – no Netflix suggestions, for example. It makes sense that Amazon would push its own services, but it’s still annoying.

Like other Amazon products, the Fire 7 features hands-free Alexa, which makes controlling my smart home devices easier. It’s also helpful for getting the weather forecast, the latest sports scores or answers to random trivia questions.

Amazon

Wrap-up

The thing you should know about Fire tablets is that they aren’t typical Android devices – you’ll need to sideload the Google Play Store, for example, if you want to use Google apps. Amazon’s proprietary interface prioritizes its own apps like Prime Video and Kindle over others. But if you already heavily rely on Amazon services, I can see how the Fire 7 might be tempting – it delivers an Amazon-curated experience for cheap.

Unfortunately, if you want a tablet in the $60 price range, you don’t have many non-Amazon options. Two of the more affordable non-Amazon tablets at this time appear to be the Lenovo Tab M7 (starting at $96) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (starting at $100). We haven’t reviewed them just yet, but both at least let you use Google apps without resorting to third-party options.

If you’re dead set on a budget Fire tablet, I actually recommend the Fire HD 8 instead. It has a superior HD display, longer battery life and wireless charging. It also supports Show Mode, which basically turns it into a portable Echo Show. At $90 (with ads), it’s $30 more than the Fire 7, but I think it’s well worth the extra cost.

Some of Skullcandy’s earbuds will be able to support two voice assistants at the same time. Last year, the brand debuted its own assistant, Skull-IQ, on Grind Series and Push Active earbuds. Skull-IQ is primarily about controlling audio, including managing your media player, adjusting device settings and answering or dismissing calls. It can launch Spotify via voice command as well. For just about anything else, though, you’ll need another assistant. That’s where Alexa comes into play.

The dual voice assistant feature was announced during an Alexa developer event. It’s not clear when it will be available on Skullcandy’s earbuds. Other voice-powered platforms offer multi-assistant experiences with Alexa too, such as Sonos Voice Control and Pioneer’s NP1.

Amazon is expanding Alexa in other ways. It just announced developer tools that will enable app and device makers to create Alexa routines and suggest them to users. Amazon sees the move as a step toward realizing its vision of an ambient, more autonomous smart home.

Soda doesn’t handle well in space because of the carbonation, and astronauts can’t digest it the way they do on Earth.

Twitch is rolling out a new safety option for streamers. They’ll be able to share the list of users they have banned with other creators. The tool could help to keep serial harassers at bay, Twitch suggests, particularly those who target creators who are members of marginalized communities. The Shared Ban Info function builds on the Suspicious User Controls system Twitch debuted in December. 

To share a list of banned users with another streamer, a creator will need to send them a request from the Shared Ban Info section of the moderation settings. When you request ban information from another streamer and they accept, you’ll share the same information from your channel with them. At the outset, creators can have up to 30 of these connections.

You can set a default action for how to treat flagged users that another channel has banned. Those users can be monitored, meaning they can post in your chat but all of their messages will be flagged for you and your moderators to look at. There’s an option to restrict flagged users by default — their chat messages will only be visible to a streamer and their mods.

Otherwise, streamers can ban these flagged users or mark them as trusted, so they can post chat messages without any limitations. In any case, the first time a flagged user posts in your chat, their message will have a red border and you can see which channel has banned them.

A Twitch spokesperson said the platform was “excited about this tool as it’s a first step in empowering not just individual streamers to make personalized moderation decisions, but communities as a whole.” They added that, “while Shared Ban Info is just the latest customizable tool in the arsenal we offer creators, it adds a new level of scalability by expanding the impact of individuals’ moderation decisions, and ultimately helping community members help each other — something they already do organically in a myriad of ways in Twitch’s uniquely engaged environment, every single day.”

Similar efforts to stamp out bad actors have emerged on other platforms. Twitter, for instance, used to allow users to share a list of the accounts they have blocked, but the feature is no longer available. Third-party services that support Twitter block lists are available, however,

Twitch announced the Shared Ban Info feature at TwitchCon Amsterdam this past weekend. The company also said it will grant creators more control over who can raid them. A raid involves a creator automatically sending all of their viewers to another channel when they end their stream. However, the feature has been used to harass marginalized creators.