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Jeff Butts

Jeff Butts is a seasoned tech aficionado with deep roots in the Apple ecosystem. Starting his journey in the early 1980s by experimenting with hardware, Jeff has always been driven by a desire to get the most out of technological devices. His expertise has led him to prominent roles in the industry, including a nearly three-year stint as a Reporter at AppAdvice and an impressive seven-year tenure as a Writer/Editor for Byrnes Publishing, LLC. More recently, Jeff lent his technical insights to HotHardware, Inc. as a Tech Editor. With his extensive experience and unwavering commitment to providing valuable content, Jeff continues to be a trusted voice for readers keen on Apple products and innovations.

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Parallels Toolbox Is a Misnamed and Hidden Mac Gem

I recently caught on to an app for macOS and Windows that takes the place of a good half-dozen other pieces of software. It’s been around for a while, but I’d overlooked it because of the name — Parallels Toolbox. I quite naturally assumed it related to running Windows in a virtual machine. I use VirtualBox for that. Boy, was I wrong! In fact, Parallels Toolbox is a one-stop app for quite a few great features. You can use it to take a screenshot, record a screen cast, or download your favorite video. That’s great for saving movies and other videos from YouTube or Facebook. Parallels Toolbox also gives you buttons to secure private files with a password, keep your computer from sleeping, or convert a video to a format you can view on your iOS device. It lives in your Mac’s menu bar, and is just a click away for all of those tools, and more. There’s a seven-day free trial, and then Parallels Toolbox is just US $9.99 per year. New tools are added frequently, so be sure to check it out and enjoy your all-in-one toolbox.

Smarter Coffee Brews How You Want, When You Want

There are smart coffee makers, and then there’s Smarter Coffee. This coffee maker is so smart it can start brewing when you round the bend home from your morning jog. With the explosion in app-enabled appliances and smart home technology, it’s not too surprising. With Smarter Coffee, you can use the app or start brewing with a command to Alexa. That’s not all, though — the coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder. It will grind your beans to the perfect consistence, then brew your coffee just the way you like it. Connect Smarter Coffee to a fitness tracker. The coffee maker will start brewing when you near home after your jog or evening commute. Finally, the coffee maker tells you, through the app, how much water is in the reservoir. If you want to set it to brew eight cups of coffee, you’ll know right away if you need to add more water.

Safari: How to Clear Individual Browser History Items

If you’ve ever needed to remove a single item from your browsing history, then you probably have something to hide. Or maybe not! Maybe you just wanted to search for a present for someone without him finding out, right? Right? If that’s your story and you’re sticking to it, come on in and find out how to delete individual browser history items!