Target uses augmented reality to help you shop for furniture

Target has been introducing high-tech ways to shop for months, including real-time maps of its stores and a Pinterest-powered visual search tool. Now, it has added an augmented reality feature to its mobile website to help you shop for the perfect furniture for your home. Target calls the feature “See It In Your Space,” because, like Ikea’s Place app for iOS, you can literally use it to see what a piece of furniture would look like in your home.

You simply need to take a picture of the space where you want to place, say, a couch in. When you choose a virtual item from the product list, just tap “See it in your space” and position and scale the couch wherever and however you want. You can add it to your cart straight from the AR interface if you decide that it’s a good fit. At this point in time, you can only choose from 200 piece of “Project 62” home products, but Target plans to add thousands more by 2018.

According to TechCrunch, Target developed the feature itself within the past six months and chose to focus on mobile because it “wanted to reach a wider audience more quickly.” The spokesperson added: “We also feel like by using mobile web, it’s a simple experience — guests can easily snap pictures using their phone, they don’t have to use any additional hardware or apps. We just felt like it was a really straightforward experience.”

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Target

Airtel’s international roaming plans are amazing: Here’s what you need to know

Airtel is offering very competitive international roaming packs.

Indian carriers have generally shied away from offering affordable international roaming packs for customers traveling abroad. It’s not to say that there were no plans available, just that they were so costly that it made little sense to opt for one.

The only recourse, then, for most travelers was to source a local SIM after they land in their destination country. That’s what I used to do every time I went to the U.S.: find a T-Mobile store, pay around $50 for one of the carrier’s prepaid plans, and be on my way. T-Mobile offers a generous 10GB of LTE data along with unlimited calls and texts for 30 days, and while that’s great, I lost out on access to my primary phone number.

Thankfully, all that is changing with Airtel’s new international roaming plans. The carrier has overhauled its tariff structure and is now offering very competitive plans for those looking to go abroad. Having used the service in both China and Thailand, I can attest to its efficacy. It’s great to be able to use your phone from the moment you land in a new country, and with plans starting from as low as ₹499, there’s really no reason to look elsewhere.

Here’s what you need to know about Airtel’s international roaming plans.

What countries are covered?

Airtel’s international packs cover over 100 countries, including popular destinations like the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Thailand, and others.

Here’s the full list of countries:

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bhutan
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Cambodia
• Canada
• Chad
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Congo
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Gabon
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Jersey
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• South Korea
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Oman
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• Uruguay
• United States of America
• Vanuatu
• Zambia

How much do the plans cost?

Airtel has segmented countries into four zones: the tariff you’ll pay is indicative of what zone the country is in. For instance, if you’re traveling to the U.S., a roaming pack with a validity of 30 days, 5GB of 4G data, and unlimited incoming calls will set you back ₹3,999. That same pack for a country like Thailand costs ₹2,496.

If you buy a plan for a specific zone, you’ll be able to use that pack when you travel to other countries in that same zone. Most European countries fall under the same zone, so if you’re planning a summer getaway to multiple countries in the region, you can buy a single pack and use that throughout your stay.

Here’s the zone-wise breakdown of the tariff:

Zone A

Zone A has the most affordable tariffs, and you’ll be able to use the roaming plan in a total of six countries. You get unlimited incoming calls on all plans, along with 100 free texts.

The first pack has a one-day validity, and costs just ₹499. You get 500MB of data, along with 100 minutes of talktime for both local calls within that country and to India. The next plan has a validity of ten days, and costs ₹1,199. You get 3GB of data, and 250 minutes of cumulative talktime — both for local calls within that country and calls to India. When you throw in the unlimited incoming calls and 100 texts per day, the ₹1,199 plan makes a lot of sense.

Airtel also has a 30-day plan available if you’re planning a longer visit. It costs ₹2,499, and you get 5GB of data along with 500 minutes for calls. Here are the zone A countries where the aforementioned plans are valid:

• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand

Zone B

Zone B covers 50 territories, including the U.S., Canada, China, United Kingdom, and most European countries. The same tariff rules are valid — you get free unlimited incoming calls and 100 texts a day on all plans, but the amount you pay for the plans is different.

The one-day plan with 500MB of data and 100 minutes costs ₹649. The pack with ten days of validity, 3GB of data, and 250 calling minutes will set you back ₹2,999, and the 30-day option with 5GB of data and 500 minutes costs ₹3,999.

These are the countries where you’ll be able to avail the plan:

• Albania
• Austria
• Bahrain
• Belgium
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• China
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jersey
• South Korea
• Kuwait
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Zone C

Zone C covers eight territories, including Russia and the UAE. The tariff is the same as what you pay for the countries in zone B, and while you get 100 texts per day, you miss out on unlimited incoming calls.

The roaming pack with one-day validity costs ₹649, and you get 500MB of data, 100 minutes’ worth of calls within the country and to India, and 100 minutes of free incoming calls. The 10-day pack costs ₹2,999, and gives you 3GB of data, 250 minutes of calls within that country and to India, along with 250 minutes of incoming calls.

The 30-day plan can be bought for ₹3,999, and offers 5GB of data, 500 minutes of calls (local and to India), and 500 minutes of incoming calls.

These are the countries covered under zone C:

• Brazil
• Japan
• Jordan
• Nepal
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Russia
• United Arab Emirates

Zone D

Zone D features a lot of South American and African countries. There are three packs on offer, but they cost more than what you usually shell out in other zones. 100 texts per day are standard across all packs.

The one-day plan with 500MB of data, 100 minutes for calls within the country and to India, as well as 100 minutes of incoming calls will set you back ₹999. The 10-day pack comes with 3GB of data, 250 incoming minutes, 250 minutes’ worth of local calls and calls to India, and costs ₹3,999. If you’re opting for the 30-day pack with 5GB of data and 500 minutes, you’ll have to shell out ₹6,999. These are the markets covered under zone D:

• Afghanistan
• Argentina
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Bhutan
• Cambodia
• Chad
• Chile
• Colombia
• Congo
• Costa Rica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Moldova
• Myanmar
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Puerto Rico
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu
• Zambia

What about overages?

Should you exceed your data or calls quota, you’ll be switched to the standard tariff rate for that zone. For zones A and B, that comes out to ₹3 for every MB of data, text, one minute’s worth of calls to India or a local number in that country, and ₹35 per minute for international calls. Incoming calls from India will continue to be free even if you exceed your quota.

For zone C, you’ll have to shell out ₹3 for an MB of data and SMS over your quota, ₹12 for a minute of calling time to India as well as local calls within that country, ₹10 for every minute of incoming calls, and ₹35 for international calls.

As for zone D, the overage charges are ₹10 for every MB of data and text, ₹35 for a minute’s worth of calls to India, local calls, and international calls, and ₹25 for incoming calls.

How can I activate an international roaming pack?

Once you’ve figured out which roaming pack to get, you can pick it up directly from Airtel’s website. You can also use the My Airtel app to purchase the pack.

Usage is about as straightforward as it gets. The pack is activated the moment you start using your phone in another country. If you pick up a 10-day pack, it’ll be valid for ten days from the moment it gets activated. Generally, you’ll need to have over ₹100 in your account to use the roaming pack.

Do note that if you exceed your data or calls quota, the pack itself will still be valid, but you’ll be charged overages based on your usage. If you unintentionally run through your data quota without realizing it (it’s hard to stream just one episode of Rick and Morty), you don’t have to worry about bill shock. If your overage exceeds ₹499 a day, Airtel will automatically switch you to the one-day pack.

What if I’m not an Airtel customer?

Even if you’re not an existing Airtel customer, you can avail the carrier’s international plans. To do so, you’ll need to pick up a travel SIM by walking into an Airtel retail store.

What do you think?

Staying connected while abroad while having the ability to use your primary number is a definite bonus, and Airtel’s international plans are affordable enough that I don’t feel like I’m paying too much for the convenience of using my Indian number when traveling.

What are your thoughts on Airtel’s international roaming packs? Let us know in the comments below.

Soylent banned in Canada over nutritional requirements

Canadians: we hope you weren’t basing your diet around Soylent. Rosa Foods chief Rob Rhinehart has posted a letter revealing that Soylent is effectively banned in the country after the Canada Food Inspection Agency determined that it didn’t meet standards for a “meal replacement.” The company doesn’t believe the CFIA’s rules are in line with the latest understanding of nutritional needs, but it’s not about to fight the decision — it’s halting sales of Soylent until it can make officials happy.

Rhinehart says the company is “committed” to cooperating with both CFIA and Health Canada, but it’s too early to say if and when Soylent will be back. The company was only warned about the situation in early October, the CEO said, and went public when it became clear that it was impossible to avoid at least a short-term disruption in availability.

This doesn’t mean Soylent is dangerous, at least if you ask Rosa Foods (whether or not it’s palatable is another matter). All the same, this underscores one of the problems with making a food substitute: what’s defined as adequate nutrition will vary from country to country. If Soylent and its rivals want to sell in as many countries as possible, they have to create a formula that meets guidelines in all those countries — not just those on their home turf.

Via: Mashable

Source: Soylent

‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ towns open on smartphones in November

Nintendo has announced a new Animal Crossing game, but unlike New Leaf and Happy Home Designer, it’s not landing on the 3DS. This time, the game is making its way to your iPhones and Android devices as a free-to-play title in late November. In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you build your own camp from scratch instead of developing a town. Despite the change in setting, the elements the beloved franchise is known for are still there: Isabelle will still guide you in your journey, along with the animals that move into your camp.

You’ll able to visit other camps and make friends with other players, as well as build new facilities. To be able to build a new pool or a playground, you’ll have to find crafting items and wait until they’re finished. Now, here’s how Nintendo intends to make money from the game: you can purchase those items and speed up the facilities’ construction with Tom Nook’s help by paying with Leaf Tickets, which you can earn inside the game or buy using real money.

Nintendo didn’t give an exact date for Pocket Town’s launch, but you can pre-register on its website to be notified as soon as it comes out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’ll be available everywhere when it launches (see the launch list below), but Nintendo says it plans to bring it to more locations in the future.

Launch list:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• United Kingdom
• United States

Source: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo Announces Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for iOS Devices

Nintendo this evening shared details on its upcoming Animal Crossing game that’s coming to iOS devices, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp.

In Pocket Camp, you manage a campsite that you can decorate with furniture and items to attract the traditional Animal Crossing villagers. When you place an animal’s favorite furniture item, that animal will come to visit your campsite. Based on the Animal Crossing Pocket Camp website, the full range of animal types will be available in Pocket Camp.

The game is highly focused on crafting, and crafting is used to create the furniture items that will draw villagers to the campsite. Crafting furniture requires materials, which are earned by completing quests for your campsite visitors.

Animals will ask you to collect fruit, bugs, fish, and other items, and will reward you with crafting materials when the job’s done. As with other Animal Crossing games, you can catch bugs and fish and sell them to get bells, the game’s main currency.

You live in a camper, which can be customized both inside and out in the city. You can purchase furniture and new exterior paints and other options, and there are also stores for buying new outfits and accessories. Limited time and seasonal items will be available.

You can also build amenities like pools for your campsite visitors, and there are nearby recreation spots to explore for exotic bugs and fruit, like a beach and an island.

Time passes as it does in real life, so when it’s morning, it’s morning in Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. You can visit your friends’ campsites, and sell and exchange items with one another.

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is a freemium game and it uses a “Leaf Ticket” currency. Leaf Tickets can be earned in games or purchased with real money. Leaf Tickets speed up building times for furniture and can be used to purchase the resources necessary to build furniture.

When you put out an animal’s favorite furniture item, that animal will come visit the campsite, and when completing tasks, you can also level up your friendship with each animal.

Nintendo didn’t share a specific launch date for Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, but it is set to be released in late November, so there’s about a month to go before it sees a release.

Tags: Nintendo, Animal Crossing
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New 2018 Honda Gold Wing is the First Motorcycle Equipped With CarPlay

Honda is set to release the first motorcycle that comes equipped with CarPlay, reports CNET. The new 2018 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle features a 7-inch LCD in the dashboard, which offers support for CarPlay, just like a standard in-car dashboard.

An iPhone can be connected to the bike via USB in the trunk or the storage cubby in the tank, and then accessed through the touch panel. To use CarPlay with the Gold Wing, a Bluetooth headset is required.

According to CNET, CarPlay in the Gold Wing works well, and can be controlled through the left grip or a rotary controller on the tank.

Yes, you do have to connect a Bluetooth headset, a requirement mandated by Apple, one that is a bit frustrating since most CarPlay interactions don’t require voice. Still, once enabled it works well, controlled either via four-way controller on the left grip or a central, rotary controller down on the tank — though frankly I can’t recommend reaching down to that while on the go. Still, having intelligent navigation and access to your media on the bike is great.

Honda’s new Gold Wing is 90lbs lighter than older models, and it features an 1,800cc engine with a double-wishbone front suspension. CNET says it’s narrower and more attractive, but has much less cargo space than before. Additional information on specs can be found on Honda’s website.

Pricing on the 2018 Honda Gold Wing starts at $23,500, and it will be available for purchase in February of 2018.

CarPlay is now available in more than 200 vehicles from a wide range of manufacturers, and there are also several aftermarket solutions available for cars that don’t come with native CarPlay support. Along with motorcycles, CarPlay is also now available in some new semi trucks from Volvo.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Honda
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iPhone X App Switching Demoed in New Video as Apple Revamps Homepage Ahead of Pre-Orders

Following the debut of the iPhone X in September, Apple employees have been using the device in public, leading to a range of “in the wild” iPhone X photos and videos showing off new features and the device’s revamped design.

The latest iPhone X video is short but demos a new app switching feature that’s unique to the device. On iPhone X, you can swipe left or right on the display to quickly switch between apps, a process that’s smooth and seamless in the video that was discovered on Imgur and then shared on Twitter.

App switching on iPhone X looks pretty smooth. (via https://t.co/mXpNJhOwzw) pic.twitter.com/Lf9X3twx58

— Webastiaan the Sith (@sdw) October 25, 2017

Apple did demonstrate this gesture on stage when the iPhone X was introduced, but the video gives a clearer look at how well it works.

On previous devices, app switching was largely initiated through the Home button, but with no Home button available, Apple found a simpler, more intuitive solution for the iPhone X. iPhone X users will also be able to use a swipe upward and hold gesture to get to the traditional card-based app switching interface.

In other iPhone X news, Apple tonight revamped the Apple.com homepage to focus solely on the iPhone X ahead of pre-orders.

The page has an iPhone X front and center along with the pre-order time, and it features several animated sections highlighting various iPhone X features like the edge-to-edge display, Face ID, the TrueDepth Camera, the improved rear camera with Portrait Lighting, the A11 Bionic processor, and wireless charging.

iPhone X pre-orders will kick off in just two days on Friday, October 27 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. The first pre-orders will begin arriving to customers on Friday, November 3, the official launch date for the iPhone X.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Caution)
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Chromebook, say, ‘Cheese!’ Here’s how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook

Chromebooks and other devices that run Chrome OS are great if you want a simple and cost-effective machine for accessing the web. Google’s browser-for-everything approach can cause some confusion, however, especially for general functions like taking a screenshot in Windows or doing the same on MacOS. While Chromebooks don’t include a “Print screen” key, learning how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook is actually fairly simple — whether you need to grab the entire screen or just a portion.

Capturing a full screenshot

To take a screenshot of everything you see on your Chromebook’s screen at once, hold down the “Ctrl” button and press the “Switch window” key. The latter button is located in the top row, in between the “Full-screen” and “Brightness down” buttons, and is represented by multiple squares.

On Chromebooks, the Multi-Window button is in between “Full-screen” and “Brightness down.”

Once you press both of them, you see a notification in the bottom corner of the screen alerting you that your screenshot has been saved. Screenshot image files save directly to the Chromebook’s “Downloads” folder, so you can take and access screenshots even when offline, and are labeled with the date and time they were recorded. Click the notification to open the Downloads folder and select the image file.

Note: Screenshots are saved locally and won’t be available on Google Drive unless you manually move the file.

Capturing a partial screenshot

Chrome OS can also select only a portion of your screen to save. Hold down the “Ctrl” and “Shift” keys at once, then press the “switch window” button. Chrome’s cursor will be temporarily replaced with a crosshair. Click and drag a square across the portion of the screen you want to save, then release the trackpad or mouse button. The partial screenshot will be saved in the Downloads folder, the same as a full screenshot.

Copying screenshots

Chrome OS doesn’t save screenshots as copied images like Windows does when the “Print screen” button is pressed. If you’d like to simply copy a screenshot (for insertion into an image editor, for example), watch the notification that appears above the system clock. Click the “Copy to clipboard” button, then press Ctrl+V when you want to paste it.

Editing screenshots

The screenshots captured by Chrome OS are ready to share, but if you want to do a little more with them, you should familiarize yourself with Chrome’s built-in image editor.

Open the Downloads folder, double-click your screenshot to open it in the image viewer, then click the pen icon in the bottom right corner of the window to enter edit mode. Tools for cropping, rotation, and brightness adjustments will appear at the bottom of the window.

When you’re done, click the pen icon again to finalize your edits. The built-in editor doesn’t allow you to save copies, so you may want to copy the image manually before working on it.

Using external keyboards

If you’re using a Chrome-powered desktop (also known as a Chromebox) or you’ve plugged an external keyboard into your Chromebook, the keyboard probably uses a standard function key row instead of Chrome’s dedicated button row. The good news is that the function keys do the same job — F1 goes back, F2 goes forward, et cetera. The F5 button works as the “switch window” button on standard keyboards, so the screenshot command becomes Ctrl + F5.

Other screenshot tools

The built-in image tools for Chrome OS are a bit anemic, but luckily there are plenty of apps and extensions on Google’s Chrome Web Store to help add extra functionality. Here are some helpful picks:

Clipular — An all-in-one Chrome app that lets you save, edit, and annotate screenshots. It can also save screenshots directly to Google Drive.

FireShot — Save an entire page as an image without multiple screenshots.

Pixlr — An online image editor with much more robust tools than the one built into Chrome’s image viewer.

Awesome Screenshot Minus — This screenshot tool supports direct annotation on Chromebooks with touchscreens.

File System for Dropbox — If you prefer Dropbox to the built-in Google Drive, this app will mount your Dropbox folder in the standard file browser. Just copy your screenshots over from the Downloads folder.

If you’re still having any issues with your Chromebook, our full Chrome OS troubleshooting guide can help you identify and resolve them.

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32-bit vs. 64-bit — what’s the difference, and what does it mean for your PC?

You’ve probably seen 32-bit and 64-bit options available whenever you download an app, or install a game. Your PC might even have a sticker that says it has a 64-bit processor. But does it really matter? Most new PCs have a 64-bit processor, so what do you really need to know about 32-bit vs. 64-bit CPUs?

Well, for starters, if you’re a Windows user, you’ve probably noticed that you have two Program Files folders — one labeled simply “Program Files” and the other labeled “Program Files (x86).” Understanding the difference between these two folders and why you have them in the first place is pretty important, especially if you’ve ever installed the wrong program in the wrong folder. It’s the kind of thing you’ll never notice until you accidentally do it and your apps start misbehaving.

The same, but different

First off, the reason you have those two folders is because there are currently two fundamentally different architectures used to manufacture computer processors, and as a result, there are two fundamentally different ways to write programs and apps for them. Applications all use shared resources on a Windows system; these are called DLL files, or Dynamic Link Libraries. They’re basically just pooled libraries of common resources that many different apps will use. Windows puts them all in a single place to make things easier for software developers.

Those DLL files are written and structured in fundamentally different ways because they’re meant to be used by 64-bit applications or 32-bit applications. If, for instance, a 32-bit application reaches out for a DLL and finds a 64-bit version, it’s just going to stop working. Imagine going to a library to find a specific textbook, and then realizing that everything is in a foreign language. You’d likely leave and assume you went to the wrong place. The same basic principle applies here.

Wouldn’t it be easier if you simply used 64-bit software on 64-bit systems, and ignore 32-bit software entirely? Well, not really. The problem is the 32-bit (x86) architecture has been around for a very long time, and there are still a host of applications that utilize 32-bit architecture. Modern 64-bit systems can run 32-bit and 64-bit software because of a very simple and easy solution: two separate Program Files directories. When 32-bit applications are sequestered to the appropriate x86 folder, Windows knows to serve up the right DLL, aka the 32-bit version. Everything in the regular Program Files directory, on the other hand, can access the other stuff, the good stuff.

So why does it even matter, why do we have these two different architectures at all?

What are bits?

The number of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types that it handles and the size of its registry. Simply put, a 64-bit processor is more capable than a 32-bit processor because it can handle more data at once. A 64-bit processor is capable of storing more computational values, including memory addresses, which means it’s able to access over four billion times as much physical memory than a 32-bit processor. That’s just as big as it sounds. 64-bit processors are to 32-bit processors what the automobile is to the horse-drawn buggy.

The key difference: 32-bit processors are perfectly capable of handling a limited amount of RAM (in Windows, 4GB or less), and 64-bit processors are capable of utilizing much more. Of course, in order to achieve this, your operating system also needs to be designed to take advantage of the greater access to memory. This Microsoft page runs down memory limitations for multiple versions of Windows.

A horse-drawn cart will get you to work just as easily as a car will, barring any equine issues, but a car is a lot more capable – it can get you to work, or across the country and it can do it a lot faster than a horse can.

How many bits?

As a general rule, if you have under 4GB of RAM in your computer, you don’t need a 64-bit CPU, but if you have 4GB or more, you do. While many users may find that a 32-bit processor provides them with enough performance and memory access, applications that tend to use large amounts of memory may show vast improvements with the upgraded processor. Image and video-editing software, 3D rendering utilities, and video games will make better use of a 64-bit architecture and operating system, especially if the machine has 8GB or even 16GB of RAM that can be divided among the applications that need it.

Through hardware emulation, it’s possible to run 32-bit software and operating systems on a machine with a 64-bit processor. The opposite isn’t true however, in that 32-bit processors cannot run software designed with 64-bit architecture in mind. This means if you want to take full advantage of your new processor you also need a new operating system, otherwise you won’t experience any marked benefits over the 32-bit version of your hardware.

Operating System Differences

With an increase in the availability of 64-bit processors and larger capacities of RAM, Microsoft and Apple both have upgraded versions of their operating systems that are designed to take full advantage of the new technology.

In the case of Microsoft Windows, the basic versions of the operating systems put software limitations on the amount of RAM that can be used by applications, but even in the ultimate and professional version of the operating system, 4GB is the maximum usable memory the 32-bit version can handle. While the latest versions of a 64-bit operating system can increase the capabilities of a processor drastically, the real jump in power comes from software designed with this architecture in mind.

Software and Drivers

Applications with high performance demands already take advantage of the increase in available memory, with companies releasing 64-bit versions of their programs. This is especially useful in programs that can store a lot of information for immediate access, like image-editing software that opens multiple large files at the same time.

Video games are also uniquely equipped to take advantage of 64-bit processing and the increased memory that comes with it. Being able to handle more computations at once means more spaceships on screen without lagging and smoother performance from your graphics card, which doesn’t have to share memory with other processes anymore.

Most software is backwards compatible, allowing you to run applications that are 32-bit in a 64-bit environment without any extra work or issues. Virus protection software (these are our favorites) and drivers tend to be the exception to this rule, with hardware mostly requiring the proper version be installed in order to function correctly.

Updated on October 24, 2017 by Jon Martindale.

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Show off your Halloween shopping skills & you could win a $100 gift card!

Our friends at Thrifter are holding a Halloween contest.

They challenge you to create the coolest, thriftiest Halloween ever this year. Show them how you decorate your home or dress up for trick-or-treating, all while saving money. Repurposing common items for your costume? Thrifty pumpkin carving? Secondhand mantle decorations? The possibilities are endless!

To enter:

Upload an image of your creation to Instagram
Let Thrifter know in the caption how much you spent, any deals you took advantage of, etc.
Use the hashtag #ThrifterHalloween in your caption
Tag @thrifterdaily in the photo
Make sure your Instagram is public and upload the image to enter!

The Thrifter team will pick their favorites on November 1st. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card, the second-place winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card, and the third-place winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Random entries will win $10 Amazon gift cards and standouts might even get some cool Thrifter swag.

You have until 11:59PM PT on October 31st to enter. Good luck!

More from Thirifter:

• Fifty Thrifty Halloween Costumes
• Hottest Holiday Toys of 2017

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!