July, 2019 - Softonic English

Becoming a game designer

Why college?

Game design is akin to writing: you don’t truly need a degree to do it. You can just start working, develop skills, and apply to jobs with the portfolio you developed yourself. So why pay for school?

First, college programs are designed to give you a well-rounded experience with transferable skills. Having a four-year degree says a lot when you’re in an interview for a long-term position, and good teachers provide valuable instruction to help you through snags. Finally, our personal favorite, you’ll be able to work alongside other like-minded students!

Even if you don’t go to one of the schools we discuss below, you can get a degree in a related field – art, history, computer science – and experience many of the benefits listed above. Still, if you have the chance, accredited game design programs like these will have levels of esteem and industry connections that can’t be found elsewhere.

Now, let’s discuss the…

8 best paid offline games to play on a long plane ride

When you’re cramped on an airplane for hours, your phone can be your only friend. Make sure it has great games before you leave!

On a recent 10-hour flight into Los Angeles, I thought I’d cracked it. I’d bought Civilization V during the Steam summer sale and I thought installing it on my laptop would give me something to keep my mind on while sitting cramped and uncomfortable for far too long. My plan almost worked perfectly. Within minutes of starting a new Celtic civilization, I was hooked and before I knew it four hours of the flight had passed in an instant. However, disaster then struck.

My laptop has a USB C port and my seat had a USB charging station. When my battery died, I plugged my laptop into my seat, but the wattage output was not up to the task of charging my laptop. I shorted out the whole entertainment system in my seat, which left me jonesing off my new Civilization addiction and without a modicum of in-flight entertainment to get me through the next six hours.

I managed it, but those hours weren’t easy. Now, with another long flight ahead of me, a whopping 16 hours, I know I can’t rely on my laptop. Mobile games are where it is at for long-haul flights. I’m going to go through some of the best paid offline mobile games to play on a long flight. We’ll cover the best free mobile games in an upcoming article.

Best offline mobile games to play on a long-haul plane ride (Paid)

The Escapists

Pixels have come back in a big way over the last few years. Yes, AAA games continue to blow us away as they edge closer and closer to recreating reality, but pixel art and pixelized games are going through a bit of a renaissance. These games look good, can be used to tell a story just as well as the latest and greatest graphics, and don’t place a lot of stress on the hardware playing them. This means pixelized games are perfect for mobile devices as they can create huge worlds and riff off massive concepts on the tiniest of devices.

The Escapists is one such title. It is a game that wouldn’t feel out of place being played on a 55-inch TV yet works just as well on a tiny screen. It plays as a strategy game and sees you play as a prisoner looking to bust out of various lock-up situations. With the ability to craft tools and weapons the game has plenty to sink your teeth into and will have you hooked for hours. This is one you’ll be playing long after your feet are back on the ground.

The Escapists Download and play now ►

80 Days

These days there are many reasons we get on planes. For a lot of us, the experience has become so mundane that we scour the internet looking for things to keep us occupied as we fly hundreds of miles an hour a few miles up in the air. It is in there somewhere though, that feeling that we all used to feel and now sometimes still do as we clamber on board and take to the skies: adventure.

If you’re flying somewhere, there is a good chance you’re on some sort of adventure. What better way to celebrate the fact than to delve into an interactive version of one of the all-time classic adventure novels: Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days.”

80 Days is a beautiful game that gives you various options at certain parts of the classic tale. You can choose your own adventure as you try to get around the new modern world in a seemingly impossibly short amount of time. Get this on your phone and imagine yourself rushing from one port to the next in a blistering race against time.

80 Days Download and play now ►

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

The full desktop and console versions of Minecraft are impossibly large games. Perhaps a little surprisingly so is the so-called pocket edition of Mojang’s global hit. Mobile players of Minecraft can do almost as much as their desktop counterparts. There is even the possibility to share desktop servers, meaning people on mobile can play online with people on desktop.

Minecraft Earth gets first look

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Obviously, you won’t be doing this on your next flight, but the fact illustrates perfectly just how much you’ll be able to do on your own. If you’ve got this on your mobile or tablet going into your next flight the impossibly large world of Minecraft will, quite literally, be at your fingertips.

Minecraft - Pocket Edition Download and play now ►

Don’t Starve

Would you say we’re living in a golden age of video games? The industry is bigger than the movie business and as we’ve already discussed games aren’t just getting better technically and visually. We’re also seeing innovative concepts and mind-bending narrative techniques seep into our gaming. Our games are all the better for it and many of these artisanal games work just as well on mobile as they do on PCs and consoles.

Don’t Starve is one such title, having garnered an impressive 10/10 on Steam and four and a half stars on the Google Play Store.

Forging science and magic, Don’t Starve pits you against the elements as you try and survive out in the wilderness. Faceoff against creatures and beasties as you craft items and shelters that will boost your survival chances. Don’t Starve looks great, too, with its retro cartoony visuals charming you, even as you burn to death in a forest fire. If there is a gripe to be had with the mobile port, it is that the virtual D-Pad can be a little tricky to master. Otherwise, this is a great game that will get you through even the longest of flights.

Don't Starve: Pocket Edition Download and play now ►

Reigns

Reigns is a simple game on paper but it is devilishly difficult in its execution. You play as a series of monarchs trying to exert dominion over an unruly land and its pesky populace. Every binary choice you make matters as you attempt to balance the powers of the church, the army, and the people. If one gets too powerful, they could stage a coup while allowing a particular arm of the state to slip too far and you could have an insurrection on your hands.

The gameplay is simple enough with your choices coming to you on playing cards, but it is too easy to make a wrong decision and see your kingdom’s balance fall off kilter. When your kingdom has no balance, bad things happen, and you’ll have to start again as you try to build the longest reign in your ever troubled dynasty. Hard to put down but frustrating in equal measure.

For an added bonus check out the special edition “Game of Thrones” version.

Reigns Download and play now ►

Lifeline

Lifeline isn’t the most obvious game to keep you occupied on a flight, but it makes our list for being fun, innovative, and a great way to escape the confines of the steel tube that cages you.

Lifeline is a text-based adventure that sees you receiving text messages from an astronaut who’s stranded on a faraway planet. You’re the only person he can contact and as he sets out to learn more about the dark place he finds himself in, he’ll text you to ask you what he thinks he should do.

The action is slow, as it plays out over hours rather than minutes, but if you start playing Lifeline before you get on the plane, you’ll get text messages from your new friend even with your phone airplane mode. This is great if you tend to feel trapped when you fly.

Lifeline Download and play now ►

Evoland

Evoland offers a very cool take on the RPG format. Standard RPGs see you wander around a virtual world, searching for items that will enable your character to grow in experience and strength. The further you go and the more you do, the more developed your character will become. Evoland flips this concept completely. As your character wanders the world it is the world itself that develops thanks to your actions and discoveries.

You’ll start off in a silent and heavily pixelated world, and the early action will see you searching for basic gameplay elements like sound and music. As you unearth these gaming treasures and more, the world around you will upgrade itself based on your discoveries. The gameplay is fun, but this new dynamic will draw you in as you develop Evoland into a fully rendered 3D masterpiece that you’ll love to explore. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Evoland Download and play now ►

Plague Inc.

In Plague Inc, you are a mad scientist hell-bent on destroying the world, one human at a time. You’ll create a disease, launch it wherever you choose, and keep mutating that bad boy until everyone is infected. Ratchet up the lethality if you want to kill off the infected or throttle back if you need to infect more people or avoid scrutiny from the medical community.

We have an entire guide to help you play and win this addictive game. Fire up Plague Inc, kill off the world a few times, and you’ll be at your destination before you know it.

Plague Inc. Download Free ►

Wrapping up

What’s your favorite game to play on long plane rides or car rides? Did it make our list? Let us know in the comments below!

Instagram’s bot problem is getting worse

Instagram bots aren’t only annoying, but they also represent a much bigger problem.

Late last fall, Instagram announced a crackdown on the fakers, frauds, and robots ruining the space for everyone else.

It seems that Instagram’s harassment problems are on the rise, despite the fact that the social media platform has made a concerted effort to fight back. However, the automated apps people use to increase likes, comments, and follows still have the upper hand.

Facebook has also sued a New Zealand company for selling fake engagement metrics on Instagram after issuing repeated warnings and suspensions on the associated accounts.

Despite their efforts, it seems that 2019 is a great year for bots. Here’s a quick look at what’s going on.

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NSFW bots

Sure, Instagram has a pretty firm no-nudity stance. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped an influx of bots using explicit content to deceive users.

According to Engadget, there’s been a rise in these spammy profiles containing videos of naked or semi-naked women. These profiles are designed to get users to look at their accounts, then sign-up for pornographic subscriptions.

Somehow, when these bots comment, they get a ton of likes, which makes them show up in a more prominent location on others’ profiles. These porn-promoter types are more embarrassing than anything, unless you click on them, that is.

Vice wrote a whole piece that dove into the world of NSFW bots and found that many of them are part of these affiliate schemes that rely on intermediary landing pages to collect leads.

It’s the same technique shady marketers have long been using to sell male enhancement products and face creams on Facebook, only to loop them into a monthly subscription scam.

There’s a whole section dedicated to using these fake accounts to generate clicks on Black Hat World. Black Hat World is an SEO forum where people share tips for “cheating” the system.

We’ve all seen these bots, as well as other fake followers. And while most of us simply block them and move on, fake accounts can undermine your security. Bots may be friending you so that they can hit you with a phishing attack via DM.

Follower fakery

Follower counts on Instagram have become a measure of success, a badge signifying popularity, that even those with as few as 1,000 followers have the potential to monetize.

Because brands are capitalizing on the power of leveled-up word-of-mouth, many users have turned toward automation apps. These apps like InstarocketProX and Boostio to help increase follower counts.

How to find out who views your Instagram profile the most

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These apps often require the user to hand over their account credentials, a monthly fee, and in exchange, they’ll like, comment, and follow on your behalf.

Instagram has started cracking down on this activity. Popular apps like Intagress and Hashtagpirate have been shut down.

Commenting bots deliver embarrassing or inappropriate messages more often than not. An influx of inauthentic likes or follows water down the platform’s value — if you never know if anything is real, what’s the point, right?

Toxic content and misinformation

Toxic content problems exists on Instagram, too. Instagram may well be the new breeding ground for the spread of misinformation, especially for our youngest conspiracy theorists.

The above article looks at the recent influx in far-right influencer content like the American Identity Movement. They are a white supremacist movement that posts “relatable content” on Instagram through the same tactics as your typical fashion and beauty influencers use to connect with fans.

While the posters behind these accounts are not bots themselves, bots are doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to spreading false information.

What’s Instagram doing about this?

Between the NSFW spammers and the AI-driven “talent scouts,” Instagram has a few problems to work out. While they might not be on the scale of say, Facebook or YouTube’s, something still needs to be done.

YouTube tries hiding comments

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While the platform has done a better job than Facebook, cracking down on harmful content, wrangling all the spammers, trolls, and other bad actors are no small feat.

Instagram’s new policy explicitly bans inauthentic content. This means that they’ll strip accounts with fake followers, likes, and comments using AI-backed moderation tools (bots against bots).

Any accounts found to be using third-party apps to fudge their engagement numbers will see fake likes and followers removed and be prompted to reset their password. Third-party apps often hold the profile owner’s credentials.

Because Instagram has become a major source of income for brands and influencers alike, more accounts will inevitably turn to third-party apps to artificially boost the popularity of posts.

How to get rid of bot problems on your own

If you use your Instagram account for marketing purposes or you have a sizable following, bots can do some harm to your reputation. On a broader scale, they can inflate marketing costs.

First, check the followers to posts ratio. Accounts with thousands of followers but no content likely aren’t real.

You can block bot accounts by clicking on the profile, then selecting “block from the three-dot drop-down in the right corner of the screen.

If the bot is of the malicious or pornographic variety, then you may want to report the account to Instagram for further investigation. If they find that the bot that violates its community guidelines, they’ll let you know.

In the meantime, whatever you do, don’t give your credit card information to those porn bots.

Find the perfect streaming recommendation with the Dinggo app

Try the app that’s like Tinder for movies.

It’s Saturday night and you want to kick back and relax with some streaming video. But how do you know what to watch? Sometimes, Netflix’s algorithm gets you. Sometimes, it spits out a bunch of stuff you want no part of. That’s where the Dinggo app comes in.

Dinggo: swipe thru Netflix Hulu Prime Video DOWNLOAD FREE ►

Add the app to your phone, select the streaming services you have, choose the genres that feel right, and Dinggo will start suggesting movies and shows. Swipe left if you don’t like a suggestion, swipe right if something sounds interesting. Tap the down arrow to get more detailed information on a streaming option. Right now, Dinggo serves up recommendations for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video only.

When we tried it, the suggestions were awfully broad. After all, Prime Video has 4,457 titles, Netflix offers 2,040, and Hulu has 1,137. But you can really narrow down your selections. Dinggo offers a surprising variety of niche categories, like LGBTQ Action and Adventure, International Late Night Comedies, Mockumentaries, and Faith and Spirituality.

Did you know you can access all of Netflix’s niche categories directly? Here’s how to do that.

If you don’t want to download Dinggo, you can find a similar streaming suggestion option through the intro survey at JustWatch.com. Happy streaming!

Dinggo: swipe thru Netflix Hulu Prime Video DOWNLOAD FREE ►

HBO Max to offer streaming movies, shows, and ‘Friends’ reruns

Get ready to shell out for another streaming video service.

Add one more player to the streaming wars. Next spring, WarnerMedia is jumping into the fray with HBO Max.

When the service launches, it will have 10,000 hours of content.

All 236 episodes of “Friends”
All episodes of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
All episodes of “Pretty Little Liars”

HBO Max will also be the exclusive streaming service for any Warner Bros.-produced shows that air on The CW. That includes the upcoming “Batwoman” series.

You’ll also find originals from Warner Bros., New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and Looney Tunes.

The platform will also include four new young adult films from producer Greg Berlanti. Reese Witherspoon will produce at least two films for HBO Max.

HBO Max is entering an increasingly savage streaming ecosystem that includes current heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, but upcoming competition from Disney+, Quibi, and NBC’s still-unnamed platform.

Netflix Download Now ►

What Google Fiber is and how to get it

Looking to upgrade your internet access? Google Fiber might be the answer!

If you don’t know what Google Fiber is, the name may sound like a line of new granola bars. Heads up: it isn’t.

Google Fiber brings relatively blistering fast Wi-Fi speeds via a cable connection to your home. If you’ve ever plugged your gaming device into a router to reduce lag while playing Fortnite, you’ve had a small taste of the benefits possible with a physical internet connection. Now, imagine the router itself directly tied to Google’s powerful network!

This program is fast, and the cost may not be for everyone. It’s only available in certain areas, called fiberhoods, but is gradually expanding.

Google Fiber Download now ►

What Google Fiber is and how to get it

How fast is it, really?

Well, as you might imagine, it’s really fast. Allow us to throw some numbers at you:

It goes at 1,000 megabits per second. Eight “bits” means one “byte,” so that’s 75 megabytes per second. Dang! One gigabyte equals 1,000 megabytes, right? Right. So, if your device can handle it, the download speed has the potential to reach 7.5 gigabytes per minute!

Now, mind you, this all comes on a physical landline, so you can also expect to avoid a lot of the normal issues attributed to Wi-Fi, like lag spikes and connection loss. The high speeds seen above will be more far more consistent than other options!

How does Google Fiber work?

First, a Google Fiber technician will connect your house with a cable to ensure you’re properly linked into their system. This wire will be in a box known as a “fiber jack,” which is likely placed near your TV or living room.

From there, plug the internet box (router) into the fiber jack, and connect them both to power. From here, you can use a physical Wi-Fi cable to a device or simply connect to the wireless internet. Easy as that!

However, the availability of these services is dependent on your location. At this time, Google Fiber only extends to a few key cities where they’ve begun rolling out its web of connections.

Where is Google Fiber found?

With a physical connection, the initial speed of installation will be much slower than setting up a satellite dish (ah, there’s always a catch). This means there are only a few areas at this time where Google fiber can be found. In fact… there are only a few states.

If you want to know whether your area has been added to the “Fiber Cities,” visit their web listing to check.

Also, a heads-up: the blue dots on the map are full-access Fiber Cities, the green markers are locations that only serve apartments and condos. Google aims to benefit communities first, and are more likely to install a Fiber hub for a densely-packed group of people (it makes sense economically as well).

Who is it this for?

Recap: Google Fiber targets large areas, runs extremely fast, and takes more investment than other sources. With that being said, who should be looking to connect?

We highly recommend this service to anyone who could benefit from the speeds such as streamers who want to make sure they can deliver top-quality video to their fans.

Of course, we can still recommend the Fiber program to anyone in a Fiber area that can afford it. Google has competitive pricing, so you won’t be breaking the bank, and we’re confident their service will be excellent.

What does Google Fiber cost?

For any given plan type (Fiber, Fiber with TV, Business), there are three options: 100, 250, and 1000. It’s simple, really: the number represents how many megabits per second you can expect.

Unfortunately, Google requires you to enter your address for more information on pricing.

Luckily, for the curious readers, a page on howmuchisit.org has some answers. Normal Fiber costs $50-$95 dollars per month. With TV, you’ll see about $140-$160. Even better? You can change the prices any time, without being locked into a contract.

For comparison, you can check out other good providers like Verizon, Dish, and AT&T. For a few laughs, you can look into Cox, which offers faulty internet at $60 a month with a one-year binding contract.

Conclusion

Google Fiber is a new, powerful internet option from a well-respected company. We hope it sparks your interest in finding fiber optic Wi-Fi or at least gives you a better sense of how setting up a new provider works. If you’re looking to increase your internet speed, consider giving it a try!

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See what the ‘School of Rock’ cast looks like today

A lot can change in 16 years…

“School of Rock” is a hilarious musical comedy that follows out-of-work rocker Dewey Finn (Jack Black) as he lies his way into a job as a substitute teacher. In a plan to get back at his former bandmates, he and his students create a band of their own to play in the prestigious Battle of the Bands. It’s been 16 years since the movie came out, so how do all those rock star kids look now?

The School of Rock cast: Then and Now

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School of Rock

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New Firefox for Android is faster, more secure

Firefox Preview is available now in beta and claims to be twice as fast as the regular Firefox browser

What has been going on at Google Chrome HQ recently? The world’s dominant web browser, which just logged its 5 billionth Android download has been having a bit of an identity crisis these past few weeks. From the decision to kill ad blockers to the recent news that there are over 11 thousand cookies in Google Chrome tracking your every move on the web, it has never been more attractive for Chrome users to think about changing their web browser.

Step forward Mozilla with a reinvented version of Firefox for Android.

Firefox Preview is available now in beta and claims to be twice as fast as the regular Firefox browser

Speed is one of the main features that lay behind a positive web browsing experience. Fast loading times is one of the main reasons Chrome grew into the dominant position it now finds itself. Sure, there are other tricks web browsers can pull and tools they need to be able to keep us safe online, but speed usually trumps them all. If a website doesn’t load quickly enough, you go to another website. If this happens a lot, you download Chrome.

It could be Chrome’s impressive speeds that have the led the Chrome team to believe they could cut corners elsewhere. If this is the case though, they may need to reevaluate their recent decisions as Mozilla is now pushing a leaner and much faster version of Firefox called Firefox Preview. The beta version of Firefox Preview is available now to download here.

Although Mozilla has stripped down Firefox to prioritize speed with Preview, the foundation is still calling Preview a fully-featured web browser. As you would expect with a Firefox browser, privacy sits at the heart of Preview’s very being.

Taking the lead from Mozilla’s previous Firefox Focus browser, Preview has tracking protection enabled by default. If you prioritize privacy when you’re browsing the web, this gives Firefox Preview an 11-thousand-point lead over Google Chrome.

If we all prioritized privacy in this way, Firefox Focus would be the most popular browser on the planet and it isn’t. Focus hasn’t been a major success for Mozilla as even the most privacy-minded web users still want their web browsers to offer more than zero trackers. Firefox Preview then, is designed to find the sweet spot that could attract more web users. It has tracking disabled by default, has been stripped down to boost speed, but still has many of the core functions most web users look for in a browser.

Mozilla has even added new features to Preview to show that even though it is up to twice as fast as the regular Firefox browser, it still packs a feature-filled punch.

One such new feature is Collections, which will help users stay organized. The blog post announcing the new browser described Collections like this, “Make sense of the web with Collections, a new feature that helps you save, organize, and share collections of sites. Quickly save and return to tasks like your morning routine, shopping lists, travel planning and more.”

Firefox Preview download free ►

Firefox Preview is an evolution from past learnings the Mozilla Foundation has discovered from past projects. It is hard-earned experience that has guided the development of this latest new offering in the web browser market. This means that Preview should see its fair share of success as it is based upon real user experience. If you couple this to the troubles going on at Chrome, we could see a fair few of the 5 billion make the switch. Of course, when something is so dominant and has been for so long, it becomes easier to deflect attempts to steal your crown.

Google Chrome for Android has now been downloaded over 5 billion times

Google Chrome is now one of only five apps to have been downloaded 5 billion times.

Chrome has been the biggest web browser on the planet for quite some time now. Everybody uses Google Chrome. You’re probably reading this article right now on Google Chrome either on your desktop or on your mobile phone. Chrome is available on both iPhones and Android smartphones, but it is Android where Chrome is used the most. If you head over to the Google Play Store right now, you’ll see just how popular Chrome is; it has just racked up its 5 billionth download!

Google Chrome Download Google Chrome ►

Chrome is a young, fast browser that can browse any web page. It supports all major technologies and standards such as HTML5 and Flash.

Google Chrome is now one of only five apps to have been downloaded 5 billion times

From the humble beginnings of web search Google has grown to dominate the modern tech landscape. By making its mobile operating system software, Android, open source it has put its own apps at the heart of smartphones all over the world. Of the two major mobile operating systems, iOS and Android, Android has been adapted for more headsets including the many budget option Android smartphones available around the world.

A lack of a budget option from Apple means that many consumers don’t even consider Apple when they’re looking for a new phone. When the time comes, it is a question of which Android phone they’ll get rather than a choice between an Android or iOS-powered device.

Google Chrome is a great web browser, but it is Android’s dominance that has powered its ascension to 5 billion downloads. Chrome comes pre-packaged on all Android phones that offer access to the Google Play Store. This point is backed up when you look at the other four apps that have reached 5 billion downloads; Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Search. Yep, all of them are Google apps and all of them come loaded alongside the Google Play Store.

This doesn’t mean that this isn’t a big deal though. Hitting 5 billion downloads, whether you’ve a leg up from Android or not, marks a significant milestone. There are only 7.5 billion people on the planet, so 5 billion downloads, theoretically at least, puts Chrome in the hands of two-thirds of every man, woman, and child on the planet.

Look at it this way. There are lots of other great browsers available on Android. Not least Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Microsoft Edge. Each offer unique abilities for users with some focusing on privacy, others on speed, and Brave even offering a way to make money just by surfing the web. When you total all their downloads though, they come in way behind, stuck in the millions. Google Chrome has more Android downloads than all of them combined and still has extra zeros to spare.

This means that although there have been a few hiccups at Chrome HQ recently, and other browsers are looking to make more of a dent into Chrome’s dominance, there is still only one undisputed ruler of the web browser market. All hail Google Chrome.

Top 4 online clothing services to upgrade your style

Dazzle your friends, family, and your cute coworker with the help of these clothing services!

Clothing apps are a fascinating trend.

Long gone are the days when your style options were limited to the items in your wardrobe. Now, you can use digital programs to extend the range of your threads, as long as you’re fine with the subscription price. Be prepared: some of the top options are more than $100 a month!

Still, some people may find even that worth the price. Others may simply be interested in how these websites work out of pure curiosity (sure, it killed the cat, but we strongly argue that curiosity makes the world go round).

Top 4 clothing apps

Stitch Fix

Stitch Fix is the current leader of “online personal styling services.” As the name implies, you can expect great personalization and attention to detail!

So, how does it work?

Before anything else, you’ll run through an expansive questionnaire that asks you everything from your sizes (you may want to be prepared with an internet guide if you’re new to this) to your clothing and brand preferences. This is your “Style Profile,” and it’ll help their designers pick out options!

After this, you can choose when to receive your “Fixes.” Based on this information, the website will generate an initial shipment date.

After that, your journey begins! At the frequency you set, you’ll receive your regular fixes, which cost $20 each. You can send everything back without paying a dime (they provide free return shipping) or buy anything that stands out to you. The original $20 will even go toward that purchase, and there’s a 25% discount for buying all items!

New styles introduced at your pace, for a small fee without return shipping cost…whether you love clothes or simply have too little time for shopping, what’s not to like?

Stitch Fix Download now ►

Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway (RTR) takes a different approach, intended to put excellent but unnoticed clothing items to good use. Rather than providing new options for purchase, this program offers varying levels of clothing rentals that range from a few outfits to constant rentals in perpetuity.

(Note: whereas Stitch Fix has sections for women, men, and children, RTR focuses exclusively on women.)

If you’re looking for a one-time rental, you can visit the main page and search through an enormous list of clothing and accessories. Be warned, a one-time rental has its own set cost.

However, if you’re looking for the subscription, there are two options: Update and Unlimited, which cost $90 and $160 respectively. Updated offers a monthly change of 4 or more pieces. Unlimited adds more clothing options and allows any number of pieces on rotation whenever you wish. It’s far more expensive, but lives up to the name “Unlimited”!

Rent the Runway Download now ►

ThreadBeast

ThreadBeast caters mainly to men, with a mix of business casual and streetwear. The styles are generally comfortable, everyday looks, and are intended to be rentals. All in all, not a bad deal:

When you begin, prepare for a Style Profile questionnaire similar to Stitch Fix. Unlike theirs, however, the questions appear sequentially, rather than page after page. Also, the process runs faster and includes an option to input your Instagram link. The stylist choosing your clothes will use the your pictures to pick options!

Once that’s all finished, you’ll be ready to receive the first shipment, which generally arrives within two weeks of your first order. The styles might look something like these posts from their Facebook page:

If these styles look great to you, consider using ThreadBeast!

Armoire

Armoire combines a few aspects we’ve seen already, for a wholly unique experience you might love.

Targeted exclusively at women, the program offers unlimited clothing rentals (4 pieces at a time, adding more will increase the cost) that can be changed out at any time during the month. You can buy what you want, ship back and forth absolutely free, and exchange anything that doesn’t fit. The cost: $150 per month.

Much akin to Stitch Fix and ThreadBeast, you’ll be able to choose your style. Get ready for a friendly box-selection window that begins with your preferences, then runs through your dislikes, and finally sizes.

When you have your subscription and log your preferences, you can begin to choose whatever you wish for the first shipment. Any four items!

While this shares many similarities to Rent the Runway’s “Ultimate” subscription, the ability to log preferences and pay $10 less per month may seal the deal for some. Look into both; they’re great services!

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Conclusion

Quick suggestion: someone should make a clothing website called Tie Fighters, exclusively for ties. Just saying.

(Make it happen, readers.)

Thanks for joining us! We hope that clothing aficionados will be interested in one or more of these websites, and casual readers will find a compelling option in something they didn’t expect.

Becoming a game designer

Top colleges with video game development programs

Conclusion

Best offline mobile games to play on a long-haul plane ride (Paid)

Wrapping up

NSFW bots

Follower fakery

Toxic content and misinformation

What’s Instagram doing about this?

How to get rid of bot problems on your own

What Google Fiber is and how to get it

How fast is it, really?

How does Google Fiber work?

Where is Google Fiber found?

Who is it this for?

What does Google Fiber cost?

Conclusion

The School of Rock cast: Then and Now

Firefox Preview is available now in beta and claims to be twice as fast as the regular Firefox browser

Google Chrome is now one of only five apps to have been downloaded 5 billion times

Top 4 clothing apps

Conclusion