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These cases will keep your Moto E (2020) looking fantastic for a long time

2020-07-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

For years, the Moto E has been a fan-favorite for offering a decent smartphone experience for just a fraction of the cost of the flagships. The new Moto E (2020) is no different, as you'll get an additional camera sensor, paired with a great display and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. With a phone this feature-rich, it's important to keep it protected. These are the best Moto E (2020) cases you can get right now.

Note: It's early days for the Moto E (2020) right now, and many well-known accessory manufacturers have yet to reveal their cases for this incredible budget device. If you can't find what you're looking for here, check Amazon for other options. This list will be constantly updated with new top picks.

Classic look

Dzxouui Shockproof TPU Case

Staff Pick

The Dzxouui Shockproof TPU Case may be tough to pronounce, but the case works perfectly for protecting your new Moto E. The case gives you precise cutouts for all of your ports, including the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. And since it's made from a TPU material, this case is sure to keep your Moto E chugging along even after a drop.

$8 at Amazon

All the armor

Tekcoo Dual Layer Armor Case

It's important to protect your investment, and some folks are more clumsy than others. That's where the Tekcoo Dual Layer Armor Case comes in, as this includes a soft TPU inner shell and the backplate is made from both polycarbonate and TPU for added protection and grip.

$8 at Amazon

Flower power

Fotosuncy Floral Armor Case

With Fotosuncy's Floral Armor case, you get more than a boring old plastic shell, as there's a beautiful rose pattern on the back. Surrounding the edges is a TPU bumper, paired with a polycarbonate backplate for the best protection.

$10 at Amazon

On the belt

CoverON Explorer Series

CoverON is known for making some solid and protective cases, and that's exactly what you'll get with the Explorer Series. This case comes in either Camo or Black, and sports a combination of TPU and polycarbonate materials. Plus, there's a built-in kickstand and you'll even get a belt clip holster.

$11 at Walmart

Shine through

SKTGSLAMY Clear Cover

What's the point of getting a new phone with a great design, if you're just going to cover it up and hide its beauty? Well, with the SKTGSLAMY Clear Cover, you don't have to sacrifice protection, as this case is completely clear and is made from TPU for shock absorption. There are even built-in air pockets in all four corners to add some extra protection if you drop your phone.

$4 at Amazon

No nonsense

Dahkoiz Armor Defender

With the Dahkoiz Armor Defender, your phone is sure to withstand just about any situation. There's a TPU inner shell paired with a hard polycarbonate back plate which gives you both protection and reduces the fear of your Moto E slipping out of your hand.

$8 at Amazon

Metal but not

Sucnakp Brushed Metal Case

Sucknakp's Brushed Metal case may look like your phone is being housed in a piece of metal, but you won't have to worry about the added weight. There are sleek carbon fiber accents at the top and bottom, along with raised edges around the display, camera module, and fingerprint scanner.

$8 at Amazon

Fashion and funtion

Leychan Airbag Cover

Some cases feature a unique pattern or design on the back but hide what your phone actually looks like. That's not the case with the Leychan Airbag Cover as there are three floral patterns to choose from, all while making it possible to still show off your phone. And all four corners have "airbags" to ensure that your phone won't break from a fall.

$7 at Amazon

Two piece bliss

Aeska Heavy Duty Defender

The Aeska Heavy Duty Defender does a fantastic job at protecting your Moto E without needing to worry about anything. This two-piece design sports a unique pattern around the bumper, a clear back plate, and the front just snaps into place after your phone is placed in the back piece.

$10 at Amazon

Ridges for the win

Sucnakp Shock Absorption Case

Sucnakp's Shock Absorption case focuses a bit more on the grip and feel of the case compared to others. On the back, you'll find a pattern of ridges along the bottom, designed to not only let your hand breathe while holding your phone, but to add some extra grip. And since the case is made from TPU, it will do a great job at providing some shock absorption but the company also offers a three-year warranty.

$8 at Amazon

Almost Bedazzled

CoverON Aurora Series

Let's be honest. A lot of cases out there are boring, and while they may keep your phone safe from life, they don't really look that good. With CoverON's Aurora Series, you'll get the best of both worlds, as this case is made from two pieces for added protection, and comes in five different designs.

$10 at Walmart

Elephant strong

SYONER Elephant Cover

They say that Elephants are some of the smartest animals, so why not get a case that protects your smartphone with some help? There's a cute elephant and floral pattern on the back, and there's a soft TPU frame for added grip, along with an acrylic back plate for all the rest.

$9 at Amazon

New wallet time

Feitenn Slim Folio

The problem with some wallets is that they are just too bulky and that goes the same for wallet cases. Thankfully, that's not much of an issue with the Feitenn Slim Folio wallet as this case sports an ultra-thin design. Inside the flap there is a card holder, and a the magnetic flap ensures that your wallet case stays closed when it needs to.

$10 at Amazon

Glitter bling

Dzxouui Quicksand Glitter Case

With the Dzxouui Quicksand Glitter Case, you'll not only get a case that provides great protection, but one that also has a pretty awesome glitter design. The glitter in the back of the case floats and moves around as you use your phone, while sparking and shimmering when it catches the light. Plus, all four corners are reinforced to offer as much shock absorption as possible.

$9 at Amazon

Even more protection

SunStory Double Protection Case

It's not fun when you have a great new phone with an awesome design and end up having to cover it up with a case that you're on the fence about. That's not a problem with the SunStory Double Protection case, as you'll get reinforced TPU corners for shock absorption and ridges on the sides for improved grip. The case itself is completely clear, except for the quicksand glitter that moves around on the back of the case.

$9 at Amazon

Protect the screen

HNHYGETE Slim Fit Case w/ Screen Protectors

When it comes to finding a great case, there are quite a few decent options out there but most of them are lacking screen protection. With the HNHYGETE Slim Fit Case, you'll get a solid TPU case with perfect cutouts for all of your buttons, along with two screen protectors. This gives you 360-degrees of protection without the worry of whether your the edges of your case will interfere with the screen protection.

$8 at Amazon

Brushed window

PULEN Brushed Bumper Cover

The PULEN Brushed Bumper Case has a pretty awesome design for those who enjoy the look and feel of carbon fiber. With PULEN's case, you'll get precise cutouts, a lightweight and soft mateiral and there's a pretty sweet-looking "window" on the back that has a different texture than the rest of the case.

$7 at Amazon

On your wrist

Harryshell Kickstand Protective Wallet with Wrist Strap

We use our smartphones so much that it's important to keep them in our hands as much as possible, even when not in use. The Harryshell Kickstand Wallet makes this easy with the included wrist strap, while sporting three card slots on the inside flap. There's even a thin pocket behind the card slots if you need to carry some cash or receipts.

$10 at Amazon

Pick the right case

Despite there being a slew of cases available for the Moto E (2020), it's pretty easy to pick the Dzxouui Shockproof TPU Case as our favorite. You'll get a classic design, precise cutouts for your ports, and the company offers a money back guarantee. Plus, the case doesn't hang over the edges of the display too much, so just about every screen protector will work just fine.

For those who either want more vibrant colors or more protection, you can't go wrong with the Tekcoo Dual Layer Armor Case. This case features a soft TPU inner shell for shock absorption, along with a hard polycarbonate back plate for more protection. And that doesn't even include the unique ridged pattern on the back to add some extra grip.

from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers https://ift.tt/37JCbF1

The best Galaxy S20 Ultra cases go beyond to protect your phone

2020-07-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

The best Galaxy S20 Ultra cases protect Samsung's supersized flagship, and with that big beautiful 6.9-inch screen comes a larger and heavier phone than even last year's devices. While I can understand not wanting to bulk up your S20 Ultra, a case is not optional on a phone this big; you need a protective case to add grip to that big glass back and add some cushions or shock-absorbing bumpers to the corners. From clear and thin to big and functional, these are the best Galaxy S20 Ultra cases to buy your new flagship.

Clear but sturdy

Ringke Fusion X

Staff pick

Want to show off your S20 Ultra's glass-backed beauty while still protecting it from scratches, slips, and the oh-so-dreaded shatter? This case gives you robust bumper and corner protection and a crystal clear back.

Plant-based protection

Tech21 Studio Colour

$30 at Amazon

This ultra-thin case sports both 8-foot drop protection and anti-microbial properties while being made with sustainable, plant-based materials. The color choice here are distinct and diverse, but I like the blue and cherry.

Luxurious leather

Samsung Leather Cover

$50 at Amazon

This is one of the few case options for the S20 Ultra that offers the same color selection as its smaller comrades (you can get it in black, silver, blue, gray, red, or brown). It's a good thing, too, because these premium, genuine leather cases will look absolutely stunning no matter which color you choose.

Germ-free grip

Speck Presidio Grip

Speck's iconic grip pattern is traditionally a place for grime to accumulate over time, but these days Speck puts a Microban treatment on the case so it repels germs and helps keep your phone's filth from infecting you.

Crystal clear winner

Spigen Liquid Crystal

$11 at Amazon

I've loved this case for years and I continue to love this case for the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The Liquid Crystal is easy to get on and off and adds grip without obscuring that signature Samsung design.

Luxury look

Snakehive Vintage Leather Wallet

$38 at Amazon

Snakehive's leather folios always feel wonderful in the hand, but I'd expect nothing less of European full-grain nubuck leather! This year's color options also include a darling teal, which looks positively to die for.

Clearly protective

ArmadilloTek CyberRanger Series

$10 at Amazon

With extra protection in the corners and a crystal clear back, this durable case proves that not all clear cases have to be dainty. You can get it in clear with orange or red accents or a smoky black as well.

Perfect geometry

Caseology Parallax

From $14 at Amazon

This hybrid case comes in four colors this year — I just love the new teal — and combines a sturdy plastic frame with a flexible, curve-hugging TPU sleeve to give you the best of both worlds in a slim package.

Slim silicone

Ringke Air-S

Ringke is better known for its clear cases, but the Air-S is a sleek TPU case that comes in three fun colors — and no, one of them is not boring black — and it offers the Ultra grip without big bulk or high prices.

Go beyond

ArmadilloTek Vanguard Series

From $19 at Amazon

The Vanguard Series is one of the better heavy-duty kickstand cases for Galaxy phones, and this year we have the more subdued Red as a launch color alongside the brighter orange and blue.

Cards, cash, and chevrons

Feitenn Fabric Wallet

Rather than the classic leather look, this folio uses chevron-covered fabric. There's room for three cards and cash inside, and the first card flap has a porthole so that you can display your driver's license.

$11 at Amazon

All about the angles

Sucnakp Rough Grip

Sucnakp's Rough Grip has been around, but the S20 Ultra model is using a new slanted groove texture on the back alongside a narrow horizontal texture to the side of the camera module for a unique look and extra grip.

$7 at Amazon

Ultra slim grip

Totallee Ultra Thin

There's no way around this: the Ultra is a huge phone. It's completely understandable that you wouldn't want to bulk it up more, so get this Totallee case for some grip and scratch protection without added heft.

$25 at Amazon

Classic hybrid

Spigen Tough Armor

The flexible bumper of this case is shock absorbent and makes the case easy to slip on and off, while the hard shell on the back helps hold the kickstand and extra shock-absorbing foam.

From $16 at Amazon

Pastel protection

OtterBox Commuter Series

This seafoam green or black case features a shock-absorbing inner layer and a rigid shell that's easy to grip and easy to adhere PopSockets to, because weighing half a pound, you're going to want a PopSocket on the S20 Ultra.

$27 at Amazon $29 at Best Buy $45 at Walmart

Thin, clear, wonderful

ESR Essential Zero

Clear cases don't come much thinner than the Essential Zero, and while I'm not sure how hard a drop I trust it to take, it adds enough grip that you shouldn't have to worry about that.

$8 at Amazon

Go beyond a basic case

There's no need to hide the Galaxy S20 Ultra's beautiful glass back, especially when clear cases like the Ringke Fusion X are getting more durable every year. For a thin case option that will add a lot of grip, the Tech21 Studio Colour comes in some darling shades and gently hugs the S20's curves while also helping you keep ahold of your super-sized S20 Ultra.

Considering how big this phone already is, you might as well go for broke and get yourself a durable case that can double as a kickstand both horizontally or vertically. I've enjoyed the ArmadilloTek Vanguard Series because it's durable as all get-out and the kickstand also doubles as a phone grip while I'm walking around. That kickstand is also far more sturdy than most of the wimpy landscape-only kickstands that are built into the back of other cases, and the ability to use it in portrait mode makes it easier for browsing social media or reading e-books while eating a quick dinner in the break room.

How much protection do you really need with the S20 Ultra?

Weighing in at about half a pound, getting a case that can absorb the impact of an S20 Ultra being dropped from shoulder-high is pretty important, but no matter what, you need a case that offers a lip around the screen and that big, honkin' camera module. I'm a fan of the ArmadilloTek CyberRanger because it has absorbent gel cushions in the four corners of the case to help better protect your super-sized phone from the ever-so-dreaded corner drop.

However, don't think that you have to go thick and tank-like in order to defend your Ultra; there are some slimmer cases offering decent drop protection these days, like the Tech21 Studo Colour with its 8-foot impact protection and lithe form. Even slim TPU cases like the Ringke Air-S can offer some impact protection and grip without getting bulky.

Materials matter

For a protective case, there's a whole MSDS database of material types out there, but there's only five you really need to care about:

TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane): flexible, cheap to manufacture, and can be molded into just about any shape and color you want. This is the de facto material for single-layer cases and the inner layer of hybrid cases, in fact, most "silicone" cases are actually TPU.
PC (polycarbonate): hard plastic, will crack before it bends, not great for drops but okay for scratch protection, this is what most "ultra-thin" cases are made of.
Leather: tanned hides (or a faux material imitating it), feel great in the hand, have a luxurious feel, but tend to be expensive. Leather is the most popular material for folios and wallet cases, as well as premium cases.
Metal: mostly used for accents in phone cases, can be molded in a myriad of ways, thousands of metal types available, and feels nice in the hand. The reason you won't see metal used very often in smartphone cases is that most metals will interfere with wireless charging.
Fabric: easy to work with, comes in tons of thicknesses and patterns, cheap to manufacture, and can range from quite inexpensive to luxury-brand. Fabric cases tend to not hold up over time, but depending on the texture/base material, it can feel absolutely amazing.
- Microfiber: thin fabric with a very fine texture, typically used to line premium cases in order to prevent the phone from getting scratched while inside the case.

For the Galaxy S20 Ultra, you want a case that has at least some TPU in it around the bumper so that it's easy to get in/out and adds a little impact absorption. If you can, a case with a microfiber lining is a great way to ensure that should dirt/dust find its way into the cracks and crevices of your case that it shouldn't scratch the back glass of your S20 Ultra.

Need more options?

There are thousands of cases out there for the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and if the cases here aren't enough to tickle your fancy, we have some more precise roundups for those of you looking for heavy duty cases, thin cases, clear cases, leather cases and wallet cases.

from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers https://ift.tt/2HeLFMn

Huawei's AppGallery gains an Uber replacement in Bolt

2020-07-03T07:28:00.007-07:00

After using Here Maps to replace Google Maps, now Huawei delivers an Uber replacement.

What you need to know

Uber-alternative, Bolt has just debuted on Huawei's AppGallery this week.
The app is a popular ridesharing service in Europe, dubbed the "European Uber."
Bolt serves over 35 countries globaly with 30 million riders.

Huawei doesn't have access to the Google Play Store as a result of its continually escalating conflict with the United States, but that hasn't stopped the firm from trying to build its own replacement with blackjack and just-as-good equivalents. To get over the loss of Uber, Huawei has made a deal with the ridesharing service and the "European Uber", Bolt. The app now appears in the App Gallery, allowing users of Huawei's newest phones to have an Uber-like experience without having Uber itself. In March's FT 1000, Bolt was identified as the 3rd fastest growing technology company in Europe by the Financial Times. It's also just launched Bolt Food to compete with Uber in the food delivery arena. It's not yet clear if Bolt Food would come to App Gallery as well, but that seems to a natural next move.

The timing for the app's arrival is fortuitous as more and more European countries end their lockdown, meaning that there will be more travel but less trust in public transport. Bolt was launched in 2013 (as Taxify) and now sees itself with over a million drivers in over 35 countries.

Huawei claims AppGallery is now the third-largest app store in the world

from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers https://ift.tt/3ioktvQ

YouTube Music rolls out four new personalized mixes

2020-07-03T07:28:00.005-07:00

All four new personalized playlists will be updated weekly.

What you need to know

YouTube Music users can now access four new mixes.
All the new mixes include personalized songs and are refreshed every Monday.
The personalized mixes are not accessible from the YouTube Music dashboard for all users just yet.

Over the last few weeks, Google has been working hard to make YouTube Music better by adding several new features. It began rolling out a new "Related tab" two weeks back and introduced the ability to swipe to switch tracks last week. As spotted by an eagle-eyed Redditor, YouTube Music has now added four new Mix playlists (via Android Police).

The new personalized mixes available to YouTube Music users include Chill Mix, Workout Mix, Energy Mix, and Focus Mix. All of the four new playlists are updated every Monday with new songs. Currently, however, it is not possible to access the playlists directly from the YouTube Music dashboard. You will first have to visit the link for each playlist to add it to your library. Once they have been added, they will appear on the YouTube Music app like any other playlist that you may have saved.

Google is also expected to add collaborative playlists to YouTube Music very soon. A "Collaborate" button was added to the app last month, although the functionality has not been enabled yet. More such features are expected to be added to the app in the coming weeks, as Google prepares to finally kill Play Music by the end of this year.

YouTube Music Premium

$10/month at YouTube

Unlike Spotify and other popular music streaming platforms, YouTube Music is a video-centric service. With YouTube Music Premium, you will be able to listen to millions of songs ad-free and also have your music continue playing in the background after you turn off the screen. It also lets you download all your favorite tracks and play them offline.

from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers https://ift.tt/3isyM2w

Looking back at my first Android phone — the Galaxy S Fascinate

2020-07-03T07:28:00.003-07:00

Join me, if you will, for a trip back to 2009.

Techno-stalgia

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Everyone goes through a lot of "firsts" in their life. You have your first day of school, first time riding a bike, first kiss, your first job, etc. These momentous occasions often stick with us as the years go on, and in some cases, can help shape us into the person we ultimately turn out to be.

For some of us, there's another first that we look back at fondly — our first Android phone. Call it cheesy or nerdy if you wish, but as someone that's had a love and passion for the platform for over a decade, reminiscing about the initial device that started it all fills me with a warm feeling of nostalgia. We've been revisiting a lot of old Android devices and software versions lately on AC, and as such, I figured now would be as good a time as any to dig out my first Android phone and see how it holds up through 2020 eyes.

My first Android phone was the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate, and I distinctly remember the day my dad and I went to the Verizon store shopping for new phones. We were deciding between it and the Motorola Droid 2, and we ultimately went with the Galaxy S because of how good its Super AMOLED display looked compared to the Droid. I used the phone for quite a few years, and thankfully made the wise decision to hold onto it all this time later as a little techno keepsake.

It's been a long time since I last powered on the phone, and the instant I did, the old-school Samsung startup sound brought me right back to my childhood. Then I started hearing all of the bloops when touching literally anything on the screen, and I quickly remembered just how far we've come in such a short period of time 😛.

Hardware

Let's start first with the Galaxy S Fascinate's hardware. The phone is made entirely out of plastic and is absolutely puny by today's standards. A 4-inch display was seen as the norm back in 2009, but in 2020, it makes the Fascinate look and feel like a toy. As mentioned above, the 4-inch screen is a Super AMOLED panel and comes with a crisp resolution of 800 x 480.

You can pretty easily make our individual pixels and the screen doesn't get super bright, but outside of that nitpicking, it's pretty impressive how good it still looks. Samsung's first Galaxy S phones stood out for their AMOLED displays when so much of the market was still using LCD, and that ability to make unmatched screens is still one of the company's greatest strengths.

Below the display are four capacitive navigation buttons, giving you shortcuts for Home, Back, Menu, and Search. In my opinion, this is probably one of the biggest shifts Android has taken over the years.

The Home and Back buttons are very familiar to me, and like I mentioned in my Moto X article, they still work incredibly well even as my brain's gotten used to gesture navigation. The Search and Menu buttons died off with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2011, and I have mixed feelings about them. Having a persistent shortcut for opening the search app is pretty handy, but where most Android phones would use this to open Google, Verizon buddied up with Microsoft to have the Fascinate's button open up Bing. Lackluster search engine aside, there was value in being able to search something on the internet no matter what you were doing on your phone.

As for the Menu button, I'm perfectly happy it was killed when it was. In Android apps today, you can access every feature and all the settings for it by tapping different icons/buttons within the app itself. In the days of Android 2.1 through 2.3, a lot of these things were hidden behind the Menu button. Tap the button while on your home screen, you get access to your wallpaper, system settings, and more. Tap it in the Messaging app, and you'll get shortcuts for starting a new message, searching your messages, or opening the app settings. Some apps used the button, others didn't, and it ended up being a confusing mess of knowing when you could press it and what it would give you access to.

Other parts of the Galaxy S Fascinate's design also elude to the era it was released in. There's a Micro-USB charging port that can be hidden with a flimsy plastic cover, a 3.5mm headphone jack, no selfie camera, a single rear camera, and a removable backplate that gives you access to the user-replaceable 1,500 mAh battery. In a world where phones now ship with batteries as large as 5,000 mAh, it's funny to look back at a battery so small and think about how we praised it for good endurance.

Outside of the display and battery, just about every spec found on the Galaxy S Fascinate looks kind of silly given all the advancements we've made. There's a single-core 1.0Ghz Cortex A8 processor, 384MB of RAM, and 2GB of storage. As hard as it is to believe, these were seen as top-of-the-line components.

Just like with its display, the Galaxy S Fascinate surprised me with how well it still performs. Animations are jittery and it doesn't handle modern websites all that well, but it does a perfectly fine job of opening apps, scrolling through home pages, and navigating the various settings menus. It's hard to do much else given that I'm unable to sign into my Google account, but the stuff that is present on the phone works well considering its age.

Software

Samsung shipped the Galaxy S Fascinate with Android 2.1 Eclair and upgraded it all the way to Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. That's the version I have on my unit, and it's quite the throwback compared to Android 11 running on my Pixel 4 XL.

To put things kindly, Android 2.3 was rough. Multitasking didn't exist, you couldn't control app permissions at all, there wasn't a brightness slider in Quick Settings, and you couldn't interact with notifications from the notification shade the way you can today. There is some charm to be found, such as Samsung's custom lock screen that saw you fitting a puzzle piece to unlock the phone, but it's mostly a bunch of rough edges and missing features that Google would go on to patch up over the years.

Seeing as how this is a Samsung phone, that also means we're dealing with TouchWiz. Samsung continues to heavily customize Android with One UI on phones like the Galaxy S20 and A51, but it feels mature and well-thought-out. TouchWiz, on the other hand, was like a cartoon-ified version of stock Android and radically changed a lot of the user interface elements. TouchWiz didn't get really bad until the days of the Galaxy S4 and S5, but its influence on the Galaxy S Fascinate is still something to behold.

If anything, revisiting Android 2.3 gives me a much greater appreciation for Android in its current form. There are so many limitations to it on the S Fascinate that I have to actively think about how to do certain things, whereas everything just works the way I expect it to with the Android 11 beta on my Pixel 4. Android was still very much in its infancy during the Gingerbread era, offering no real visual identity and lacking a lot of features we've come to expect in 2020.

Like Jerry said in his editorial, Google no longer needs to reinvent the wheel every single year. Android is at the point where it doesn't need a yearly revolution, just minor tweaks and changes here and there. It might seem boring compared to the jumps we made from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich and KitKat to Lollipop, but that's because all the hard work has already been done. There was plenty of work left to do when the Galaxy S Fascinate was around, and that's instantly apparent in just about every aspect of its software.

We've come a long way

I had a lot of fun revisiting the Galaxy S Fascinate. It's no longer a viable choice as a phone you can use as a daily driver, but as a small piece of history, it's excellent. Using the phone is like stepping back in time to when the mobile tech industry was in its infancy and with plenty of milestones yet to achieve, and it gave me a great appreciation for just how far we've come in a very short amount of time.

Android phones we have today are downright amazing compared to 2009 ones, and the fact that we're now calling devices like the S20 and OnePlus 8 "boring" is further proof that we've been treated to years and years of excellent gadgets.

Now, I want to hear from you! What was your first Android phone? Do you have fond memories with it? Do you still have it? Sound off in the comments below, and let's get all nostalgia-filled together.

The Moto X was one of the best Android phones — it's time to bring it back

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TicWatch C2+ is out, but is it worth upgrading from the original C2?

2020-07-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

A worthy bump

TicWatch C2 +

$210 at Amazon

Pros

1GB RAM
Two watch straps with purchase
Comfortable to wear
Three color choices

Cons

Costs more

By doubling the RAM of the C2, Mobvoi made the C2+ one of the best smartwatches on the market today. The performance boost from the increased RAM also brings added stability. It's got a classic minimal look with exceptional finishes to choose from, and with two watch bands in the box, it's ready for even more situations.

Style on a budget

TicWatch C2

$150 at Amazon

Pros

Great design
Affordable price
Up to two days of battery life
Three color choices

Cons

Only 512MB RAM

With the same look as the upgraded C2+, the C2 is still a great looking watch for those looking to save some cash. It brings style and smarts to folks who want to dip their toes into the smartwatch world without breaking the bank. With only 512MB RAM, the performance expectations will need to be tempered though.

Mobvoi has been updating some fan favorites by increasing the amount of RAM built-in, and the TicWatch C2 is the latest to get the bump. It's becoming very apparent that Wear OS smartwatches greatly benefit from a minimum of 1GB RAM, but is it worth the added cost to upgrade?

Is the TicWatch C2+ upgrade worth it?

If you put these two watches side by side, you won't be able to see any physical differences. That's because they truly are identical in every way. That is except for one significant change that can't be seen until you use the device. The TicWatch C2+ got the much-needed increase in RAM to a full 1GB.

	TicWatch C2+	TicWatch C2
Price	$210	$150
Dimensions	42.8 x 12.7	42.8 x 12.7
Colors	Onyx, Platinum, Rose Gold	Onyx, Platinum, Rose Gold
Display	1.3" AMOLED (360 x 360 px)	1.3" AMOLED (360 x 360 px)
Chipset	Snapdragon Wear 2100	Snapdragon Wear 2100
Memory	RAM: 1GB Storage: 4GB	RAM: 512MB Storage: 4GB
GPS	Yes	Yes
NFC Payments	Yes	Yes
Operating System	Wear OS	Wear OS
Connectivity	Bluetooth smart v4.1 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n NFC	Bluetooth smart v4.1 Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n NFC
Battery	400mAh Up to 2 days	400mAh Up to 2 days
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Sensors	Accelerometer Gyroscope Heart Rate Monitor	Accelerometer Gyroscope Heart Rate Monitor

As you can see above, there's actually nothing different between the two watches except for the RAM. In case you're unaware, RAM (Random Access Memory) is a very fast temporary storage area for computers. It allows the processor to send and receive the info it needs immediately back and forth extremely fast. If there isn't enough space, then info has to be dropped and then rewritten to memory when needed again. In other words, more is better.

The additional RAM on the C2+ means that taps and swipes on the display result in instant actions as you expect.

You might think that this isn't enough of a change to warrant the additional cost to upgrade, and it might not be — until you use the C2+. After the first time I used a Wear OS smartwatch that had 1GB RAM, I decided I could not use a watch that didn't have it. The experience of moving around the interface is so much better. Changing between screens glides along the way many of us are used to on our phones. The jittery interactions that most watches have with less memory is a big reason why many people give up on their smartwatch.

Since technology has become such a major part of our lives now, we know how we expect interactions to go. When you tap or swipe on the display you want it to be recognized and acted upon, and the C2+ does that. It's not to say that the TicWatch C2 is a bad smartwatch. In fact, it is a good watch, which is why it got the upgrade.

The design of the TicWatch C2 line-up is minimal and classic. The size of the watch is large enough to view the information on the screen easily but small enough to be comfortable in any situation. With its clean lines and dual-buttons on the side, the C2 watches look great for work or play in each of the finishes. So then it all comes down to how the watch performs.

Should you upgrade to the TicWatch C2+?

If you enjoy your original C2 and want to continue to use that watch for the next couple of years, you can likely do that. However, your experience will only degrade more and more as the Wear OS platform expands. Moving to the C2+ will improve using the watch now as well as ensure the longevity of your favorite smartwatch going forward.

The TicWatch C2 and C2+ watches are both great-looking devices that bring a wide array of smarts to your wrist. Each of them run the same software and offer the same apps. They both offer automatic workout detection using Mobvoi's TicMotion. However, the experience of using them is very different. For the best and smoothest experience, the TicWatch C2+ is worth the upgrade.

Beautiful performance

TicWatch C2+

Here for the long run

$210 at Amazon

With the increased RAM, the TicWatch C2+ is one of the best performing Wear OS watches, while continuing its run of being one of the best-looking smartwatches.

Classic look

TicWatch C2

With intelligence in tow

$150 at Amazon $150 at Walmart

As one of the best looking Wear OS smartwatches around, the TicWatch C2 is ready to accompany you to a night out as well as in the office. Its performance may not match the C2+, but if you can get past that, the cost savings may make this the watch for you.

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Disney Plus Price: Bundles, Deals & How To Get A Year Free

2020-07-03T06:28:00.009-07:00

It may have taken its sweet time getting here, but the long-anticipated Disney Plus (or Disney+) streaming service is now available in a bunch of countries — soon to be fifteen! It's made its way in a space that's already pretty crowded, standing out thanks to its exclusive family-friendly offerings from not only from Disney itself, but also Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic, and 20th Century Studios.

The size of the catalog may not rival Netflix and the competition just yet, but there are already some awesome Disney+ originals, and more are set to come in the future.

Odds are you're interested, but still unsure how much a Disney+ subscription costs right? Well, there are several different plan options for Disney+ that you can sign up for, making the price for Disney+ range from $6.99 to $12.99 per month. The lower cost is the best Disney+ price you'll get right now — with one big exception — while the more expensive is a pretty sweet Disney+ bundle that you'll need to check out. You can sign up for an annual plan to save a little extra as well. Let's take a second to break down the current offers, and then go into a bit more detail about where Disney+ is available, how the prices compare to other services, and more.

Disney+ Pricing By Country

Country	Monthly rate	Annual rate
United States	$6.99	$69.99
Canada	$8.99 CAD	$89.99 CAD
Netherlands	€6.99	€69.99
Australia	$8.99 AUD	$89.99 AUD
New Zealand	$9.99 NZ	$99.99 NZ
UK	£5.99	£59.99
Ireland	€6.99	€69.99
Germany	6,99 €	69,99 €
Austria	6,99 €	69,99 €
Italy	6,99 €	69,99 €
Spain	6,99 €	69,99 €
France	6,99 €	69,99 €
Switzerland	9.90 CHF	99.00 CHF

If you are interested in signing up for just Disney+, you can for the full year upfront equated to only paying $5.83 a month, and for those of us who know we'll be using Disney+ for the foreseeable future, why not save a few dollars where we can?

The mega service

Disney+

$7 a month at Disney+

Go beyond Disney to a new galaxy of content.

Catch your favorite Disney classics along with great shows from Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Fox, in addition to stellar new shows like The Mandalorian.

Verizon is offering customers of its Unlimited wireless plans or Fios Home Internet a full year of Disney+ for free. You need to redeem the offer through Verizon's site, but this saves you about $84, which is pretty sweet. At this time, Verizon is the only one to offer the service for free, but odds are as the time passes, other companies will offer similar deals.

Disney+ Bundles explained

Disney+ currently offers one bundle with ESPN+ and Basic Hulu for just $12.99 a month. That's right, you can access all the content from all three platforms for as much as Standard Netflix costs on its own. By bundling the three services together, you end up saving about $5 per month, which is like getting ESPN+ for free.

Bundle and save

Disney+ Bundle

$13 a month at Disney+

This is the streaming bundle you always wanted.

A good deal is hard to pass up and a great bundle is even harder. This bundle offers three services for less than the cost of some others on their own.

What does $13 a month get you? To start, you get unlimited access to Disney+ and its library of over 7,500 episodes and over 500 films from Disney, 20th Century Studios, Marvel, National Geographics, and Star Wars. In addition, you'll be able to access nearly 50,000 different titles from Hulu and watch all the sports your heart desires on ESPN+. ESPN+ has exclusive UFC fights, NCAA football, baseball, basketball, and professional NHL, MLB, NFL, and more.

The Hulu plan that's included is the ad-supported one, but you can now upgrade to Hulu (No Ads) or Hulu + Live TV. Your savings aren't higher just for getting a more expensive bundle — it's just under $5 savings at every level — but it does allow you to build a bundle that fits for you and your family. If you want to have Live TV so that it's easier for you to watch your favorite shows, you can. If you just want to skip all those incessant ads during your favorite shows, you can do that, too, even though Disney would prefer you didn't because they make more money from ad-supported Hulu than the No Ads upgrade.

New content is being added to these services daily, so you'll want to keep checking back to see what else you can potentially watch.

Plan name	Hulu only monthly price	Disney+ Bundle monthly price
Hulu	$5.99	$12.99
Hulu (No Ads)	$11.99	$18.99
Hulu + Live TV	$54.99	$61.99
Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV	$60.99	$67.99

Is Disney+ free?

There are two ways to get some Disney+ in your life for free. The first option is the free 7-day trial. When signing up for the standalone service, you get access to the subscription for seven days at no cost to you. This is a great time to try it out, check out what's available, and make a decision before committing any of your own money to it.

Verizon Wireless is offering customers of its 4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless plans a free year of access to Disney+. In addition to wireless customers, those who sign up for Verizon Fios internet at home can sign up for the same offer. This scores you 12 months of access to the comprehensive Disney+ library, which is a great perk. This offer is good for existing customers, as well as new ones. If you're in the market for a new wireless carrier, you may want to consider making the switch before the deal is over.

You can even combine Disney+ on Us with the Disney+ bundle to get it for $6 a month, which is a slightly insane value that you should absolutely take advantage of before the window to redeem the Disney+ on Us offer expires this summer.

Pay nothing

Disney+ Verizon Offer

Redeem at Verizon

Stream it from anywhere using your phone!

It's not often your wireless carrier wants to give you something for free instead of charging you for it. Take Verizon up on this offer today, before it is too late.

Disney+ Deals for UK

Disney+ arrived in the UK on March 24. If you're unsure of whether it's the service for you, the best way to find out is to make use of the just give it a try for a month to experience it for yourself risk-free.

No doubt you'll be sold within that time and, when it comes to subscribing for real, Disney+ offers customers a couple of ways of doing so. You can simply pay the regular £5.99 per month for access. That spreads the cost and doesn't require an up-front commitment, though the smart money is spent on the annual plan. It's available for £59.99 which essentially gets you two months of streaming for free just for paying for a year from the outset.

UK network O2 is also offering a sweet deal on Disney+, giving new customers six months of the service for free. All you have to do is select Disney+ as an added extra when signing up. Existing O2 subscribers, fear not! You can also benefit from this partnership in the form of bill credits.

Free for six months

Disney+ O2 Offer

See at O2

Get your stream on in the UK!

O2 is the only UK network offering a Disney+ deal right now and it's one you don't want to miss. You can take advantage of it whether you're new to O2, upgrading, or in the middle of an existing contract.

Where can you stream Disney+ right now?

Today, Disney+ is available in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom. The next phase of expansion isn't scheduled to take place until later in 2020. Disney has outlined its broad rollout plans, which include the following targets:

First half of 2020: Other western European countries
First half of 2021: Eastern European countries
Throughout 2020-2021: Asia-Pacific countries
First half of 2020: Latin America

The launch of Disney+ in India was slated for March 29, though similar concerns have delayed it indefinitely.

Unfortunately, local laws forbid some of the content — and there's years and years of existing content deals that have to expire in soe territories — which makes it harder for a more rapid expansion of the service. Rest assured, Disney wants your money, so Disney+ should arrive where you live as quickly as Disney can manage it.

How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Netflix?

The price of having a Netflix membership is continually rising, which is why the premiere of Disney+ at just $6.99 per month is so enticing. Netflix currently starts at $8.99 per month for its most basic plan, which is restricted to SD streaming. For HD streaming, you'd have to move to one of the other two tiers at a higher monthly cost, while Disney+ only offers a single tier which gives you access to SD and HD content for one low price. Netflix's most basic plan costs almost $25 more per year than Disney+, and that's before taking any discounts into account, such as the $70 Disney+ yearly membership offer.

Another Disney+ plan gives you access to ESPN+ and Hulu, as well as Disney+, all for just $12.99 monthly. That's more comparable to Netflix's standard plan which includes HD content for that same monthly price, though you have access to three streaming services rather than just one.

Which service you choose really boils down to what you want to watch. Unlike what some people may think, you don't have to subscribe to every streaming service known to man! Disney+ is perfect for families with kids who are interested in Disney animated movies, live action Disney Channel shows and movies, and Pixar films, as well as adults who love Marvel movies, The Simpsons, and Star Wars. The content doesn't end there though. Netflix is great as well, and these days it's full of exclusive content that you can't watch elsewhere, from shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher to movies like El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Bird Box.

How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Amazon Prime Video?

Prime Video is made available as part of Amazon's Prime subscription, which costs $12.99 a month or $119 for the year. Without paying for a Prime subscription, you simply can't access the service, but since it's bundled with the subscription that means you also get all the other benefits as well. Comparing this directly to Disney+ and its $6.99 a month fee is hardly fair as Amazon Prime offers free shipping, cloud storage, and more, whereas Disney+ is strictly content.

That said, there are some differences that are favorable to Disney+ here. With Prime Video you can only stream content on two devices at a time, where as Disney allows up to four concurrent streams and up to seven user profiles.

How does Disney Plus pricing compare to Hulu?

On its own, Hulu pricing starts at $5.99 a month for the ad-supported version. If you want to upgrade to the commercial-free plan, it will set you back $11.99, and the plan with its Live TV offerings runs $54.99 a month. When comparing the base Disney+ package to the base Hulu package, you'll see that it's only $1 more, but where Disney+ wins is that it doesn't have ads. This puts it in better comparison to the $12 plan.

Where Hulu excels is in its content library. Disney+ is a bit limited currently when you compare the two, but the target audience is also very different. Hulu doesn't compete with Disney+ when it comes to the movies and shows that are available, and Disney+ is actually creating its own original programming which you obviously won't be able to access on Hulu. Each service has pros and cons, and quite honestly, the best thing is that you can bundle the two of them together for one low monthly cost.

How does Disney Plus pricing compare to YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is a service that's more aimed at someone who wants to cut the cord but still have access to tons of channels and programs as needed. Disney+, however, is a comprehensive library of older films and TV shows, mixed with some new and original content. YouTube TV has more standard cable features, like DVR recording, a channel guide, etc, where as Disney+ is all on-demand content. Pricing starts at $50 per month on YouTube TV thanks to a recent increase, where as Disney+ comes in at just $7 a month.

In addition to this, YouTube TV is only available in the U.S. right now, where as Disney+ is available in Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Australia, with more countries this spring.

Disney Plus shows & movies: What's available right now?

From every Pixar movie like Toy Story and Up! to classic Disney animated films such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, this service is a must-have for parents with younger children. It also includes a huge slate of Marvel superhero films such as The Avengers: Endgame, the Star Wars series, all of The Simpsons, and a bevy of Disney Channel TV shows and original movies, from Lizzie McGuire, Phineas and Ferb, and Hannah Montana, to High School Musical, Descendants, and so much more. Some of the content here hasn't been available to watch at all for over a decade, such as the Disney Channel show So Weird, making Disney+ the only place to find certain shows and movies. There's also the newly-released Hamilton film that's been years in the making.

To learn more about Disney's new streaming service, this guide can fill you in on everything you need to know.

The mega service

Disney+

$7 a month at Disney+

Go beyond Disney to a new galaxy of content.

Catch your favorite Disney classics along with great shows from Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Fox, in addition to stellar new shows like The Mandalorian.

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Make room for more movies on your Galaxy S20 with a microSD card

2020-07-03T06:28:00.007-07:00

Samsung starts the S20 off with 128GB of memory. Still, if you like to download movies for trips like me or are just an absolute shutterbug that needs to capture literally every moment of your or your kid's life, you'll probably want to invest in a microSD card. It's the perfect thing to expand and offload your media so that the internal memory can be used for apps and those super-duper slow-mos.

Best for apps

Lexar Professional 667x 256GB

Don't let that slightly slower number in the card's name fool you, the 667x card is still a V30 card, but it's got the upgraded A2 rating for storing and running apps directly on the card.

4K-ready

PNY Elite-X 128GB

PNY's card is rated V30, which is a fancy way of saying it supports up to 30MB/s write speeds for recording video — and it has an A1 certification for storing Android apps and app data.

Double your storage

Samsung Evo Select 128GB

This little green card can double the storage on your Galaxy S20 for less than pizza night for the fam, and it's a series that has served us well for years of Samsung flagships.

$21 at Amazon $39 at Newegg

Fit for a king

Kingston Canvas Select Plus 256GB

Kingston has possibly the easiest browsing experience for microSD cards because all three lines are on a single listing, and its cards can write at speeds up to 80MB/s.

$44 at Amazon $48 at B&H

Lifetime warranty

SanDisk Extreme 512GB

SanDisk is one of the most trusted names in SD cards for professionals because they can take a real beating and because cards like this one will outlast your S20.

Sturdy and speedy

Samsung Evo Select 512GB

Half a terabyte of storage should be more than enough to hold the movie marathon for your international trips, and it's been tested to withstand extreme temps and seawater.

High capacity for less

Lexar 633x 512GB

This sports the same certifications for write speed and app performance, so why is it so much more affordable than the Samsung and SanDisk? Less vanity in the brand.

Super-size it

SanDisk Extreme 1TB

This is the biggest microSD card you can get for a phone right now, capacity-wise, and on top of being a 4K-ready card, it's rated A2 for running and storing Android apps.

What all those symbols on a microSD card mean — and why they don't always matter

Manufacturers cover just about every space centimeter of a microSD card in classifications and certifications, and these symbols can be useful in ruling out slow cards quickly. However, looking at those symbols should never be the end of your research into a microSD card.

Video Speed Class — Indicated by a stylized V followed by numbers from 6 to 90, this class is one of the newer classification systems and was developed specifically for shooting ultra-high-definition video. V30 starts at 30MB/s write speed, V60 starts at 60MB/s write speed, and V90 starts at 90MB/s, but unless your phone somehow shoots 8K video, you probably don't need a V90 card.
UHS Speed Class — Indicated by a 1, 2, or 3 inside a U, this class is still used on most cards today. U1 starts at 10MB/s write speed, U3 starts at 30MB/s write speed, and both are perfectly adequate for most Android phones.
Speed Class — Indicated by a number inside of a C, this was the original classification system for SD cards. Class 10 was as high as this class went, 10 MB/s write speed, and practically every card worth buying today is well beyond this speed at this point, so it's not as helpful an indicator of power/quality these days.

Notice that those specifications focus on write speed, which is the lower of the two speeds a card will have. Read speed is almost always faster than write speed, so if you see a card that only mentions "transfer speed" of 100 MB/s but is a V30 card, we can infer that the read speed is 100 MB/s and the write speed is at least 30 MB/s.

It's essential to look beyond the symbols and see what the write and read speeds are supposed to be. U3/V30 cards can have actual write speeds above some V60 cards. If a V60 card has a listed write speed of 80 MB/s, there are some V30 cards out there with 90 MB/s write speeds. So read the specs!

Go beyond internal storage

For most of us who just want to store some movies, music, and a couple hundred thousand pictures of our adorable dogs and kids, all you need is a U3/V30 card, which covers literally every card in here! At that point, it simply becomes a matter of finding the size and reliability you want. For a Samsung phone — and really, for every phone with a microSD slot — I highly recommend the Samsung Evo Select. It's all but guaranteed to outlast your phone. Plus, it is fast enough for everything except those ultra super slo-mo videos that Samsung won't let you record to any microSD card.

If you intend to be running apps on your microSD card — I want to know how you filled 128GB to need to put apps on your microSD card, by the way — A2 cards are becoming more common and more affordable with each passing season. The Lexar Professional 667X is a great card. The 256GB size will triple the amount of storage you've got to work with, which means that you should be able to run thousands of apps from it if you are a complete and utter madman.

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How to watch the MLS is Back Tournament online from anywhere

2020-07-03T06:28:00.005-07:00

The Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A seasons have resumed and soccer in the U.S. is set to return soon with a new approach. We've got all of the details about the teams involved, schedules, and how to watch the MLS restart from anywhere in the world below.

Major League Soccer kicked off in late February, though the season was curtailed by the second week in March due to the global pandemic. Given the original MLS season was set to run until October, it was unclear how, when, or even if the season would be completed. We now know that games will continue in a tournament fashion with the one-off MLS is Back Tournament and it kicks off on July 8.

Keep reading for all of the details you need to know about MLS is Back as well as advice on how to stream the games online.

What is the MLS is Back Tournament?

MLS is Back is basically a way to condense much of the 2020 MLS season into a one-month tournament. The cup-style competition is being held in Orlando, Florida, with strict health and safety precautions in place.

All 26 MLS teams will compete in the tournament. The teams have been divided into three Eastern Conference groups and three Western Conference groups with the top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-placed teams, progressing to the knockout rounds.

Group matches will contribute to regular season standings and the overall winner of MLS is Back will gain a CONCACAF Champions League berth as well as over $1 million in prize money.

After the 54-match tournament is wrapped up, the regular MLS season will continue with a full schedule set to be devised later, followed by the playoffs and the 25th MLS Cup.

How to watch the MLS is Back Tournament from outside your country

We have details of all the US, UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of this tournament further down in this guide. If you're intent on watching MLS games, but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it's likely to be geo-blocked.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the ISP of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of giving you a further layer of security when surfing the web. There are lots of options, but we recommend ExpressVPN for a number of reasons. It offers fast connection speeds, a wide variety of server locations, it's very reliable and the customer service is top-notch as well. Looking for other options? Here are some alternatives that are on sale right now.

How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in the U.S.

If you live in the U.S. and want to watch MLS is Back, you have plenty of options with ESPN, TUDN, Fox, and FS1 each broadcasting several games. Twitter is even offering live streams for select games with English commentary that are otherwise only broadcast on Spanish-language TUDN. We've listed the broadcasts for each game of the group stage at the bottom of the page.

You can live stream MLS online by signing up for fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV, or ESPN+. However, each of these streaming services gives you access to different channels and not all of them will allow you to watch every game this season. To make things easier for you, we've broken down which channels each service offers below.

ESPN+

ESPN+ is just $4.99 per month, making it the cheapest streaming option to watch MLS this season and the service has the exclusive rights to MLS Live which was the league's former subscription service to watch out-of-market games. In addition to being able to watch out-of-market regular-season games live, ESPN+ also includes exclusive MLS originals and studio shows such as We Are LAFC and MLS Rewind. You won't be able to watch every MLS game using this service but its extras help make up for this.

ESPN+

See pricing options at ESPN

This is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to watch MLS 2020. You can sign up now with no long-term commitment.

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu With Live TV is $54.99 per month and gives you access to 67 channels including Fox in most areas as well as ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and ABC. You won't be able to watch MLS games on TUDN but you will be able to watch two streams simultaneously and the service also includes a free 50-hour cloud DVR in case you want to record some games to watch later.

Hulu

$54.99/mo at Hulu

Hulu's Live TV package is a great option for a wide variety of purposes, including streaming the MLS 2020 season.

Fubo TV

FuboTV starts at $54.99 per month and gives you access to Fox in most areas of the U.S. as well as FS1. However, the service does not carry ESPN or ESPN2 so you won't be able to watch the games broadcast on the network. The standard plan will even let you watch Spanish language games on TUDN. FuboTV also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test out the service for yourself.

Sling TV

SlingTV starts at $20 per month and gives you three packages to choose from and while the service's Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans are cheaper at $20 for the first month and then $30 after, you'll need its Orange & Blue plan which starts at $35 and then increases to $45 per month to get access to all the channels you'll need to watch MLS is Back except for TUDN. SlingTV also includes 10 hours of Cloud DVR storage for free as well as its own on-demand library.

AT&T TV Now

AT&T TV Now has plans starting at $65 per month and is one of the more expensive streaming services and this is because all of its plans include HBO. With the service's Plus plan, you get access to over 45 channels including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and Univision depending on where you live. AT&T TV Now also allows you to stream on three devices at once and record up to 20 hours of content with its DVR service.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV costs $49.99 per month and gives you access to over 70 channels including ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and Fox depending on where you live. If you are a Los Angeles FC fan, then the service just might be for you as it gives you exclusive coverage of the team's games. YouTube TV lets you stream on three devices simultaneously and it even includes a 9-month unlimited cloud DVR.

How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in Canada

Canadian MLS fans also have several options to watch this season's games on TV or online.

TSN will show games from all three Canadian teams including every Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps match. While you can watch these games on TV if you're already a cable subscriber, you can also sign up for the network's own streaming service, TSN Direct, for either $19.99 per month or you can buy a Day Pass for $4.99 if there is a particular game you want to watch.

Additionally, TVA Sports will show every Montreal Impact game in the MLS is Back Tournament.

How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in the UK

If you live in the UK and want to keep up with MLS is Back, you have a couple of wasy to do so. Sky Sports is broadcasting select games including the tournament opener between Orlando City and Inter Miami for its TV customers. A NOW TV Sports Pass gets you access to just its spors channels via its apps for streaming if you don't want to sign up for a settelite TV plan.

Many other games are available FreeSports either via its TV channels or streaming app.

How to stream the MLS is Back Tournament live in Australia

In Australia, beIN SPORTS is the main provider of the MLS. You can access its content online via beIN Sports Connect or other services such as Kayo Sports, Foxtel iQ, Foxtel Now, and Fetch TV. ESPN also has access to some MLS content in Australia.

MLS is Back Tournament schedule

Stage	Date
Group Stage	July 8 - 23
Round of 16	July 25 - 28
Quarter-Finals	July 30 - August 1
Semi-Finals	August 5 - 6
Final	August 11

MLS is Back Group Stage Fixtures

Date	Teams	Kick-Off Time (ET)	Broadcaster
July 8	Orlando City vs Inter Miami	8pm	ESPN
July 8	Nashville vs Chicago Fire	10:30pm	ESPN
July 9	New York City vs Philadelphia Union	9am	ESPN
July 9	Montreal Impact vs New England Revolution	8pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 9	FC Dallas vs Vancouver Whitecaps	10:30pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 10	Toronto vs DC United	8pm	ESPN
July 10	Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes	10:30pm	ESPN
July 11	Atlanta United vs New York Red Bulls	8pm	FOX / TUDN
July 11	FC Cincinnati vs Columbus Crew	10:30pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 12	Sporting Kansas City vs Minnesota United	8pm	ESPN
July 12	Real Salt Lake vs Colorado Rapids	10:30pm	ESPN
July 13	Los Angeles FC vs Houston Dynamo	8pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 13	LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers	10:30pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 14	Inter Miami vs Chicago Fire	9am	ESPN
July 14	Philadelphia Union vs Nashville SC	8pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 14	Orlando City vs New York City	10:30pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 15	Seattle Sounders vs FC Dallas	9am	ESPN
July 15	Montreal Impact vs Toronto	8pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 15	Vancouver Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes	10:30pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 16	Atlanta United vs FC Cincinnati	9am	ESPN
July 16	DC United vs New England Revolution	8pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 16	Columbus Crew vs New York Red Bulls	10:30pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 17	Sporting Kansas City vs Colorado Rapids	8pm	ESPN
July 17	Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota United	10:30pm	ESPN
July 18	Portland Timbers vs Houston Dynamo	8pm	ESPN 2
July 18	Los Angeles FC vs LA Galaxy	10:30pm	ESPN
July 19	New York City vs Chicago Fire	8pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 19	Philadelphia Union vs Inter Miami	10:30pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 20	Orlando City vs Nashville	9am	ESPN
July 20	FC Dallas vs San Jose Earthquakes	8pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 20	Seattle Sounders vs Vancouver Whitecaps	10:30pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 21	Toronto vs New England Revolution	9am	ESPN
July 21	Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew	8pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 21	Montreal Impact vs DC United	10:30pm	TUDN / Twitter
July 22	Real Salt Lake vs Sporting Kansas City	9am	ESPN
July 22	FC Cincinnati vs New York Red Bulls	8pm	ESPN
July 22	Colorado Rapids vs Minnesota United	10:30pm	ESPN
July 23	LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo	8pm	FS1 / TUDN
July 23	Los Angeles FC vs Portland Timbers	8pm	ESPN 2

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Here's your first look at the OnePlus Nord

2020-07-03T06:28:00.003-07:00

OnePlus shares a teaser video of the OnePlus Nord on Instagram.

What you need to know

OnePlus Nord teaser video gives us a first look at the upcoming mid-range phone.
There are dual cameras at the front — arrayed to the left.
The back has a camera housing similar to the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, but the orientation is to the left.

OnePlus is steadily teasing more and more details of the OnePlus Nord, and the company has posted a teaser video to its Instagram page showcasing the upcoming phone. The teaser gives us a first look at the design and a few hardware features, like the positioning of the cameras and the layout of the buttons.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by @oneplus.nord on Jul 3, 2020 at 5:21am PDT

The design itself looks similar to that of the OnePlus 8 series, but the highlight at the front is the wide cutout that houses dual 32MP and 8MP cameras — as we revealed exclusively. The cutout sits to the left side, and we also get a look at the rear camera housing, which once again is similar to the OnePlus 8 series. The key difference here is that the housing is located to the left corner, whereas the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro have a centered camera housing at the back.

Other details include the power button on the right just below the alert slider, and the volume rocker to the left. We also get a glimpse of the color, and the grey option is likely the "safe" option this time around, with the phone also slated to come in a teal color variant. The OnePlus Nord is set to make its debut in the coming weeks, and we'll hear more about the device shortly.

Carl Pei on OnePlus' new beginnings with the OnePlus Nord

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Iron Man VR review: As close to becoming a superhero as you can get

2020-07-03T06:28:00.001-07:00

The most authentic-feeling VR experience you'll find anywhere.

Superhero games can, oftentimes, feel like typical licensed cash-ins, with sub-par stories, lackluster gameplay, and average visuals. Iron Man VR does things very differently. It's not just a licensed game, it's your personal license to actually become Tony Stark himself.

Despite the limitations of the PSVR, particularly the controllers and movement restrictions when compared to other VR headsets, Iron Man VR succeeds. In fact, the game utilizes these weaknesses and turns them into strengths, helping to further create the illusion of ultimate embodiment that is at the core. It's a triumph of a title, doing almost everything it sets out to do.

The game was reviewed on PlayStation VR running on a PlayStation 4 Pro with codes provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment Canada.

Not your typical superhero game

Iron Man VR

Bottom line: Iron Man VR is the most authentic-feeling superhero game I've played because it actually makes you feel like Iron Man. You not only look and sound like Iron Man, but you move like him, fight like him, and even make choices like him. The story tugs at emotions and actually feels like a personal retelling of Tony Stark's life, shedding some new light on an already-popular character. This is a must-have for any PSVR owner.

Pros:

Strong narration and voice acting
Powerful story with lots of variety
Excellent controls, despite hardware limitations
Challenging and rewarding gameplay
You can embody Iron Man

Cons:

Loading times are painful
HUD is crowded

$40 at Amazon $40 at Amazon Canada $40 at Best Buy $40 at Walmart

Iron Man VR A meaningful story

The story begins just as Tony realizes the ramifications of his apathy to the deaths his business causes. Tony buries the historical "war machine" business of Stark Industries, but, as we often find, the ghosts of the past just don't seem to want to die. Years later, Tony finds himself having to deal with problems he thought had been put to rest.

Iron Man VR's story fills the boots of a cautionary tale that fits right in with the themes of 2020

Iron Man VR's story fills the boots of a cautionary tale that fits right in with the themes of 2020, specifically how we often are confronted with the traumas of our past, even if we try to leave them behind. While this sounds like a typical Iron Man story, there's a huge difference: this time you'reTony Stark himself. That embodiment brings about a significantly more personal touch to the ordinary superhero story.

In fact, Iron Man VR doesn't suffer from many of the usual tropes that plague superhero movies and games, but still feels like it sits with what we've seen in the MCU. The game takes place over a series of 12 chapters that unfold over an approximately 10-12 hour playtime, with each chapter taking between 30 minutes to one hour to complete. While there are minigames to play and high scores to bear, there aren't any sidequests or multiplayer to be found once you've completed the story.

So fans will get something new, but they'll also encounter plenty of familiar characters and situations, along with many Easter Eggs and references.

Iron Man VR You'll actually feel like you're Tony Stark

Most VR games that ask players to move around do so in one of two different ways: teleportation or virtual locomotion. Instead of slowing players down with teleportation or forcing them to use a virtual shooting gallery, Iron Man VR gives players nearly true freedom by allowing them to fly.

That's because Iron Man's trademark Repulsors are also built into the palms of your hands. You can activate them by pressing the trigger where your thumbs sit on the controller. You can angle your hands any way you please while playing, and accurate physics will take over. Stick both hands to your sides, aim back, and double tap those triggers and you'll really get going; up to 200mph. It quickly feels natural to boost around with one hand while shooting enemies with the other, all while taking in your surroundings in full 360-degree wonder.

While most powers are pulled off by aiming and pressing a button, some, like the ground pound, are accessed by pressing and holding a button. You aim the reticule with your head, and punch forward to smash all the enemies on the ground.

Ironically, the limitations of the PSVR controllers are what give the movement in Iron Man VR such freedom.

Ironically, the limitations of the PSVR controllers are what give the movement that feeling of freedom. Because this type of movement is already associated with the character, and fits how you've always used PSVR, it feels authentic to move yourself around this way. It's not perfect, as landing in specific areas can take a bit more work, but most people don't know what flying around like Iron Man feels like anyway.

Despite the fact that the PSVR only utilizes a single camera array to track controllers, Iron Man VR's movement never feels restrictive. I rarely had an issue with my virtual hands being in the wrong place (due to lost controller tracking), and I almost never experienced any glitching when turning around.

I never felt like the cord got in the way, either. The game builds in warnings about getting tangled in the cord if you spin around too many times (it actually keeps track for you), and will regularly fire up arrows on the screen to get you to turn and face the PlayStation Camera to enable best tracking. This is a game that you can absolutely play in a 360-degree fashion.

Iron Man VR Upgrades Galore

While you'll start the game with a fairly simple armory, things get a lot more interesting very quickly. By only chapter 2 you'll have access to Stark's garage where you can upgrade every facet of your suit, adorn your arms with missiles, and even create multiple types of armor with different sets of weapons altogether. Much like we saw in the stupendous Spiderman game on the PS4, Iron Man VR has a veritable smorgasbord of suits to choose from, ranging from the familiar red-and-gold to a camouflage suit, and even a star-spangled all-American red-white-and-blue paint job. Suits are unlocked as you play, while upgraded weapons can be purchased with tokens you'll earn in the game.

Iron Man VR has a veritable smorgasbord of suits (and upgrades) to choose from.

Tony's mansion is the hub-like area that you'll return to after every mission and can be explored pretty freely. Players will "walk" around by selecting pre-determined warp points throughout the home. This gives access to the mansion in a way that no other medium has, and even opens up a look into Tony's life that's seldom seem. There's even a minigame gym with weight lifting, boxing, and even a basketball arcade game.

Missions are accessed by spinning a holographic globe that's adorned with locations to visit. While each mission is linear and story-based, you're scored on every facet of the experience. Complete a mission quicker and you'll get a higher score. Miss fewer shots or take down enemies more efficiently and that score will also increase. You can replay any mission after completing it to get a better score, which will unlock more powers and suits for future use. As you can see, there's a lot to do.

Iron Man VR Constant motion

While things have come a long, long way in the world of VR, motion sickness is still a possibility. If you have a PSVR and are on the fence about motion sickness in the game, check out the free demo on the PlayStation Store to get an idea of what to expect. From the onset, you'll most certainly experience a fleeting moment of vertigo as you place your palms down and fire up those rocket boosters for the first time. I know I left my stomach on the ground the first time.

I know I left my stomach on the ground the first time I flew up in the air.

While I didn't have any vertigo issues outside of that initial take-off, I've also been regularly playing VR games since the Oculus DK1. Less seasoned players without their "VR legs" might have a slightly rougher time, but Camouflaj has taken great care to make all the default settings incredibly comfortable for most players. The usual tricks of vignetting, offering snap-turning, and even an always-there HUD that bobs with your head are all designed to keep players' perspectives pointed to the virtual horizon instead of into a toilet. You can even play the entirety of the game seated.

The HUD that's presented on-screen is designed to feel like the one inside Iron Man's helmet, and it does a good job of feeling authentic. The problem is that this design was clearly created to be a movie setpiece and simply doesn't work well in a practical sense. While the floating HUD certainly will help some players with motion sickness, the icons, text, and graphs on screen weren't practical. There's a lot of information here crammed into a tiny space and a lot of it isn't necessary, so it mostly just crowds your line of sight.

Iron Man VR Technical limitations are more than a flesh wound

Get used to this screen. You'll be seeing it a lot.

From beginning to end, Iron Man VR pushses the absolute boundaries of what the PS4 can handle, and especially what it can deliver in VR. Even on a PS4 Pro, the game has occasional framerate drops (although they were never during important parts of gameplay). It can also look soft from time to time, which can be atributed to the lower than usual resolution. Trees tend to be simple, cities are a bit flat with a few polygonal buildings rising from the surface image in the distance, and animations can feel a bit stiff. These tendancies aren't consistent, as locations like Malibu and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hover Carrier look a lot prettier than Shanghai, for instance.

This game is begging for the PS5 to be here already.

Some of it is also down to the lower graphical fidelity required to run something this complex on the PS4's aging hardware. I was often reminded that this was still a game running on some pretty ancient hardware.

However, as much as we could nitpick the visuals of a game that's coming out at the tail-end of a generation, nothing makes you salivate for faster hardware quite like loading times. Simply put, Iron Man VR has the longest loading times of any game I've played in several years, and it's something you'll regularly notice as you venture through the wonderful experience that Camouflaj crafted. This game is begging for the PS5 to be here already.

Bottom line: Is Iron Man VR worth playing?

When everything is taken into account, it's clear that Iron Man VR is a true marvel in design. While there's a lot that makes it obvious the game is running in VR on seven-year-old hardware, everything else makes these negative points easy to overlook. A 10-hour story and mechanics that feel perfectly aligned with any other AAA-level game on the PS4 makes Iron Man VR a must-have for any PSVR owner.

4.5 out of 5

If the PSVR didn't still cost $350, I'd say it's worth buying a PSVR just to play the game. If nothing, this is the perfect excuse to jump into the PSVR ecosystem and introduce yourself to one of the absolute best VR experiences on any platform.

Simply put, Iron Man VR is in the top three best PSVR games available. This isn't just because the gameplay is great, not just because the story is worth playing through, and not just because it's a heckuva lot of fun. It's because it truly makes you feel like you're Iron Man. That, my friends, is proof of the kind of magic that only immersive VR experiences can deliver.

Becoming the hero

Iron Man VR

$40 at Amazon $40 at Amazon Canada $40 at Best Buy $40 at Walmart

A Stark difference

Iron Man VR is about Tony Stark's transformation from pseudo-villain to genuine hero, and all the emotion that comes with such a transformation.

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Grab the Philips Hue smart bulb starter kit on sale for $130 at Best Buy

2020-07-03T05:28:00.011-07:00

The Philips Hue 3-bulb starter kit is on sale for $129.99 at Best Buy. It's $40 off Best Buy's usual price and about $30 off what it goes for at other retailers like Walmart (when it's in stock at all).

This is one of Best Buy's 4th of July deals. The larger sale continues all weekend and has dozens of ways to save on all kinds of tech. Check out our roundup of the full sale and look for big deals like $1,000 off TCL's latest and greatest 65-inch 4K Roku TV.

This kit includes three bulbs, a Philips Hue Hub, and a smart dimmer switch, which are all the things you'll need to start using smart lights. The hub is essential to the Philips Hue ecosystem. You'll need to connect all your bulbs to the hub to control them, and then you can easily connect the hub to your already existing smart home for some added control. The Hub itself is normally a $60 investment if you don't already have it anyway, and the dimmer switch regularly sells for $20 or more. So you're basically getting the three smart bulbs for $50 with this deal, which isn't bad at all.

To make these bulbs work, simply replace existing lights with the included A19 bulbs. The A19 fits in regular lamps and is probably the one you need the most. You'll have access to over 16 million color options, plus multiple different white lighting schemes. Thanks to the 3rd-generation technology, you'll find far more rich colors than previous versions of this kit.

Control the lights with your smartphone and a free app, or your voice and Amazon Alexa or another voice assistant. Each bulb lasts for over 25,000 hours, meaning that you'll save money compared to the costs of replacement bulbs before even factoring in the energy-saving LEDs that should lower your monthly power bill.

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Here's how to silence some of those more annoying Chromebook notifications

2020-07-03T05:28:00.009-07:00

Notifications are polarizing; they're either a blessing or a curse. Sometimes they're both at once! As useful as they can be to keep you updated on news, weather, messages, or whatever else, they can get in the way of productivity, entertainment, or downtime. We'll show you how to get a handle on them so that your Chromebook respects your boundaries.

How to manage notifications on a Chromebook the short way

Click on the lower right corner of the screen where the clock is to pull up the quick settings menu.
Click the dropdown arrow next to the Notifications icon.
Click on the Notifications icon to turn off or turn on all notifications at once.
Click the checkboxes for the apps, plugins, or services that you wish to receive notifications from. You can change this at any time.
Toggle the Do not disturb slider to disable your notifications temporarily.

How to manage notifications on a Chromebook the longer way

Click on the lower right corner of the screen where the clock is to pull up the quick settings menu.
Click on the gear icon to pull up the system settings menu.
Click on Apps.
Click on Manage your apps.
Click on the app whose notifications you want to manage.
Toggle the Notifications slider on or off.

Unfortunately, there isn't a way to have more granular notification controls besides "on" or "off," but at least you can dictate which notifications you'll see as they come in.

Our top equipment picks

If your Chromebook is getting up there in age or if you need a second (or third) device around the home, you can't do much better for the price than the

Flexible for any situation

Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5

$410 at Amazon

Good looking, smooth operator

The Flex 5 packs just about all you'd want in a high-end Chromebook into an affordable, mid-tier package. FHD display, Intel Core i3, and 64GB of onboard storage make this a hard one to pass up.

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T-Mobile shutters Sprint’s legacy 2.5GHz 5G network

2020-07-03T05:28:00.007-07:00

The first-generation 5G phones on Sprint's network will only pick up 4G LTE signals now.

What you need to know

T-Mobile has deactivated Sprint's 2.5GHz mid-band 5G network as it continues to re-deploy the spectrum into its integrated 5G network.
T-Mobile had started repurposing Sprint's mid-band spectrum in April, soon after its merger with Sprint was closed.
Owners of first-gen 5G phones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will need to upgrade to a newer phone to be able to access T-Mobile's new integrated 5G network.

Shortly after T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint in April, the two carriers began the process of combining their networks. As part of that process, T-Mobile has now shut down Sprint's 2.5GHz mid-band 5G service.

T-Mobile has already re-deployed the new 2.5GHz spectrum in New York City, which is currently the only market where the carrier is offering 5G by combining low-band, mid-band, and mmWave 5G. The 2.5GHz spectrum has also been re-deployed in parts of Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Sprint's 5G service is no longer accessible to customers who have older 5G-enabled smartphones like the Galaxy S10 5G, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, and the LG V50 ThinQ. If you own any of these phones, you will have to upgrade to a newer 5G phone that uses Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X55 5G modem to be able to access T-Mobile's 5G network. Apart from the Galaxy S20 5G, phones like the LG V60 ThinQ and OnePlus 8 5G are also compatible with the Magenta carrier's 5G network.

In a statement sent to Fierce Wireless, a T-Mobile spokesperson said:

We are working to quickly re-deploy, optimize and test the 2.5 GHz spectrum before lighting it up on the T-Mobile network. In the meantime, legacy Sprint customers with compatible devices can enjoy T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network

5G on T-Mobile & Sprint: Everything you need to know

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Frozen 2 finally comes to Disney+ in the UK

2020-07-03T05:28:00.005-07:00

We've waited so long!

What you need to know

Frozen 2 is now available on Disney+ in the UK.
It's already been out in the U.S. for four months.
The UK release was delayed due to licensing issues.

Four months after the U.S. release, but 2 weeks earlier than originally planned, Frozen 2 is now available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.

As announced by Dinsey+ UK back in June, Frozen 2 is now available on the streaming service in the UK as of July 3.

The U.S. version was released back in March three months earlier than planned. It's a big day for Disney+, as July 3 also marks the global release of Hamilton on the platform, from our earlier report:

Disney+ is bringing the Broadway stage to your living room with its exclusive recording of one of the most popular plays in modern history: Hamilton. Featuring the original production and cast, including creator Lin Manuel-Miranda, Hamilton is an American musical which blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway genres for musical numbers that truly are in a world of their own.

That release is a recording of Hamilton as filmed in June 2016.

Great package

Disney+

From £5.99/month

Disney+ is one of the best deals in content streaming

Disney+ in the UK may not have everything its American counterpart does, but the catalog covers favorites from all corners and gets new stuff added on a regular basis. It's also the only place to check out The Mandalorian.

One of the most affordable streaming platforms out there, Disney+ costs just £5.99 in the UK, and is even cheaper if you pay for your entire year's membership in one go. Not only can you watch Frozen and the newly-released Hamilton, but also smash-hit franchises including Marvel's Avengers and Star Wars.

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Galaxy Buds Plus review, four months later: A perfect balance

2020-07-03T05:28:00.003-07:00

These are by far my favorite true wireless earbuds.

Back in February before the world fell apart, I was in an art gallery building in New York City, where Samsung gave the press an early look at its upcoming Galaxy S20 series. In the demo room, there were plenty of phones laid out in different filming sets, but Samsung had also placed a few of its new Galaxy Buds Plus in the room. Visually, they were pretty hard to tell apart from the original Galaxy Buds that I had in my pocket, but I was excited to see them nonetheless.

Fast-forward to when pre-orders of the S20 went live, and I took advantage of the promotional offers to score a free pair of the Galaxy Buds Plus with my S20+ order because, well, why not? I figured the audio would be a little better, and the improved battery life was enticing given how often I used the original Buds when traveling.

Since my Galaxy Buds Plus came in, I've also gotten a pair of Jabra's popular Elite 75t true wireless earbuds for comparison, which seem to have become the de facto golden standard for the product category. After spending months with both pairs, I have to say — I can't remember the last time I've charged my Jabras.

At a glance

Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus

Bottom line: The Galaxy Buds Plus offer a nearly perfect balance of sound quality, battery life, and ease of use that make them my go-to true wireless earbuds. I wish they offered active noise canceling, but given the affordable price and compact form factor, it's hard to complain.

Pros

Excellent battery life
Improved call quality over the originals
Very good sound quality with the right fit
Compact case that charges via USB-C or Qi
Lots of configuration in the app

Cons

Glossy case gets grimy quickly
No active noise cancelation
Gestures can be finicky while adjusting earbuds

$149 at Amazon

Galaxy Buds Plus What's still great

I'll cut right to the chase and say that by far, my favorite thing about the Galaxy Buds Plus remains the ridiculous battery life I'm able to get between charges. Samsung quotes 22 hours of battery life on the Buds Plus, split between 11 hours internally and 11 hours of spare juice in the charging case. I definitely haven't worn these earbuds for 11 hours straight to test the veracity of that claim, but I can at least say that I've never had to worry about them dying on me mid-day.

The Galaxy Buds Plus are comfortable, compact, and long-lasting.

That's partially because of how you can recharge them. Of course, the case keeps the earbuds juiced up any time you store them, and I love that you can top up the case over USB-C. But even more handy (especially when I'm traveling) is that you can charge the case wirelessly. On business trips, rather than needing an extra cable and charging port, I usually just plug my S20+ in at night, flip it over, and sit the Buds Plus case on top with Wireless Powershare enabled.

Since my last trip in late February, I've actually switched over to the OnePlus 8 full time, which doesn't have wireless charging in either direction, so I suppose that workflow wouldn't really work for me anymore, but it was a wonderful system to have in place.

As for the earbuds themselves, the Galaxy Buds Plus are about as comfortable as it gets for my ears. The default sizing fits perfectly, and provides just enough of a seal to keep surrounding noise mostly out, even without active noise cancellation.

These have become my go-to headphones for meetings and phone calls.

I still love the winged tips that keep the headphones in my ears, even when I'm running, and the Buds Plus really do sound significantly better than their predecessors. I listen to everything from progressive metal to jazz, pop, hip hop, emo, fusion — I try to maintain some variety, and I rarely have a complaint with the sound profile of the Buds Plus.

In addition, my biggest annoyance the Jabra Elite 75t, the direct competitor to the Buds Plus, is that the left earbud is entirely dependent on the right one. I watch videos with just one earbud in all the time, and with the Elite 75t, you simply can't do that with only the left earbud. The Galaxy Buds Plus work independently of each other, giving you free will to divide your attention any way you see fit.

I think my favorite thing about the Galaxy Buds Plus over the original Galaxy Buds is the massive improvement in microphone quality. Last year's model was muffled to the point of being virtually unusable for calls, but the Buds Plus actually sound pretty great. They've become my go-to headphones for Android Central's weekly meetings, and the few times a month I need to make an actual phone call.

Galaxy Buds Plus What hasn't aged well

One thing I'd definitely change about the case is this gross glossy finish that replaced the previous Galaxy Buds' matte casing. It feels cheap, and it smudges like crazy — though I guess if anything, the light that it reflects makes the case easier to find. On the bright side, it still opens smoothly along the hinge, and closes with a satisfying snap. I wish the earbuds were a bit more magnetized to the case, which I think Jabra really nails with the Elite 75t, but that's hardly a dealbreaker.

It's also worth noting that the Jabra Elite 75t definitely sounds better for certain types of music. In particular, the Elite 75t has a more balanced low end response that works really well for bass-heavy music, but it can get a bit too tinny for my ears in the high end for genres like metal, which often put a lot of emphasis on cymbals and high, shrill notes. Ultimately, I trust either set of earbuds to work for the majority of what I listen to.

Samsung has also recently added a volume adjustment feature to the Buds Plus, but like The Verge's Dieter Bohn, I'm not having the most consistent experience with it.

So the Galaxy Buds Plus have this neat beta feature where you can double tap the top of them to adjust volume.

…which gets triggered anytime I’m chewing on something extra crunchy lol
— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) June 29, 2020

I still wish the Buds Plus were able to pair to multiple devices at once; while it's nice that you can quickly switch between devices you've previously paired to without having to re-establish a Bluetooth connection, it'd be even better if you could just have multiple audio streams coming through at once.

And while we're talking minor complaints, I'd really love for a subsequent model of the Galaxy Buds to feature active noise cancelation. The passive sound isolation is enough that cabin noise doesn't really bother me on flights, so long as I've got the volume cranked loud enough, but I shouldn't have to blow my ears out just to listen to my music in peace.

The true wireless earbuds competition

There are other true wireless earbuds that handle specific things better than the Galaxy Buds Plus. The Jabra Elite 75t sounds better for particular genres, and has even longer combined battery life between the earbuds themselves and the charging case. But they're also more expensive, the case doesn't wirelessly charge, and I have a hard time overlooking the left earbud's dependence on the right one.

Sony's WF-1000XM3 earbuds are among the select few true wireless earbuds with active noise canceling, along with even better sound quality. The charging case is considerably larger, though, making them much less pocketable, and these are among the most expensive true wireless earbuds out there.

The Pixel Buds are yet another great set of true wireless earbuds worth looking into. Battery life isn't the greatest, but the Pixel Buds have touchless Google Assistant voice controls, activated with a simple "hey Google" command, along with niceties like intelligent volume controls that automatically adjust based on the noise levels of your surrounding environment.

Galaxy Buds Plus Should you buy them?

Who it's for

If you need affordable, long-lasting earbuds
If you need wireless charging in your earbuds case
If you make a lot of calls over Bluetooth
If you need headphones that fit in your pocket
If you like touch-based controls

Who it isn't for

If you need active noise cancellation
If you need to connect to multiple devices at once
If you want the absolute best audio quality possible

It's hard to overstate the importance of convenience and portability. Since I've gotten the Galaxy Buds Plus, I've used them almost exclusively over my Sony WH-1000XM3 over-the-ear headphones (with the exception of when I'm editing video, at which point I need wired audio), which offer better sound quality and active noise cancellation, because they're so much easier to carry around and pop in and out of my ears. They're significantly lighter on my head, and don't give me the dreaded "headphone hair."

4.5 out of 5

Andrew gave the Buds Plus a 4.5 in our initial review, and I see no reason to change that. I'd absolutely love a pair of souped up Galaxy Buds that offered active noise canceling and best-in-class audio quality, even if it came at the cost of slightly weaker battery life. But in the meantime, these work great for virtually every use case I throw at them, and I haven't once reached for my other true wireless earbuds in the last few months.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus

$149 at Amazon $149 at Best Buy $149 at Walmart

The Galaxy Buds Plus offer a nearly perfect balance of sound quality, battery life, and ease of use that make them my go-to true wireless earbuds. I wish they offered active noise canceling, but given the affordable price and compact form factor, it's hard to complain.

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PGA Tour: How to watch the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic online

2020-07-03T05:28:00.001-07:00

After resuming play just four weeks ago, the PGA Tour is heading to Detroit this weekend for the second edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Once again there will be no fans in attendance which means there won't be any grandstands at the tournament but all four days of the event will be shown live and we have all the details on how you can watch the world's top golfers tee off at home.

The first Rocket Mortgage Classic was held last year and it replaced the Quicken Loans National on the PGA Tour. Despite being the last player to get into the field, Nathan Lashley ended up defeating Doc Redman by six strokes to win the tournament and earn his first PGA Tour victory finishing with a 25-under par. Will Lashley be able to play as well as he did last year and win the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second year in a row?

While the field isn't quite as loaded as it was during the PGA Tour's first three weeks of play, a number of big names in golf will be in attendance including Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, and Patrick Reed. Unfortunately, once again Tiger Woods has made the decision to sit this tournament out.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic will see 156 golfers play 18 holes at the Detroit Golf Club over four rounds with one round being played on each day of the tournament. Although the Detroit Golf Club features two 18-hole courses, the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be played on the North Course which is 7,334 yards in length with the longest hole being No. 4 at 635 yards and the shortest hole being No. 15 at 160 yards.

Whether you follow the PGA Tour closely or just want to tune in to watch some of the top players in golf play at the Detroit Golf Club this weekend, we'll show you how to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic on TV or online from anywhere in the world.

2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic - When and where?

The 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic will be held at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan from July 2-5. The tournament will consist of four rounds and one round will be played each day. Round 2 will start at 6:45am ET / 3:45am PT on Friday and Rounds 3 and 4 will begin at 8am ET / 5am PT on Saturday and Sunday.

How to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic from anywhere

We have all the details on how you can watch the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic in the U.S., Canada, UK, and Australia further down in this guide. However, if you're currently traveling or live in a country without an official broadcast option you won't be able to watch this weekend's tournament at the Detroit Golf Club.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security, and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?

Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.

ExpressVPN

See latest price at ExpressVPN

No matter where in the world you may be, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to watch the PGA Tour. Get in on this deal now!

Live stream the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the U.S.

If you live in the US and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch this year's Rocket Mortgage Classic on television via the Golf Channel. The network will show round 2 of the tournament beginning at 3pm ET / 12pm PT on Friday and it will show rounds 3 and 4 at 1pm ET / 10am PT on Saturday and Sunday. You can also stream the whole tournament online on Golf Channel's website but you will need to log in using the credentials from your cable provider. If your cable package doesn't include the Golf Channel, you can also watch rounds 3 and 4 of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on CBS beginning at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.

Not interested in signing up for cable just to watch the 202 Rocket Mortgage Classic? Don't worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to the Golf Channel so you can watch the PGA Tour online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

fuboTV - $54.99 per month - fuboTV's standard plan includes the Golf Channel as well as over 90 other live TV channels. You also get the ability to watch two streams simultaneously and record up to 30 hours of content using the service's cloud DVR feature.
Hulu with Live TV - $54.99 per month - As well as giving you access to the Golf Channel, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to the Golf Channel as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
AT&T TV Now - $65 per month - AT&T TV Now may be more expensive than the competition but in addition to the Golf Channel you also get access to HBO with your plan. The service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.

Hulu with Live TV

Start your free trial at Hulu

With a free 7-day trial, Hulu is a great option for watching the Charles Schwab Challenge as it happens live.

Watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Canada

Canadian golf fans will be able to watch the third round and the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on TSN. The network will begin its coverage of both rounds at 3pm ET / 12pm PT on TSN 1, TSN 4 and CTV2.

You can also stream the Rocket Mortgage Classic online via the TSN app on your smartphone or tablet. If you're not a TSN subscriber yet, you can get access to the network's content for as little as $4.99 for a TSN Direct Day Pass or $19.99 for a monthly streaming subscription.

Live stream the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the UK

UK viewers with a Sky Sports subscription will be able to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sky Sports Golf. The network will begin its coverage of round 2 on Friday at 8pm BST and its coverage on Saturday and Sunday will start at 6pm BST.

Don't want to sign up for Sky Sports just to watch the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic, don't worry as you can watch the whole event live on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99 or a Sky Sports Month Pass for £33.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the games on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or other streaming devices.

How to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Australia

These easiest way to watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Australia is on the over-the-top streaming service Kayo Sports. The streaming service also has full replays available in case you miss any of the rounds and want to go back and watch them later. Kayo Sports costs between $25 and $35 per month depending on the package you choose but new customers can take advantage of its 14-day Free Trial to watch the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

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How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Mallorca La Liga live stream

2020-07-03T03:28:00.003-07:00

Atletico Madrid are back in action tonight play host to RCD Mallorca at the Metropolitano Stadium. Don't miss a kick by following our Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca live stream guide below.

Atleti remain in third-place in La Liga following a draw at Barcelona's Camp Nou in their last outing. That result may have been costly for Barça who are hoping to claim their 27th La Liga trophy but now trail rivals Real Madrid in this year's title race. RCD Mallorca face their own battle at the other end of the league table and currently site five points adrift of safety in 18th place.

Los Colchoneros could open up a five-point gap between them and fourth-placed Sevilla with a victory today as they continue to focus on securing Champions League football for next season. Diego Simeone's men have won four of their six games since Spain's lockdown was lifted including a rousing 5-0 victory at mid-table Osasuna.

On the other hand, Los Bermellones recorded an impressive 5-1 victory against fellow La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo in their last game, their first victory after the unscheduled season break. Four defeats and one draw from their five other post-lockdown games leave Vicente Moreno's men languishing in the relegation zone.

This La Liga clash is bound to be entertaining with plenty at stake for both teams. Read on for full details on how to get a live stream of Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca no matter where you are in the world with our guide below.

Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca: Where and when?

All eyes will be on Atletico's Metropolitano Stadium on Friday for this match which is set to take place behind closed doors. Kick-off is at 10pm CEST local time.

That makes it a 9pm BST start in the UK and a 4pm ET, 1pm PT kick-off in the U.S.. For those tuning in from Australia, it's a 6am AEST start on Friday morning.

Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca online from outside your country

We have details of all the US, UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of this game further down in this guide. If you're intent on watching Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca, but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it's likely to be geo-blocked.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of giving you a further layer of security when surfing the web. There are lots of options, and we recommend Private Internet Access as one of our top picks due to its speed, security, and ease of use. It can be used on a vast array of operating systems and devices (e.g. Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and more). Sign up for PIA now now and enjoy a 77% discount and 2 months FREE with its 2-year subscription. Or give it a try with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Looking for other options? Here are some alternatives that are on sale right now.

Private Internet Access VPN

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No matter where in the world you may be, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to watch La Liga. Get in on this deal now!

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca online in the U.S. exclusively on BeIN Sports

Pay TV sports service BeIN Sport has exclusive live broadcast rights to the remainder of this coronavirus-delayed La Liga season in the U.S., including this match.

Subscribers also get access to watching matches via the BeIN Sports Connect streaming app.

BeIN Sport can be accessed via most cable providers, as well as TV streaming services such as FuboTV and Sling. They also carry free trials, so it's worth checking out if you're of cord cutting persuasion.

Sling TV

From $30 at Sling

How to stream Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca live in the UK

You'll need to be a Premier Sports customer to watch all the action from Barcelona on Tuesday in the UK.

The subscription service is available to Sky TV customers from just £5.99 a month for its dedicated LaLiga TV channel. Coverage is fairly no-frills and will get straight to the action at 89pm BST.

There's also the option of going for the network's full-fat serving that will get you LaLiga TV plus Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports 2 for just £9.99 on both Sky and Virgin Media, giving you access to the network's Premier Player streaming app as well as live coverage of Serie A and the Dutch Eredivisie. If it's just streaming access you want, then go for the standalone Premier Player package that includes everything for online viewing for £9.99 a month.

Live stream Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca live in Australia

If you're planning on watching this tie Down Under, then you'll need to be a BeIN Sports subscriber as the network holds live broadcast rights to the league for Australia.

Alternatively, subscribing to Kayo Sports gets you access to La Liga football from BeIN Sports among 50 other sports from AU$25 per month.

You'll need to be ready to tune in at 6am AEST on Wednesday morning to watch the action from Barcelona.

Live stream Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca live in Canada

As with their North American neighbours, BeIN Sports is the place to head for Spanish soccer fans in Canada, with the BeIN Sports Connect app on mobile the way to go for streaming the match on the go.

If you're not keen on subscribing to BeIN then you also have the option of going with Fubo TV who are the exclusive over-the-top provider carrying the streaming service's La Liga soccer coverage.

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Get a measure of privacy with YouTube's Incognito Mode

2020-07-03T03:28:00.001-07:00

Here's how you can watch videos on YouTube without leaving any trace of them.

YouTube, one of the most popular services in Google's lineup, now has a new tool called "Incognito Mode." Just like the Google Chrome feature of the same name, Incognito Mode on YouTube allows you to watch videos in the app without leaving any trace of them in your watch or search history.

Google's been testing this feature with users for some time, but as of July 2018, it's widely rolling out to everyone.

Here's how to enable it!

Open the YouTube app.
Tap your account icon at the top right.
Tap Turn on Incognito.
If it's your first time using Incognito, tap Got it on the pop-up.

Once you're in Incognito Mode, you'll see that your profile icon is changed to Chrome's Incognito symbol, and a black bar at the bottom of the YouTube app reads, "You're incognito."

If you want to disable Incognito Mode:

Tap your account icon at the top right (now showing the Incognito icon).
Tap Turn off Incognito at the bottom of your screen.

Be aware of what Incognito does and doesn't do

Incognito Mode is a great addition to the YouTube app, but it's important to be aware of its limitations.

Videos you watch while Incognito is enabled won't show up in your search or watch history, but Google still tracks your activity. Also, as noted in the YouTube app, when turning Incognito on for the first time, your activity can still be viewed by your internet provider, employer, or school.

Lastly, if you subscribe to YouTube Premium, all the benefits that come with it are disabled while using Incognito.

YouTube Music review: A mixtape full of promise

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Android 10 is rolling out to Samsung Galaxy A10e and A20 phones on Verizon

2020-07-03T01:28:00.003-07:00

You can expect to receive an update notification on your Galaxy A10e or A20 very soon.

What you need to know

Verizon has finally started pushing Android 10 to the budget-friendly Galaxy A10e and Galaxy A20 phones.
The unlocked variants of the two phones were updated to Android 10 a few weeks back.
Along with new Android 10 features like Smart Reply and gesture navigation, the update also brings the May 2020 security patch.

Verizon has started rolling out the Android 10 update for the extremely popular Galaxy A10e and Galaxy A20 phones (via SamMobile). Unsurprisingly, however, the update for the Verizon variants of the two phones has arrived a few weeks after the unlocked variants made the jump to Android 10. AT&T, too rolled out Android 10 to the Galaxy A10e last month. T-Mobile, however, is yet to roll out the update for the budget-friendly A-series phone.

The stable Android 10 update for the Galaxy A10e arrives as version A102USQS6ATC2 and comes with numerous new features. Some of the highlights include Smart Reply, Focus Mode, a system-wide dark mode, Live Transcribe, gesture navigation, Sound Amplifier, and an updated camera UX. It also brings the May 2020 Android security patch to the affordable smartphone.

In case you haven't received a notification on your Galaxy A10e yet, you can manually check for the software update by going to Settings > About Device > Software updates and tapping Restart & install.

For the Galaxy A20, the Android 10 update arrives as software version A205USQU5BTE6 and brings the same set of features as the Galaxy A10e.

Samsung Galaxy A10e

$180 at Amazon $180 at Best Buy $180 at Walmart

Samsung's affordable Galaxy A10e offers a modern design, an octa-core processor, expandable storage, and decent battery life. The phone is also compatible with most major U.S. carriers.

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Stable MIUI 12 update now rolling out to several Xiaomi and Redmi phones

2020-07-03T01:28:00.001-07:00

Xiaomi is now rolling out the MIUI 12 stable update to a lot of phones.

MIUI 12 is now official, with Xiaomi's latest skin offering an array of new features. Some of those features include an improved system-wide dark mode, AI-assisted calling features, Dynamic Always-on Display, new visual design, tweaks to system animations, and much-needed privacy fixes.

Xiaomi is now rolling out the stable MIUI 12 update to a lot of phones in the Redmi, POCO, and Mi series. The update is going to users in India, UK, and other markets, and Xiaomi will roll out the update to more phones in the coming weeks and months. Here's when your Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO phone will receive the MIUI 12 stable update.

MIUI 12 stable update: Rolling out right now

Xiaomi is now rolling out the stable MIUI 12 update to a lot of phones. For now, these are the phones that have received the update as of July 3, 2020:

Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G
Xiaomi Mi 9T
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
Redmi K30
Redmi K30 5G
Redmi K30 Pro
Redmi K20
Redmi K20 Pro
Redmi Note 9
Redmi Note 8 Pro
POCO F2 Pro
POCO X2

If you're using any of the phones in the list above, head to your phone's settings to manually initiate the OTA update. MIUI 12 comes with a host of exciting new features, and you can take a look at the full list here.

MIUI 12 global update: Full list of eligible phones

Here's the list of phones confirmed to receive the MIUI 12 global update. Phones in the first wave are getting the update now, and right now there's no timeline as to when updates for phones in the second wave will kick off.

Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9T
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
Redmi K20
Redmi K20 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite
Xiaomi Mi Note 10
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
Xiaomi Mi Note 3
Xiaomi Mi 8
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
Xiaomi Mi Max 3
POCO F1
POCO X2
POCO F2 Pro
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Redmi Note 9 Pro Max
Redmi Note 9
Redmi Note 9s
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 8
Redmi Note 8T
Redmi Note 7
Redmi Note 7 Pro
Redmi Note 7S
Redmi Note 6 Pro
Redmi Note 5
Redmi Note 5 Pro
Redmi 8
Redmi 8A
Redmi 8A Dual
Redmi 7
Redmi 7A
Redmi 6 Pro
Redmi 6A
Redmi 6
Redmi Y3
Redmi Y2
Redmi S2

MIUI China update: Full list of eligible phones

The China version of MIUI has its own rollout schedule, with the first wave now live — the same time as the global rollout. The China ROM will be rolled out in three waves.

MIUI 12 China first wave:

Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10 Youth Edition
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G
Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer Edition
Xiaomi Mi 9
Redmi K30 Pro
Redmi K30 5G
Redmi K30
Redmi K20 Pro
Redmi K20

MIUI 12 China second wave:

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro
Xiaomi Mi CC9
Xiaomi Mi CC9 Meitu Edition
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition
Xiaomi Mi 8
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Redmi Note 7 Pro
Redmi Note 7

MIUI 12 China third wave:

Xiaomi Mi CC9e
Xiaomi Mi Note 3
Xiaomi Mi Max 3
Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth Edition
Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
Xiaomi Mi 6X
Redmi Note 8
Redmi 8
Redmi 8A
Redmi 7
Redmi 7A
Redmi 6 Pro
Redmi 6
Redmi 6A
Redmi Note 5
Redmi S2

Xiaomi is set to roll out the stable MIUI 12 update to more phones in the coming weeks and months. To know more about all the new features in MIUI 12, take a look at our detailed breakdown:

MIUI 12: All the new features you need to know about

Incredible value

Xiaomi Mi 9T

£275 at Amazon UK

Hitting all the right notes

With a stunning gradient pattern backed by robust internal hardware and a retractable camera module, the Mi 9T has it all. You get a 6.39-inch AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 730 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, 48MP camera at the back, and a 4000mAh battery with 18W fast charging.

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Motorola One Fusion goes official with Snapdragon 710 SoC, 5000mAh battery

2020-07-03T00:28:00.001-07:00

Unlike the One Fusion+, the vanilla One Fusion does not feature a pop-up selfie camera.

What you need to know

Motorola One Fusion is the Lenovo-owned company's latest One series smartphone.
It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset and comes with a quad-camera setup at the rear.
The One Fusion is now available in Latin America and will soon be available in a few other markets as well.

Motorola announced the One Fusion+ last month, a mid-range phone with a 16MP pop-up camera and a Snapdragon 730 chipset. The Lenovo-owned company has now quietly unveiled the vanilla One Fusion, which comes with slightly less impressive tech specs and a waterdrop notch display.

Motorola One Fusion has a 6.5-inch HD+ display with an 8MP selfie camera housed within the waterdrop notch at the top. It runs on a 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset, which has been coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage.

At the rear, the Motorola One Fusion has a quad-camera setup featuring a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP wide-angle lens, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor. Keeping the lights on is a massive 5,000mAh battery. Unlike the One Fusion+, however, the vanilla One Fusion doesn't support fast charging. Some of the other key highlights of the new budget phone include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a USB Type-C port. On the software front, the Motorola One Fusion runs "near-stock Android 10" with Motorola's My UX customizations on top.

The Motorola One Fusion will be going on sale in select markets across Latin America starting today in Deep Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green colors. In the coming weeks, the phone will also be released in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Best Motorola Phones in 2020

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JioMeet is India's answer to Zoom — and it is absolutely free

2020-07-02T23:28:00.001-07:00

JioMeet is a free video conferencing service that doesn't have a time limit for calls.

What you need to know

Reliance Jio Platforms has unveiled JioMeet, a new video conferencing platform to take on Zoom.
JioMeet is powered by WebRTC, the same technology behind Google Meet.
The service is free to use, and does not have a time limit for calls, unlike Zoom and Meet.

Reliance Jio Platforms has launched its video conferencing platform, dubbed JioMeet (via TechCrunch). The service takes aim squarely at Zoom, and it has a similar interface with a grid-based layout for calls. But the biggest differentiator is that unlike Zoom or Google Meet, JioMeet does not have a time limit for video calls. Users will be able to make calls for up to 24 hours on the platform if they wish to do so, and the service itself is free to use. There is no paid option at this time.

By contrast, Zoom calls are limited to 40 minutes for free users, and Google Meet has a 60-minute limit for its free users. By offering no time limit, JioMeet is setting itself up as a viable alternative to these two services. The platform itself is powered by WebRTC — similar to Google Meet — and users can add up to 100 participants to a call.

The quality goes up to 720p, and JioMeet offers password-protected meetings, schedule meetings in advance, screen sharing options, multi-device login, and collaboration tools. In short, JioMeet is a robust alternative to Zoom and Google Meet. As for security, TechCrunch notes that JioMeet is encrypted, but it doesn't look like the platform offers end-to-end encryption. The service itself isn't limited to India, and it worked fine when I used it with a VPN that was connected to the U.S.

JioMeet is available on the web, you can download it from the Play Store and App Store, and there are dedicated clients for Windows and macOS. There's also an Outlook plugin if you want to integrate the service into Microsoft's email client. Interested in trying out JioMeet? Head here to get started.

from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers https://ift.tt/3dWTYKC

How to watch Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying live

2020-07-02T22:28:00.001-07:00

It's been a long wait but Formula 1 is finally back and we have all the details on how you can watch the practice sessions and qualifying of the Austrian Grand Prix on TV or online.

The Austrian Grand Prix will be held at the 2.683-mile long Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The track itself has 10 turns and the fastest lap record was actually set at last year's race by Charles Leclerc who went around the Red Bull Ring in just one minute and three seconds in a Ferrari SF90. There are 71 laps in the Austrian Grand Prix and drivers will cover a total of just over 190 miles before completing the race.

Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault, Toro Rosso, Racing Point, Alfa Romeo, Haas, and Williams will all be sending two drivers to the Austrian Grand Prix.

There will be two 90-minute free practice sessions on Friday followed by one 60-minute practice session on Saturday morning. A three part qualifying session will take place on Saturday afternoon where drivers will compete for the best time in order to determine the starting grid for Sunday's race.

Whether you're a long-time Formula 1 fan or just want to tune in to see a bit of racing this weekend, we'll show you exactly how to watch the practice sessions and qualifying at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

Austrian Grand Prix - When and where?

The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria from July 3-5. The first two free practice sessions will be held on Friday, July 3 and the final practice session as well as the qualifying will be held on Saturday, July 4. Friday's practice sessions will begin at 5am ET (2am PT, 10am BST) and Saturday's practice session will start at 6am ET (3am PT, 11am BST). The qualifying will be held after the final practice session on Saturday at 9am ET (6am PT, 2pm BST).

How to watch the Austrian Grand Prix from practice sessions and qualifying anywhere

We have all the details on how you can watch the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia further down in this guide. However, if you're currently traveling or live in a country without an official broadcast option you won't be able to watch the return of Formula 1.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?

Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.

ExpressVPN

See latest price at ExpressVPN

No matter where in the world you may be, a VPN is one of the easiest ways to watch Formula 1. Get in on this deal now!

Live stream the Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in the U. S.

If you live in the US and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch the Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying on ESPN. The network will show all three practice sessions on ESPN 2 and the qualifying on ESPN.

Practice session 1 will begin at 4.55am ET / 1:55am PT and practice session 2 will start at 8:55am ET / 5:55am PT. Saturday's practice session 3 will take place at 5:55am ET / 2:55am PT and the qualifying will begin at 8:55am / 5:55am PT. The actual race will be shown on ESPN beginning at 9:05am ET / 6:05am PT on Sunday.

Not interested in signing up for cable just to watch the Austrian Grand Prix on ESPN? Don't worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to the network so you watch the practice sessions and qualifying online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

Hulu with Live TV - $54.99 per month - As well as giving you access to ESPN, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
Sling TV - $20 for first month - In order to get access to ESPN, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Orange package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to ESPN as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
AT&T TV Now - $65 per month - AT&T TV Now may be more expensive than the competition but in addition to ESPN you also get access to HBO with your plan. The service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.

Watch the Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in Canada

Canadian Formula 1 fans will be able to watch the Austrian Grand Prix's practice sessions and qualifying on TSN from July 3-5. The network will show Friday's practice sessions beginning at 8:45am ET / 5:45am PT and Saturday's practice session and qualifying beginning at 8:55am ET / 5:55am PT.

You can also stream the Austrian Grand Prix online via the TSN app on your smartphone or tablet. If you're not a TSN subscriber yet, you can get access to the network's content for as little as $4.99 for a TSN Direct Day Pass or $19.99 for a monthly streaming subscription.

Live stream the Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in the UK

If you live in the UK and have a Sky Sports subscription, you'll be able to watch Austrian Grand Prix's practice sessions and qualifying on the network's dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel. You can also steam the Austrian Grand Prix on your smartphone or tablet using the Sky Go app. Sky Sports will begin its coverage of Friday's first practice at 9:30am BST and the network will show the second practice at 1:45pm BST. Saturday's practice session will be shown at 10:45am and the qualifying will take place at 1:30pm BST.

Don't want to sign up for Sky Sports just to watch the Austrian Grand Prix, don't worry as you can watch the whole event live on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99 or a Sky Sports Month Pass for £33.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the races on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or other streaming devices.

How to watch the Austrian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in Australia

Australians that want to see all the action at this year's Austrian Grand Prix can do so on Fox Sports but you will need to be a Foxtel subscriber to watch. The network will show practice session 1 at 7pm AEDT and practice session 2 at 10:45pm AEDT on Friday. Fox Sports will show practice session 3 at 7:45pm AEDT on Saturday followed by the qualifying at 10:55pm AEDT.

If you're not a Foxtel subscriber and still want to watch the Austrian Grand Prix, you can watch the entire event on Kayo Sports. The service costs between $25 and $35 per month depending on the package you choose but new customers can take advantage of Kayo Sports' 14-day Free Trial to watch the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

Austrian Grand Prix Teams and Drivers

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton – #44
Valtteri Bottas – #77

Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel – #5
Charles Leclerc – #16

Red Bull

Alex Albon – #23
Max Verstappen – #33

McLaren

Lando Norris – #4
Carlos Sainz – #55

Renault

Daniel Ricciardo – #3
Esteban Ocon – #31

Toro Rosso

Pierre Gasly – #10
Daniil Kvyat – #26

Racing Point

Sergio Perez – #11
Lance Stroll – #18

Alfa Romeo

Kimi Raikkonen – #7
Antonio Giovinazzi – #99

Haas

Romain Grosjean – #8
Kevin Magnussen – #20

Williams

George Russell – #63
Nicholas Latifi – #6

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Google brings smart replies to YouTube comments

2020-07-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

Google's AI has been working on speeding up communication with smart replies on Android and Google Docs, now it is bringing this tool to YouTube creators.

What you need to know

Google is bringing SmartReply to YouTube Studio.
Once enabled, the feature will generate suggested replies to comments for creators.
At launch, it only works with English and Spanish languages.

Google has brought smart replies to YouTube comments for creators with the addition of SmartReply to the YouTube Studio. The tool will intelligently suggest replies to comments for creators, hopefully, allowing them to engage more with their core audience.

Writing on Google's AI blog, Rami Al-Rfou, Research Scientist, Google Research said:

We are now excited to share an updated SmartReply built for YouTube and implemented in YouTube Studio that helps creators engage more easily with their viewers. This model learns comment and reply representation through a computationally efficient dilated self-attention network, and represents the first cross-lingual and character byte-based SmartReply model. SmartReply for YouTube is currently available for English and Spanish creators, and this approach simplifies the process of extending the SmartReply feature to many more languages in the future.

Delivering SmartReply for YouTube was a lot more complex for Gooogle than building it for more formal ways of communication. The team noted that YouTubers often commented with emoji, ASCII art, or even in multi-lingual patterns. The tool had to be built to account for such scenarios, which the blog post describes in far more detail. In essence, Google trained a cross-lingual model for all supported languages, allowing the AI to learn how that language is used and pulling up an appropriate contextual response.

Here's how that would work in practice:

SmartReply will only pop up when Google's AI thinks a creator would want to reply to that comment, Google explained, "Our goal is to help creators, so we have to make sure that SmartReply only makes suggestions when it is very likely to be useful. Ideally, suggestions would only be displayed when it is likely that the creator would reply to the comment and when the model has a high chance of providing a sensible and specific response."

Google has been expanding the reach of its AI powered text composition tools. Smart replies came to Android 10 last year, a feature that Android Central's Harish Jonnalagadda found "to be incredibly handy in day-to-day use." It also recently delivered Smart Compose for Spanish speaking Google Docs users.

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