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Save huge on Private Internet Access VPN subscriptions and receive $15 store credit

AG Deals Team
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Let’s be honest, you need to take your online security more seriously. You’re working from home, sharing a computer with the family, and there’s an ever-growing amount of cyber theft and hacking that goes on. With each day that passes, it only gets worse. Don’t wait until something bad happens to you; be proactive and take measures to ensure you keep all of your information private.

About

If you could stand to use some added protection for your home or school computer, the AG Deals Store has a great deal for you. Heck, it even works on phones, too! Head there now and you can get a subscription to Private Internet Access VPN. It’s everything you need to protect your online privacy, unblock websites, and remove ads and trackers from your everyday browsing.

  • 1 Year – $39.95 (66% off)
  • 2 Years – $69.95 (72% off)

Compatibility & Requirements

  • macOS 10.13+ (64-bit only)
  • Windows 8.1, 10 (32 & 64-bit)
  • Ubuntu 18.04+, Mint 18+, Arch, Debian
  • Android 5.0 or later
  • iOS 11 or later
  • Chrome v48 or later, Firefox v57 or later, Opera v52 or later

High-level encryption ensures you’ll put an end to incessant digital advertising, while IP cloaking gives you access to the Internet, uncensored from anywhere. With Private Internet Access, the only gateways to the outside Internet are the ones you open.

Features

  • Bypass censored & geographically blocked websites, apps and services
  • Enjoy a more intuitive & robust experience via the new VPN client
  • Protect your identity by masking your location & IP address
  • Block ads, trackers & malware w/ the new MACE feature
  • Surf at blazing speed on 10 devices simultaneously w/ unlimited bandwidth
  • Encrypt your data w/ the cryptographically secure Blowfish CBC algorithm
  • Includes SOCKS5 proxy
  • Block unwanted connections w/ an advanced firewall
  • Access more than 3,300+ servers in 32 countries

Where to Buy

If you’re ready to get serious about your online security, or want to get into torrenting without snooping, pick up a license to Private Internet Access. AndroidGuys readers can save up to 72% and purchase in 1-year and 2-year options.

Not only will you save a ton of money, but 7-10 days after your purchase you will receive a $15 store credit to use on any future purchase, too!

House of Marley Positive Vibration XL ANC Headphones Review

Jason England
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House of Marley recently released an updated version of its Positive Vibration XL over-ear headphones. Most notably, the latest model features the addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).

The audio brand was nice enough to send it out for review and we’ve composed our thoughts for you.

Design

The design of the Positive Vibration XL ANC Headphones is unique in that they are made with sustainability in mind. House of Marley uses FSC certified wood, recyclable aluminum, and a REWIND fabric weaved from recycled materials. Furthermore, the packaging is 100% recyclable, it didn’t even come with plastic wrapping.

This is all to keep in line with House of Marley’s principles of producing products in collaboration with the Marley family and respect Bob Marley’s love of nature and music.

Outside of the materials, the design of the Positive Vibration XL ANC is much like any other pair of over-ear headphones you’d buy these days. However, I feel the materials are what really sets the design apart from most others in the field. Not only are they made with sustainability in mind, but the aluminum ear cups with wood accents make them feel and look premium.

When it comes to port selections, the Positive Vibrations XL ANC features a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm input for using it wired. To control playback, volume, as well as ANC and ambient modes there are buttons on the ear cups.

Comfort

One of the first things I noticed about the Positive Vibrations XL ANC Headphones is their weight. These are heftier than most other over-ear headphones I’ve reviewed and felt closer to gaming headsets. I worried this might affect the comfort, especially on the top of the head, but it turns out those concerns were unfounded.

Despite the weight of the Positive Vibrations XL ANC Headphones, they were surprisingly comfortable. There was plenty of padding on the headband and clamping pressure was adequate without adding too much pressure.

Sound Quality

Having never used a House of Marley product before, I was unsure what to expect in terms of sound quality. Thankfully, the Positive Vibrations XL ANC do just as the name suggests, leaves you with positive vibrations.

Audio was balanced and detailed with enough bass in the low-end for rap and pop while also having enough treble to hear details in tracks. This is a sound that should please most consumers out there but I’d shy away from them if you like a particularly bright sound or you’re a bass head.

My one criticism would be that I’d wish there was an app with EQ controls so you could customize the sound if you prefer higher highs or more bass. Otherwise, these sound great, especially for the price.

ANC

The Positive Vibration XL ANC Headphones create a tight seal with the ear cups that helps aid in blocking out noise, but the active noise cancellation takes it a step further. I found they were very capable of removing most background noises and about 80% of other summer annoyances such as lawnmowers.

Next to the ANC button on the ear cup is the ambient mode button which will let in some of the outside noises instead of blocking them. This is enough to keep you aware and you can hear your own voice clearly with music playing but you’d need to pause music if you want to carry on a conversation.

Battery Life

House of Marley rates the Positive Vibration XL ANC Headphones for up to 26 hours of playback with ANC on and up to 35 hours with it off. The past couple of weeks I’ve listened to them with ANC off most of the time and it has hardly put a dent in the battery life. If you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones to get you through a full day or long flight, then these certainly fit the bill.

Final Thoughts

With top-of-the-line ANC Headphones running upwards of $300 to $500 these days, the House of Marley Positive Vibration XL ANC are the perfect affordable alternative. For only $150 you get a high-quality sustainable pair of headphones with great sound quality, ANC, and fantastic battery life.

You’ll miss out on a lot of extra bells and whistles some of the more expensive ANC headphones offer through apps, but you’ll also save a lot of money and get a quality pair of cans.

Buy from Amazon Buy from House of Marley

Enjoy these Fourth of July deals on apps and software

AG Deals Team
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As summer hits its stride and the days are at their longest things are definitely heating up around the globe. More specifically, we’re in the Fourth of July holiday weekend and the temperature is definitely rising in parts of the country.

And while we tend to want to beat the heat, sometimes we appreciate when things get hot. Take, for instance, the offers we’ve gathered up on various apps and software in the AG Deals Store. It’s grab bag of things to be sure, but each of them is worth a look. If not for yourself, maybe a family member or loved one.

Some of what follows have promo codes you can enter at checkout to save even more!

Beelinguapp Language Learning App: Lifetime Subscription

Research shows that while reading is a good way of learning, the listening approach has the potential to help increase reading comprehension skills and enjoyment of reading. Beelinguapp uses this finding and empowers you to read a second language. It shows the same exact text in two languages, side by side. At the same time, it’s an audiobook, and with its unique karaoke reading, you’ll follow the audio in the text on both sides.

There are many texts available in 14 languages including Spanish, English, German, Korean, French, and more. The texts go from fairy tales, news, to science papers and novels; and new ones are added every week. $40

BetterMe Home Workout & Diet: Lifetime Subscription

BetterMe: Home Workout & Diet is designed to catch up with your personal training needs. Whether you’re looking to lose some weight at home, get a personal diet plan, track water intake, or get personal trainer advice, BetterMe has got you covered. There is no need to go to the gym; every single workout can be done at home. $40

Blinkist Premium: 2-Year Subscription

Finding time to read isn’t easy. Blinkist is the app that brings you the key ideas from top nonfiction books and podcasts, all in 15-minute audio and text explainers. Read or listen to the key ideas from over 4,500 bestselling titles across 27 categories, including personal development, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Use coupon code BLINK20 at checkout to get this product for $80

CuriosityStream HD Plan: Lifetime Subscription

CuriosityStream is the award-winning streaming and on-demand viewing destination where you can journey through our world and beyond. Its immersive experiences feature experts like David Attenborough who will teach you about the natural world, Michio Kaku, and Brian Greene who will broaden your perspective on space, time, and the future with stunning visuals, and unrivaled storytelling.

With thousands of documentaries covering nature, history, science, and more, including exclusive originals, CuriosityStream brings a wealth of knowledge right to your screen, whether you’re watching on TV, desktop, mobile, or tablet. $159

Degoo Premium: Lifetime 10TB Backup Plan

With a Degoo lifetime subscription, you get a whopping 10TB of supremely secured backup space from which to manage and share files with awesome simplicity. This amount of space will prevent you from experiencing the constant frustration of running out of storage again that many of us know all too well.

With high-speed transfers from a database that offers more backup space than Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive combined, you’ll love how easy and efficient is to keep tabs on all of your valuable data and files. Don’t miss the Degoo cloud storage discount that will help you store your files securely, for a reasonable price. Use coupon code SUMMER40 at checkout to get this product for $89

Hushed Private Phone Line: Lifetime Subscription

Keep your real phone number hidden while making calls and sending texts for work, dating, Craigslist sales, and more thanks to Hushed. You’ll use their simple and secure app to easily make calls on your second number (you’ll even choose the area code) without committing to another long, expensive phone contract.

Customize your voicemail and use Wi-Fi or data to talk without expensive service charges. It’s true communication anonymity delivered. $20 Use coupon code SUMMER20 at checkout to get this product for 20% off

RoboKiller Spam Call & Text Blocker: 1-Year Subscription

Live your life spam-call-free with RoboKiller! RoboKiller eliminates 99% of spam calls, so you only get the phone calls you want. RoboKiller’s predictive call blocking algorithm intercepts any incoming spam call in less than 0.01 second, making sure your phone never rings.

When a spam call is intercepted, RoboKiller’s Answer Bots get to work wasting scammers’ time instead of yours! Select from a library of hundreds of hilarious Answer Bots to get your robocall revenge and fight back against scammers. $30

SurfShark VPN: 2-Yr Subscription

You shouldn’t be forced to choose between speed and privacy when you’re surfing with a VPN; and, thanks to Surfshark, you won’t have to. With 1200+ torrent-friendly servers and unlimited data, Surfshark lets you sidestep geo-restrictions and enjoy your favorite content at blazing speeds anywhere. Military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption and IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols keep you safe online, and Surfshark’s no logging policy ensures your data stays private. Plus, as the only VPN that offers unlimited simultaneous connections, Surfshark brings true browsing freedom to your entire household. $57 Use coupon code SUMMER20 at checkout to get this product for 20% off

Tello Economy Prepaid 12-Month Plan: Unlimited Talk/Text + 1GB LTE Data + Free SIM

Enjoy discounted mobile phone service with Tello’s Economy Prepaid 12-Month Plan. This deeply discounted Tello wireless bundle includes Unlimited talk & text plus 1GB of LTE data per month, for the next 12 months. Tello offers coast-to-coast wireless coverage on a nationwide 4G/5G LTE network. Minutes and text to 60+ countries are included in all plans at the same rate as domestic calls, plus you get a free hotspot. If the allotted data runs out, unlimited 2G data kicks in. Tello gives new meaning to wireless freedom with no contract and absolutely no fees. After the initial 360 days, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan as needed. $79

This palm-sized $80 quadcopter drone packs a 4K camera

AG Deals Team
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Drones and quadcopters can make for fun toys and hours of enjoyment, but they can also serve a practical purpose, too. More and more photographers and videographers are adding them to their gear. Why? Because they can capture aerial footage in a way that standard cameras and ladders cannot.

Not only are these quadcopters getting more impressive, they’re also getting less expensive with each generation. Take the Ninja Dragon Vortex 9 quadcopter drone, for instance, which features a 4K camera which provides a bird’s eye view of the world in a pint-sized design. And right now you can buy one on sale for just $80.

Ninja Dragon Vortex 9 RC Features

  • 4K HD camera. Details are 4 times that of 1080 pixels; better highlight & shadows
  • Altitude hold mode. Stabilizes the drone’s flight
  • Real-time FPV. View real-time images with the compatible Wi-Fi app
  • Headless mode. No need to adjust the position of aircraft before flying
  • One-key automatic return. Enables it to find its way back automatically
  • 4 channels. For ascent, descent, forward, backward, left flight, right flight & 360 roll
  • 6-axis gyroscope. Allows smoother flight & more convenient control

Connect the Ninja Dragon Vortex 9 RC Quadcopter Drone to your handset and experience the unforgettable. Use it to view real-time images and capture the moment from above.

This camera drone quadcopter features an altitude hold mode function to stabilize flight so it can capture your image or video better. And when you’re done, the Vortex 9 can find its way back automatically.

The 4K camera on the Vortex 9 quadcopter is extremely detailed, providing sharp aerial images and interesting perspectives. Under two inches tall and just a smidge over five inches long, the pint-sized drone travels easily.

Order Yours!

The tiny, handheld drone Vortex 9 is an awesome toy and a practical tool for recreational and professional use. For a limited time, you can get the Ninja Dragon Vortex 9 for $80 in the AG Deals Store, a 46 percent discount.

reMarkable 2 review

Matt Adams
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As you may imagine, I write a lot. I do quite a bit of typing here at AndroidGuys, but I also do a lot of physical writing.

Between my day job and taking notes for review products, I constantly have a pen in my hand. To that end, I’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the years looking for the perfect companion and I’ve yet to come up with anything I really loved.

Then, I laid my eyes on the reMarkable 2 and I knew I had to try it out. For the uninitiated, the reMarkable 2 is an e-ink writing tablet. No, it’s not like an iPad and stylus; it’s designed from the ground up to be a writing tablet. And it shows.

About the reMarkable 2

Before we get into the experience of writing on the tablet, let’s go over a few of the basics. The reMarkable 2 is the world’s thinnest tablet, according to the company.

It comes in at just .19-inches (4.7 millimeters) thick and weighs in at less than one pound (.89 pounds, 403.5 grams). Eight gigabytes of storage and one gigabyte of LDDDR3 RAM pair with a 1.2 gigahertz dual-core processor.

In the world of flagship phones, this sounds like something from 2015 or so, but there’s more than enough horsepower here to drive the 10.3-inch, 1872 x 1404 e-ink display, and custom Linux software.

When using the reMarkable 2, it feels impossibly thin. It’s actually only about 0.06-inches thinner than an iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) but that small bit of thickness makes a huge difference. It doesn’t feel cheap by any means, but it does take some getting used to. Pair it with a folio case and you’ve got an excellent little device you can carry around from meeting to meeting without feeling encumbered.

Writing on the reMarkable 2 is nothing short of fantastic. There’s almost zero lag (21 milliseconds) between the stylus hitting the screen and seeing the ink displayed there. That’s one of the biggest advantages the tablet has over its competitors and after experiencing this kind of latency, I could never go back to something else.

reMarkable 2 Features

  • Display: 10.3-inch, 1872 x 1404 (e-ink), no backlight
  • RAM: 1 Gigabyte LPDDR3
  • Storage: 8 Gigabytes, non-expandable
  • Processor: 1.2 Gigahertz ARM dual-core
  • Battery: 3,000 Milliamp hours, rated for two weeks of use
  • Connectivity: USB C port, WiFi

Accuracy is also quite good and I’ve never found myself missing any pen strokes. Button pushes, on the other hand, are pretty bad. Using the stylus to tap type or click buttons on the screen seems to only have about a 50 percent hit rate. This is easily the most frustrating part of my experience with the reMarkable 2 and I’m hoping that this can be corrected through software updates.

Speaking of software updates, that’s another win for this tablet. In the three weeks I’ve had the device, I’ve already had two software updates; one for stability and bug fixes and another that brought new features and a few layout changes. Long may this continue.

reMarkable still has a ways to go into making the software experience what it should be. They’re at a very good starting point but it does feel a bit like early iOS. Functional, sometimes frustrating, and with a ton of potential.

Unlike Apple, however, reMarkable isn’t allowing third-party apps on its platform at this time.  I hope that changes because you could do so much more on this tablet than you’re capable of right now. Yes, you can load some books and use it as an e-reader, but how great would it be if you could install Libby?

You can convert all your notes to text and send them off in an email, but wouldn’t it be great to respond to all your work emails in your chicken scratch and have it sent off in perfectly legible text?

Despite the deficiencies, I really have enjoyed my time with the reMarkable 2. You have to make some adjustments to get it into your workflow but once you do, it’s really fantastic.

For example, the lack of a backlight in the display sounds like a killer, but even with dark mode on, I can write perfectly fine with just the light of a computer monitor in an otherwise dark room. There’s also no fingerprint scanner, but there is a passcode option for those 2015 vibes (again).

Key Facts

  • Codex, custom Linux build operating system
  • Supports PDF and ePub, no third-party apps
  • 43 default page templates
  • Eight brush styles from Mechanical Pencil to Highlighter
  • Supports cut, copy, paste, and convert to text

All those compromises allow reMarkable to be impossibly thin. And I cannot overstate how fantastic the tablet feels in the hand, in a folio case, and being written on. It’s the feel of this thing that really sells you, unfortunately, that’s pretty hard to express on a spec sheet.

What I can say, however, is that the experience is so good that I actively find myself making excuses to write something down, take some notes, or doodle even though I am quite possibly the worst artist in the northern hemisphere.

The reMarkable 2 is on sale for $400 right now and the company sells a variety of first-party accessories as well. For most people, the price is going to be a hard pass. You can get a full-fledged iPad and Apple Pencil for essentially the same price. But, if you need a dedicated writing tablet, I think this makes a lot more sense.

On the other hand, the first-party cases are very overpriced. I would suggest going with the Marker Plus for $99 instead of the Marker for $49. The eraser on the Marker Plus is absolutely worth it in my opinion.

You can grab the reMarkable 2 from reMarkable’s website.

This affordable car insurance provider is entirely digital

AG Deals Team
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Finding the right car insurance can be difficult. Between price, level of coverage, and control over your plan, picking the right car insurance can be as labor-intensive as picking the right car. If you’re looking for a car insurance plan that has better coverage at lower prices, then consider Clearcover.

Clearcover is an affordable, completely digital car insurance provider that is easy to use, and there for you when you need it. From the comfort of your phone, you can set up your plan, file claims, pay bills, and view proof of your insurance. Because Clearcover is an entirely digital car insurance provider, the process is expedited, so you can check your price in just a few minutes. 

Available in 16 states across the US, Clearcover has a 90% satisfaction rate among customers. That 90% is earned by transparent pricing and clear communication about what your plan will cover–fast and easy online service, and coverage where you need it. 

Clearcover simplifies the car insurance process for you by giving you digital access to access to everything you need. From your phone, you can file claims and check your price, which are tasks that require long periods on hold for other insurance providers. You will even be able to view proof of your insurance anywhere, even if you don’t have a wifi connection. 

Reasonable prices and a guarantee of convenience make Clearcover an easy choice for your car insurance needs. Experienced drivers and those new to the road alike can benefit from quality, affordable service that you can access anywhere. 

With consistently excellent reviews, Clearcover is an insurance company that can give you coverage you don’t have to worry about for a price that won’t break the bank. If you are looking for a car insurance provider that will cover you when you need it and fade into the background when you don’t, then Clearcover is the provider for you. 

Be sure to check out everything Clearcover has to offer in the way of fast, convenient, and entirely digital car insurance. Drivers can switch car insurance at any time, so take this opportunity now to get Clearcover for all your car insurance needs. 

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Earbuds review

Jason England
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Klipsch first launched its T5 True Wireless buds in 2019 with the iconic Zippo-like case. In 2020, it followed up with the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless earbuds, and we were fortunate enough to get a pair in from Klipsch for this review.

Design

Klipsch went a long way towards improving the design of its true wireless headphones with the follow-up to the T5 series. Not only are the buds more compact but the T5 II case is also smaller. It feels much better in your pocket now, and even better, the buds no longer stick far out of your ears like the previous model.

Of course, the Zippo-inspired case is the real show stopper with the T5 II True Wireless earbuds. It has a classic refined style while also feeling heavy-duty and premium in your hand. Besides looking good, it also uses a USB-C charging port on the back and features three LED lights to show how much of a charge is remaining in the case.

There’s really only two drawbacks to this beautiful case. First, it is still quite hefty despite its smaller size. You’re definitely going to feel this in your pocket while walking around. Secondly, it doesn’t support wireless charging. That may not be a big deal for some of you, but it’s worth noting.

Comfort

Klipsch uses a patented oval ear tip on its earbuds and I absolutely love it. I always find that Klipsch makes some of the most comfortable buds to wear, and this is a big reason why.

User Experience

The Klipsch T5 II True Wireless earbuds use physical buttons to control music playback and answer calls. The buttons themselves work fine, but I found they require a little more pressure to push than I’d like. This resulted in me either needing to hold the bud while pressing the button or else I’d just keep jamming it into my ear every time I pushed on them. So while it’s functional, I wouldn’t exactly call it ideal.

One of the features I was happy to see the T5 II True Wireless buds add is Transparency Mode, which allows outside noise in to be aware of your surroundings or to have conversations. Unfortunately, I could barely tell a difference whether I had it enabled or disabled. I’d love to see them adjust this so that the “High” setting in the app allows in more sound, because the “High” setting is more what I would expect from “Low” in Transparency Mode.

Another helpful feature I’d love to see added is a sensor that automatically pauses or resumes your music when the buds are removed from your ear. This would be less of an issue if Transparency Mode worked better, but when I need to remove the buds or a singular bud to have conversations it would be great if it paused the song for me as well.

Besides that, the T5 II True Wireless buds function great. I never ran into any issues and they stayed in my ears well.

App

As someone who has used Klipsch headphones over the years, I have been waiting for the Klipsch Connect app to launch for a long time. It seemed to have been delayed for years, but I’m glad to say that it has been out for a while now and the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless are supported by it.

Like with most Bluetooth headphone apps, the Klipsch Connect app will aid you in upgrading firmware for your headphones and changing additional settings.

In this case, you’ll also be able to adjust the equalizer, enable/disable Transparency Mode, and view the battery level of the individual earbuds. I wish there was a way to also view the battery level of the case, but checking the battery level of the buds is more important.

Sound Quality

The T5 II True Wireless earbuds continue in Klipsch’s tradition of clear crisp sound. These are perfect if you’re a fan of headphones with lots of clarity that tend to lean towards a bright sound with more treble.

And while the T5 True Wireless have a nice punch of bass, I would not recommend them to bass heads. Even after adjusting the EQ to increase the low-end, I found the bass was stronger but still lacking some depth.

Regardless, the T5 True Wireless buds have a balanced clear sound with enough bass to satisfy the majority of people.

Mic

For all of us working from home these days, mic quality for calls can be a big deal. I’m happy to report that the T5 II True Wireless have a fantastic mic. My voice sounded clear and natural on calls. Plus, I didn’t have to speak too loud for mics to hear me.

Battery Life

Klipsch rates the T5 II True Wireless earbuds for eight hours of continuous listening and 24 additional hours with the case. In my experience, I was easily able to get through a week without charging and they certainly lived up to Klipsch’s estimates.

Final Thoughts

Klipsch has made some important improvements to the T5 II True Wireless headphones and that makes them a true successor to the original. While they still lag behind in some smart features, most notably ANC, the sound quality is on par with other top true wireless buds in the field with the bonus of a premium unique case.

As long as you’re ok without ANC and some additional features, you can save a little money and get a great-sounding pair of true wireless earbuds. The Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Earbuds are currently available from Amazon for $139 in Silver and $199 in Gunmetal. Of course, you can also purchase them from Klipsch’s website for $199 in both colors.

Buy from Amazon Buy from Klipsch

Boost your typing accuracy and speed with Lightkey Pro, just $50

AG Deals Team
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Whether you’re a blogger, aspiring journalist or anyone else who writes for work, speed and accuracy are of utmost importance. Sure, you can always slow down to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors, but time is money. Sometimes we hit a stride and need to “strike while the iron is hot”, so to say. That’s when speed becomes critical.

The problem that often comes with moving at our fastest pace is that typos and errors happen. Then it takes just as long to go back and spend time editing.

The Lightkey Pro Text Prediction Software, available for just $50 in the AG Deals Store today, is powered by AI and learns your typing patterns, improving your pace by suggesting words and correcting errors. Indeed, a lifetime subscription to this powerful tool is currently 70 percent off.

Lightkey learns your typing patterns and begins to predict words, with punctuation, to help speed things up, all without losing coherence. In fact, it will boost your speed by around four times offering up to 12 words ahead of time.

Lightkey Features

  • Works with Microsoft Office 2010-2019 and Office 365
  • Works with Google Chrome apps (Gmail, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Slack, and more)
  • Predicts up to 12 words, including punctuation marks, in over 80 languages
  • Utilizing hundreds of grammar rules to offer real-time spelling and grammar corrections
  • Includes over 60 content domains including technology, business, finance, law, academia, & more
  • Supports over 80 languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, and more
  • Extended support for non-touch typists (visually focused on the keyboard while typing)
  • Trigger Lightkey in any application using Lightkey Anywhere
  • Lightkey operates fully & securely offline
  • Intuitive dashboard helps you unlock your key productivity metrics

The real-time text spelling and grammar correction software folds in tons of writing rules and suggests relevant predictions. Lightkey dives into dozens of built-in content domains such as technology, academia, and business to inform and shape the predictions.

Lightkey is simple and intuitive tool that works with many common word writing apps (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, etc). Oh, and it supports over 80 languages.

Get Started Today

The most recent version of Lightkey Pro offers a lower price, new UI, new features and more accuracy for predictive text. You can get a lifetime subscription to this real-time correction app for just $50, down from $169.

Chromecast with Google TV review

Jason England
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Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a company called LeEco that burst onto the American shore with big promises and reasonably priced 4K Android TVs. Long story short, the company went belly up within a year. Fast forward to 2021 and I’m left with a TV stuck on Android 6.0, while the most recent version is Android TV OS 10.

It’s a tale as old as time, but a company doesn’t have to go under to leave you stranded with old software. My JBL Link Bar soundbar with Android TV is proof of that. It’s currently running Android TV OS 9 with the last update coming nearly a year ago and no signs of another update coming anywhere in the near future.

The takeaway from this is, if you want your TV to run the latest version of software, it’s best to stick with a brand with a good track record with updates. And what other company would be more likely to update its TV box than the one that is responsible for creating the software? That’s right, I’m talking about Google, this is the Chromecast with Google TV review after all.

Design

The Chromecast with Google TV is slightly larger than the previous generation Chromecasts, while also being compact. Basically, all you need to know is that it’s sleek and small enough to stay hidden behind your TV.

It also comes in three different colors, Snow, Sunrise, and Sky. None of this matters for the unit itself, but it will change what color your remote is. I have the Snow unit here, as if you couldn’t tell by its white color already.

When it comes to I/O, there aren’t a lot of options here. You get an HDMI out on one end and a USB-C input on the other. That doesn’t leave you with a lot of options.

However, it is possible to connect a USB-C hub with power delivery to expand the Chromecast with Google TV and add external storage. Some things to note, it will only read FAT32 filesystems and it’s going to require a higher wattage power brick.

For USB hubs, I’d suggest the Vemont USB-C Hub 5-in-1. It has been proven to work well with the Chromecast with Google TV and it can even add an Ethernet port to it. However, you’re going to have to switch to a power brick with more watts such as this Anker USB-C 45W charger.

User experience

To address the elephant in the room, yes, Google recently updated the home screen on Android TV that shows “recommendations” AKA ads. The Android TV community has been very vocal about this, even tanking the review score of the Launcher app on the Play Store with negative reviews.

I’m not a fan of ads myself, but I’m honestly not too bothered by this change. I’m mostly blind to the promoted shows and just treat it as a live wallpaper that makes the background more interesting than a static image. A few times I may even pay attention and learn about a new show or movie.

Regardless, I can’t defend Google’s decision here, and at the very least there should be a way to toggle this off in the settings. I’m sure there would be many like myself who wouldn’t touch it, but it definitely would make a lot of users happy to disable it.

Now, putting that aside, here’s what the Chromecast with Google TV’s UI is all about–content instead of services. That’s why everywhere you look there are suggestions for movies and TV shows for you to watch with your apps list taking a back seat.

In essence, Google is trying to get you to content as quickly as possible without requiring you to open a variety of apps to find something to watch. That’s why there is a “Continue watching” section which compiles a list of shows and movies you’ve started from various services. In theory, this should allow you to jump right back into whatever you were watching bypassing opening the actual app.

At first, I was blown away by this and found it extremely convenient. It even synced up with shows I had started from apps on a Roku box. Soon though, I became disappointed when the section failed to update.

For example, shows stopped updating what episode I was on leaving it stuck on one particular episode. Even worse, it would remain there even after I finished the entire series. After a couple of weeks, the show finally disappeared from the “Continue watching” section, and now nothing from Netflix has appeared there since.

There are also apps that don’t support the “Continue watching” section such as Vudu and Prime Video. That’s the fault of the app developer though–but even if it worked, it wouldn’t work properly–just like with the Netflix integration. All in all, this would be an amazing feature, if only it worked consistently.

Aside from the broken “Continue watching” section, another way Chromecast with Google TV streamlines watching content is with the voice-activated remote.

Remote

This is a pretty big deal because this is the first Chromecast device to include a remote. Not only that, but it’s pretty essential to the user experience because it has a mic in it which allows you to use Google Assistant with the Chromecast with Google TV.

Using voice commands was my preferred way to interact with the Chromecast, because it made it so easy to start up videos. Plus, you can even use it to quickly rewind a video if you missed something important. Just try saying, “Hey Google, rewind 10 seconds” or any other duration.

However, if you prefer to press buttons or need to keep the noise down late at night, then rest assured, the remote has all the buttons you need.

At the top, is a circle that allows you to navigate up, down, left, and right. In the center of the circle, is the button you’ll use to make selections. Below that, is the back button, Google Assistant button, home button, mute button, and two buttons dedicated to the YouTube and Netflix apps.

Additionally, there is a power and input button that can be programmed to control your TV, as well as volume keys on the side of the remote. These are programmed during the initial setup and it walks you through selecting your TV, soundbar, or Audio/Video Receiver.

Final Thoughts

Is the Chromecast with Google TV still worth buying in 2021? The answer is a resounding yes. For $50 you get a very capable streamer with a voice-activated remote that supports 4K HDR up to 60fps in Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ that runs the most up-to-date version of Android TV OS.

Plus, Google has announced Stadia support is available for Google TV so you’ll also have a great way to get Stadia on your TV. A feature that should have been there at launch, sure, but better late than never.

Buy from Best Buy Buy from Google Store

T-Mobile announces the REVVL V+ 5G for $200 and you could win one for free

Jason England
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Today, T-Mobile announced a new entry-level 5G smartphone for its network carrying the Un-carrier’s REVVL branding. The latest to join this lineup is dubbed the REVVL V+ 5G and is very friendly on your wallet starting at $200.

You might not be expecting much when you hear the REVVL V+ 5G’s $200 price tag, but this entry-level phone packs some big features. Namely, the massive 6.82-inch display which will be perfect for streaming Netflix if you have one of T-Mobile’s plans with it bundled in.

Another one of the surprising features on this affordable 5G phone is a triple camera setup on the back. T-Mobile doesn’t go into much detail about the focal lengths of the cameras, but we do know it comes with an array that includes a 16MP, 5MP, and 2MP camera housed on the back. While on the front is a 16MP selfie camera that is capable of face unlock.

Additionally, the REVVL V+ 5G uses a fingerprint sensor in the power button as a more secure form of biometric unlock. Rounding out the list of impressive specs at this price point is a 5,000mAh battery, which should be plenty of juice to get you through a day and then some.

Under the hood, the REVVL V+ 5G packs a MediaTek Dimensity 700 Octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM paired with 64GB of storage. Thankfully, if you need more storage than that, there is also a microSD card slot for expansion.

Finally, the REVVL V+ 5G will run Android 11 when it launches next month. It will launch first on Metro by T-Mobile and be available in stores beginning on July 12, 2021. T-Mobile customers will have to wait a little longer though, as it won’t be available in T-Mobile stores until July 23, 2021.

While $200 is a great deal for a 5G smartphone, there’s a way you can win one for free. As part of the launch, T-Mobile is rolling out an Augmented Reality game to celebrate and giving away a REVVL V+ 5G to a few of the top scorers. All you have to do is play the game and “tweet a screenshot of your score with #LeaderIn5G and #sweepstakes for a chance to win!”

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