Starting today, Verizon will be selling the Motorola One 5G UW ace, their most affordable Motorola 5G handset yet. This phone represents the best of the best in Verizon 5G as well as the launch of the Verizon Adaptive Sound system.
Motorola One 5G UW ace
Here’s the key things you need to know about the new Motorola One 5G UW Ace phone
Screen Size
The phone has a massive 6.7″ FHD+ Max Vision Display
Camera
On the back, you’ll find a 48MP camera sensor
Processor
Inside the phone, you’ll find the Snapdragon 750G 5G Processor
Battery
This is all powered by a 5000mAh battery
Networking
The new Motorola phone connects to Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband and will support Verizon’s upcoming C-Band enhancements
Security and Productivity
Thinkshield mobile protection equipped with AI and Verizon’s BlueJeans video-conferencing services both come preloaded on this phone.
Price
You can purchase the handset for $299.99 ($12.49/month for a year) or get it free if you’re a new Verizon premium unlimited customers
Verizon Adaptive Sound
In addition, Verizon announced Verizon Adaptive Sound today.
Verizon Adaptive Sound has been in the works at Verizon since 2019, and is a software and cloud solution that works to provide a surround sound experience across listening devices and media applications, even Dolby Atmos-enabled content.
Verizon Adaptive Sound works the second you start playing media and optimizes it automatically. You can control different settings like treble, bass, spatial, and voice.
The Motorola One 5G UW ace is the first with this feature, but they plan to bring this to future devices as well as update some existing devices with it in a software update.
Verizon is also offering some freebies, with “Start” and “Do More” unlimited users getting six months of Google Play Pass, or 12 months with “Play More” or “Get More” (usually $4.99/month). Verizon users can also get a free year of Discovery+ (normally $6.99/month).
While charging your phone is as simple as plugging it in or dropping it onto a wireless charger, the actual process requires quite a bit behind the scenes. The charger, cable, and your device all work together to produce a safe, fast charge.
In this article, we’ll examine what’s going on in each of those places.
The Charger
Voltage x Amperes = Wattage
Voltage is measured in volts and represents how much current can be transferred at any given time.
Amperes, measured in amps, is how fast that current can be delivered. These two numbers multiply to give you wattage, which is the number you’ll most likely see when buying chargers.
The USB-C PD standard implements a fixed voltage of 20V, and can have a current up to 5A, multiplying for a total of 100W. Manufacturer and charger company solutions might implement different standards and methods of attaining that wattage while still delivering a safe, full charge.
My Samsung 45W charger implements Programmable Power Supply (PPS) Technology and can charge at 3.3-11V/4.05A, 3.3-16V/2.8A, or 3.3-21V/2.1A.
Gallium Nitride (GaN)
As charging gets faster, usually we look for bigger and bigger chargers to support it. Moreover, in addition to faster charging, there’s the increasing danger of heat buildup. To address this and find a substitute for silicon, charger manufacturers have turned to Gallium Nitride (GaN).
Simply put, GaN can charge things at higher voltages while producing less heat. It can also produce much smaller chargers because heat dissipation is less of a concern and components can be placed closer together.
Anker employs GaN technology in its chargers
Wireless Charging
What about wireless charging? You’ve likely seen a pad or a dock or something similar in your life, possibly even using on. How does it work? I don’t really know either. It has something to do with magnets, and I guess that’s really the most important part.
A coil in your wireless charger pushes a magnetic current into the surrounding area, and then a coil in your phone picks up that current and therefore charges your phone. Or something.
Manufacturers have fast wireless charging, with some introducing 125W wireless charging. There are currently two wireless charging standards: Qi and PMA, though your phone will likely implement both, this allows for charging up to 15W.
Apple has also introduced Magsafe charging, which allows the charger to connect to the back of your phone while you’re still able to use your device, but this piggybacks off the Qi standard and therefore maxes out at 15W.
The Cable
USB-C or USB Type-C
Image courtesy of DataPro.net
Most modern consumer electronics implement USB-C in some form and prefer it over microUSB (also called USB Micro-B). USB-C was introduced in 2014 and has undergone many evolutions since then.
There are two main advantages of USB-C: It is reversible in that it doesn’t matter how the cord gets plugged in, plus it’s versatile to the point where it can replace most other ports you might need on a laptop. You can use a single cable to charge your device, power external displays, or transfer data.
The most common version of USB implemented currently is USB 3.2, though USB4 is already available. Here’s what you need to know about the different versions:
USB Version
Data Transfer Speed
3.2 Gen 1(Previously known as 3.1 Gen 1)
5Gbps
3.2 Gen 2(Previously known as 3.2 Gen 2)
10Gbps
3.2 Gen 2×2
20Gbps
USB4
20Gbps/40Gbps
USB versions and data transfer speeds
The USB 4 specification also brings optional support for Thunderbolt 3, which will be discussed shortly.
Power Delivery and PPS
USB-C also brings the Power Delivery standard, which supports power levels of up to 240W (this is new as of 5/26/21, so most devices will likely max out at 100W), bidirectional power capabilities, and better power management across devices.
An additional revision on top of that is PPS or Programmable Power Supply; however, it doesn’t affect speeds or long-term battery health by allowing for stepwise changes in both current and voltage.
E-mark/E-marker
E-mark is a chip within your cable (at least it should be if it supports high current charging) that helps your cable safely charge your device by identifying the cable and its current capabilities.
The Device
Milliamp Hours
You might also have heard of milliamp hours or mAh, which is what the capacity of your phone battery is measured in. Now, a number like 3,500mAh may not mean much to you, but all you basically need to know is the bigger, the better.
If you want to dig deeper into what this means, download an app called Ampere. This helps you understand the current discharge rate of your phone in milliamps.
Say your phone is discharging at a rate of 300mA and you have a full battery capacity of 3000mAh. Simply divide the total capacity by the discharge rate (3,000/300) and you get a total battery life of 10 hours.
Your manufacturer most likely gives you some indication of what’s using your battery and how long it will last. which will likely conflict with the number you got from trying to measure it and this is because your manufacturer follows and tries to learn how you use your phone and can therefore calculate a more accurate number.
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt is an improvement upon USB 3.2 produced by Intel. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 supports data transfer up to 40Gbps, dual 4K monitors, and support for external GPUs. As USB4 is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and manufacturers can implement it for free, it will be interesting to see if phone manufacturers bring this functionality to future phones.
Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0
Quick Charge has been an implementation in devices running on Snapdragon chips for years and helped deliver top charging speeds for years, but this has changed recently.
Quick Charge 5.0 piggybacks off of USB-C PD and the PPS standard and attempts to make charging that way safer and faster.
The biggest way this is implemented is with dual-cell batteries or even triple cell batteries, and it can boost the charge above Power Delivery’s maximum of 100W: this can be seen in action with the RedMagic 6 Pros’ 125W charging.
Manufacturer Solutions
The main solution that will be noted here is Oppo’s SuperVOOC, which is licensed and rebranded as OnePlus Warp Charge and Realme’s Dart charging. Right now this tops out at 65W of charging, though 125W charging will be expected to debut in phones later this year.
Xiaomi recently introduced 200W wired charging which can fully charge a phone in 8 minutes according to their videos. Huawei also has its own proprietary solution.
Charge up to 100% in just 8 minutes using wired charging and 15 minutes wirelessly! #XiaomiHyperCharge
How to keep your battery charged well and lasting for years
Most experts recommend keeping your phone charged between 30 and 80 percent and topping up when you use about 20 percent of your battery. Also, do not leave your phone plugged in overnight or on a dock. Instead, charge it up before bed and then unplug it and top it back up in the morning.
Recently we reviewed the GameSir X2 Bluetooth Wireless Mobile Game Controller which turns your phone into a Nintendo Switch like device. While this is great for handsets, what if you like to game on a tablet? GameSir has an answer for that, too, with the F7 Claw Tablet Game Controller.
Fortunately, GameSir was nice enough to send one out for us to review.
Key Features
Works with Android and Apple devices
Adds four physical tactile buttons for games with moveable on-screen controls
Battery life of 120 hours
Lightweight and comfortable to hold
About the Gamesir F7 Claw
When it comes to gaming controllers, the Gamesir F7 Claw is one of the most unique I’ve ever come across. It’s not a controller in the conventional sense, you don’t pair it to your device via Bluetooth, or even with a cord.
Instead, it adds a tactile way to activate on-screen buttons with physical triggers. However, since you have very little control over where the F7 Claw places the triggers on your screen, this means you’re going to need to use games that allow you to change the button placement. Fortnite and PUBG are two perfect examples of games that work well with the Gamesir F7 Claw.
In the box, Gamesir includes two controller units, one for the left side and one for the right. There is also a charging cable and some stickers to apply to the back of your tablet meant to help the F7 Claw better adhere to your device.
The suction cup mounts look pretty odd, but rest assured, they work great in securing the F7 Claw to your tablet. Occasionally, I had to press down on them to make sure they didn’t come loose, but overall, I experienced no issues with the F7 Claw staying attached.
Even though the F7 Claw doesn’t connect via Bluetooth, it still requires power to activate the button presses on the screen. That means you’re still going to have to charge both units up separately.
The good news is, it requires very little power, meaning battery life is stellar. Gamesir rates the F7 Claw for up to 120 hours of playing time and 200 days while in standby. So you’re not going to have to worry too much about charging it.
And speaking of charging, the GameSir F7 Claw is designed in such a way that it provides access to the charging port on your tablet. This makes it easy to stay powered up while gaming.
How well does it work?
Now that you know a little about how the F7 Claw works, the question is, does it work well? From my experience, if you play games that allow you to rearrange the buttons, then it works wonderfully.
Attaching the F7 Claw with its suction cup mounts is quick and simple. It holds onto the device well and adds a much more comfortable way to hold your tablet while gaming. The claw portion at the top does a good job of staying out of your way so you can use your left and right thumbs without issue.
Plus, adding physical trigger buttons for firing and jumping made games much more responsive and really gives you an edge. Additionally, there are also turbo buttons on the F7 Claw which can be programmed. I didn’t test these out myself but it’s a nice option to have.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a way to game more comfortably on your tablet or wanting to take your PUBG or Fortnite skills to the next level, then the GameSir F7 Claw is what you’ve been looking for. Not only does it make it more comfortable to hold, but you’ll also gain an advantage by having a comfortable way to mash away at the on-screen buttons.
You can purchase the GameSir Claw Tablet Gaming Controller from GameSir’s website for $39.99.
There are plenty of reasons to consider a career in cybersecurity. For starters there’s a seemingly endless array of employment options as well as excellent pay. Then there’s also the ever-changing and evolving landscape with new and exciting things that spring up.
To get your foot in the door of cybersecurity, or to stand out as a job candidate, you need knowledge and professional certifications. As it turns out, we have a great offer for you today which can help you get both.
For a limited time you can grab a lifetime Platinum membership to Infosec4TC for just $69 in the AG Deals Store.
Whether just starting out or bolstering your resume with deeper knowledge and background you’ll find plenty of help in the more than 90 self-paced courses. We’re talking some 1,840 hours of content and counting.
You’ll have access to courses on topics like ethical hacking, GSEC, CISSP, and other internationally recognized IT certifications.
Even if you don’t plan on getting into cybersecurity as a career, you may want to give this one a look. You can use this newfound knowledge to protect your own data and home/office network.
Infosec4TC Features
Lifetime access to all school courses
Access to all new/future courses
Join all Certification training bundle
Join all social media private groups
Latest exam questions (frequently updated)
Free access to the student portal
Extra course materials (frequently updated)
Get all future updates at no cost
Attendance certificate with CPEs
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As a Platinum member with lifetime access, you’ll have exam practice questions, materials, and more at your disposal. Sign up now for just $69 to get your lifetime Platinum membership, normally priced at $999. Prices subject to change.
Cryptocurrencies have gone through a recent boom. After various coins hitting their all-time high (ATH) records, a large number of new people have started purchasing them. Whether you’re a serious investor or a casual buyer/user of cryptocurrencies, you need to be informed about the taxes that apply to these.
In the US, cryptocurrencies are considered property. They are taxable just like any other property, including capital assets like bonds and shares.
Who does this advice concern or apply to?
If you transact in cryptocurrencies to receive or send payments for services or products;
If you have invested in cryptocurrencies, regardless of the period, in hopes of an interest-based gain;
If you mine cryptocurrencies or receive cryptocurrency rewards as a result of freezing or staking your cryptocurrencies; or
If you receive cryptocurrencies as airdrops or during hard forks of existing cryptocurrencies;
Then you’re eligible for taxes in the US.
In a nutshell, cryptocurrency selling, conversions, payments, earnings, and donations are taxable.
For companies or individuals operating across multiple financial sectors, it may also be useful to understand licensing requirements in other jurisdictions, such as obtaining a Forex license South Africa, which can provide additional compliance insights and expand legal trading capabilities internationally.
Different countries and regions of the world have different rules and regulations regarding taxation policies on cryptocurrencies. In the US, however, all cryptocurrency-based transactions are taxed.
Crypto income: Is it a business income or capital gain?
It depends.
If you’re getting paid in cryptocurrencies for services or products then it’s just like ordinary income. If your business is receiving cryptocurrency payments, then it’s business income. In this case, this income will be clubbed with the rest of your income channels while filing returns.
The IRS considers all cryptocurrency incomes and payments as regular income and payments. As such, there’s no difference between the two when it comes to tax reporting.
Note that the price of cryptocurrencies tends to be volatile. As such, you’re only eligible to pay taxes on the USD-equivalent value of the cryptocurrencies at the time of receiving the payment or income. If its value goes up or down in the future and is very different from when you received the money when you’re filing the return, it changes nothing. The USD-equivalent amount at the time of the receipt of the cryptocurrencies will be considered to be the taxable amount by the IRS.
If you’re buying cryptocurrencies from crypto exchanges and specifically holding them to earn gains, then it falls in the capital gains category.
If you’ve received cryptocurrencies as income and then you chose to hold (preferably in a noncustodial non-exchange wallet) rather than liquidating it or converting it into USD/fiat, it will still be considered to be ordinary income, given the possibility that you can make a capital gain on the amount simply by holding it.
Which cryptocurrency transactions are taxable?
All of them. The IRS taxes all cryptocurrency transactions.
Cryptocurrencies are not considered currencies or even a form of transactions legally in the United States (and the majority of the world). As such, they’re taxable no matter which medium you use them in.
For example, these cryptocurrency transactions are taxable (not an exhaustive list, but it should give you a pretty clear idea of how they’re seen from a taxation standpoint):
Purchasing cryptocurrencies from exchanges for short-term gains.
Purchasing cryptocurrencies from exchanges for long-term gains.
Selling cryptocurrencies on exchanges to gain profits (or on a loss).
Selling cryptocurrencies that you’ve mined.
Acquiring cryptocurrencies via staking, freezing, or other blockchain consensus methods.
Acquiring cryptocurrencies via airdrops or blockchain hard forks.
All these are taxable cryptocurrency transactions.
Do you still have to pay taxes if your Bitcoin is stolen?
No. Your Bitcoin (or any other cryptocurrency such as Ethereum or Dogecoin) can only be stolen if your private key or seed phrase was given by you to someone else (which should never be done) given how cracking a cryptocurrency wallet is impossible as well as impractical.
If your Bitcoin was stolen, you simply don’t have that asset anymore. It’s as if you purchased an asset for capital gain but it turned out to be a scam. Now that you don’t hold that asset anymore, you have no compulsion to pay any taxes on it.
Note that you only pay taxes on capital assets that you own while filing your income tax returns. If you cease to own said asset, you’re no longer required to pay any taxes on the same. Not to mention it’ll be futile to try to gather profit data on the stolen asset as none of the profit will actually be your profit, but the stealer’s profit.
Tax tools for crypto
Given the surge in cryptocurrency investment, trading, and transactions – a great deal of cryptocurrency management and taxation software and tools have cropped up on the market. Not all of them are good, however.
Here’s a list of a couple of reliable and trustworthy tools you can use to better manage your cryptocurrency taxes.
CryptoTrader.tax: This is a platform that’s both easy to use and robust in its capabilities. You can choose to go with the CryptoTrader.tax service if you prefer a sleek, hassle-free way of generating tax reports. They also have a pretty decent support system for any queries or confusion. You can generate detailed tax reports using their system on all your cryptocurrency incomes and profits.
Koinly: Koinly is a great software. It combines two very important features: accounting and tax. Apart from the US, Koinly also handles tax calculation and reporting for 20 countries including Canada and Australia. The reports generated with Koinly can be directly submitted to the IRS. More specifically, you will be able to download a completed Form 8949 along with the Schedule D attachment in PDF format. It can be connected to multiple blockchains, exchanges, and wallets to automatically receive and sync data related to your cryptocurrency transactions.
How to minimize crypto taxes
Taxes are levied on all the cryptocurrencies you hold as assets or all the cryptocurrencies received as income. There’s no way to cut corners here. Cryptocurrency-based capital loss can be adjusted against cryptocurrency-based profits.
Long-term cryptocurrency holding gains (more than a year) have a lesser tax rate than short-term gains.
With the release of Chrome OS 91, Google has added a new feature that makes sharing files between your Android phone and Chromebook quick and easy. This new feature is called Nearby Share and it debuted on Android phones in 2020 allowing users to swap links, photos, and other files using a combination of Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth, WebRTC, and Wi-Fi.
It’s essentially as close as we’re going to get to Apple’s AirDrop technology on Android, and now you can even use it with your Chromebook. Keep reading below to find out how to get started.
Step One
Ensure your Chromebook is running the latest version of Chrome OS, Nearby Share wasn’t officially enabled until Chrome OS 91. You can view this by opening up the Settings menu, choosing About Chrome OS, and checking your current version.
If your Chromebook is running an older version of the OS, then you’ll first need to upgrade.
Step Two
Open the Settings menu, locate Nearby Share under the Network tab, and click the Setup button. This will run you through a setup wizard allowing you to name your Chromebook and choose which contacts will be able to share with you when your screen is unlocked.
Step Three
Locate a file you’d like to share using the Files app and choose the Share option. When the share sheet appears, choose the Nearby Share option and select the device you’d like to send the file to. This can also be accessed anywhere else you find the share option in Chrome OS.
Step Four
The person receiving the file will receive a pop-up at the bottom of their screen where they must accept the transfer before the file will be sent.
That’s all there is to it, but if you find yourself running into any issues there are a couple of things to check. For example, ensure that Nearby Share is also enabled on the recipient’s device and that both devices have Bluetooth turned on.
We recently tested out the T1 XS earbuds from the upstart FIIL company. While you may not know this tech team yet, it makes compelling devices in the mobile accessories space.
FIIL was nice enough to allow me several weeks with the other truly wireless earbuds in its lineup the FIIL CC2. Spoiler alert, I came away just as impressed.
Design
FIIL has done a great job of keeping things familiar and unique all at the same time with the CC2 earbuds. You have a teardrop stemmed earbud design similar to numerous other models from Apple, Huawei, and OnePlus. However, small tweaks are found in the squared shaping of the stem.
This along with the open-ended case make for quickly recognizable alterations in the normal look of this segment of wireless audio. While neither are winning design awards, it does make the CC2 stand out in a crowded market.
Sound
Above-average immediately comes to mind with the FIIL CC2 truly wireless earbuds. You will definitely find a more rich sound in some other devices, but I found the CC2 to have a good balance across the board.
The buds offer a good punch in the bass while not getting distorted or drowning out the mids and highs. If you’ve used the more basic designed earbuds without the silicone tips, this is pretty great. Again, the balance but without the “cup” of silicone covering a worthy feat.
This is especially true when the low latency mode is enabled. The option gives the earbuds a larger push with the Bluetooth protocol to increase the levels of data being transferred resulting in much higher playback quality. It cuts down on the connection range but is worth it in my opinion.
Controls
By default, the FIIL CC2 wireless earbuds only have a few touch controls. You can tap either earbud twice to play/pause music or answer/end a phone call. Holding for two seconds will reject an incoming caller or launch your favorite voice assistant otherwise.
I appreciate the simplicity of this approach by FIIL. While it’s nice to have the controls for volume and track available, many times this is a hit-or-miss reality with the small touch areas found on earbuds. Sometimes less is more.
However, if you miss all the other tap controls, they can be enabled by downloading the FIIL+ companion app from the Play Store. This adds additional interactions for a single tap and triple touch of each side of the earbuds.
Full control mode designates volume levels to the left earbuds and tracks alterations to the right side. A single tap of the left lowers the volume and a triple increases the audio. The same cadence of a single tap moves you back one track while three taps moves you forward in the playlist.
One fail I’ve yet to find the reason for other than possible misquoted documentation is that FIIL lists this device as supporting in-ear detection. While this is in the visuals of the Amazon listing, I have yet to being able to successfully get this option to work. With no mention of this on the box or internal manuals, I think this is just a marketing misprint.
Battery Life
Battery life is another win for FIIL with the CC2 earbuds. I’ve discussed in previous reviews that five hours is my must-have, and thankfully, FIIL gets around seven hours of playback per charge.
Combined with the charging case, you can then get up to 32 hours of total enjoyment. My testing has seen similar results although not the full 32-hour mark. I’ve consistently seen at least 28 hours off three recharges by the case.
With the included case, you will be able to top off the battery banks of both the earbuds and portable case cells. FIIL has made sure the modern standard of quick charge over USB-C is onboard. Unfortunately, you don’t get wireless charging capabilities.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always been partial to the design of the traditional earbuds found on the FIIL CC2 earbuds. My ears just don’t allow a good fit for most of the silicon tipped models available. This industrial engineering paired with the great performance has left me very impressed with the FIIL CC2 wireless earbuds.
I would have a hard time not recommending this headset to anyone. And they look good too! Combine all these positives with a sub $70 price tag and you have one of my favorite earbud options of 2021. You can snag a set for yourself through FIIL’s Amazon listing.
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.
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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
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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.
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
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
