If you didn’t know, Anker has a fantastic line of charging cables and accessories. One of our favorites happens to be the Nano charger. This little powerhouse packs quick charge with Anker’s PowerIQ tech that is small enough to throw in in bag or travel case.
One of the key features of the Nano series was that it was the first on the market to use GaN in place of lithium battery technology. Gallium Nitride charges faster and has a longer life cycle than older lithium batteries. Anker is moving that to the next generation with GaN II and Nano II chargers.
Anker points out that Nano II chargers will have more efficient chips, take up less space, and better regulate temperature than the previous generation. The size will be the first thing that catches your eye. These units are up to 58% smaller than the first Nano series.
There are three new versions of the Nano II. All are flanked with a single USB-C port with PowerIQ 3.0 and folding wall prongs for power. Each is monikered by its power output: 30W, 45W, and 65W. This should give users a nice range of both price points from $30-40 and power choice to suit all their devices.
The 30W should be perfect for those looking to replace a standard iPhone or Android brick with something with a little more kick. The Nano II 45W should power some Chromebooks and laptops at a pretty decent pace and the 65W can take on even the hungriest Macbook Pros or Windows laptops with a USB-C charging port.
The pricing is $30, $36, and $40 for the respective power outputs. You can preorder them all starting today on Amazon and Anker with staggered release dates. First, up is the 45W Nano II on May 31 followed by the 30W on June 5, and finally, the 65W on June 10.
When it comes to smart phones and rate plans, most consumers are familiar with the big four brands (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint) in the carrier space. But what about the numerous prepaid and MVNO companies?
We’ve covered many of the bigger names, highlighting them with buyer’s guides and invite you to check them out. While they’re a great jumping off point, they don’t dive into the specific of handset selection.
Take, for instance, Net10 Wireless. What sort of options does the carrier offer when it comes to buying a new phone?
We’ve gathered up a handful of the best phones you can purchase at Net10 Wireless today. Although the selection is limited, there are still interesting and compelling handsets to buy.
As always, we suggest buying an unlocked phone or a used tier-one phone for use with Net10. The options are plentiful in both directions and you’ll likely get something more powerful.
Samsung Galaxy A21
The Galaxy S series gets all of the fanfare, but the Galaxy A line is just as good for a lot of people. Indeed, these lower cost options give consumers the same great Samsung design but with just the right amount of features. We’re talking maybe one-third the price yet still plenty of power.
Standout features in the Galaxy A21 include a 6.5-inch HD display, and quad-camera (16MP main lens, 120 degree ultra wide, 2MP depth camera, and 2MP macro) array. An octa-core processor with 3GB RAM/32GB ROM is paired with Android 10, and the 4,000mAh battery should get typical users far beyond a full day.
We absolutely love what Motorola does with its Android phones. They run a bare bones software experience that leaves things the way Google intended, and feature affordably priced alternatives to flagships.
Here, you get a big (6.2-inch) screen, a very modern build of Android (10), and respectable smattering of mid-range hardware. Key details include an octa-core processor, 32GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot for external media.
Other things we appreciate? A water resistant coating, USB Type-C charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
If you’ve never owned a smartphone, or are giving your child their first handset, you likely don’t want to spend that much money. To that end, you can get a decent phone for cheap.
The LG Reflect is a little older than the others here but there’s a reason it’s still offered. Priced fairly and affordably, you get a 6.5-inch display, 13-megapixel camera, and decent hardware. It won’t set the world on fire, but you’ll have a better understanding of needs for the next device.
DeX is a program created by Samsung that allows owners of their flagship devices to connect their phones to an external monitor and be given a full desktop interface. DeX has been included in Samsung devices starting with the Galaxy S8 in phones and the Galaxy Tab S4 in tablets.
What apps are supported in DeX?
Samsung has an official list of 79 apps that are supported by DeX, including office suites, video conferencing software, remote desktop software, media apps, and even games.
How do I access DeX?
Across all DeX experiences, do keep in mind that the maximum resolution is FHD, so you won’t see any pretty 2K. Not that it’s necessary, and doing that would either kill your battery or slow it down considerably.
With a cable or adapter
This method gives you access to the most “traditional” DeX experience, if anything about DeX can be called that.
First, You can connect your phone straight to a monitor using a USB-C to video cable, depending on what ports your monitor supports. Samsung sells a DeX Cable, which is more or less a USB-C to HDMI cable. After DeX boots up on your monitor, you can connect any Bluetooth accessories you would like, such as a keyboard or mouse.
If you want your phone to seem more like a traditional desktop, this is where a USB-C Hub would come in. I personally recommend you find a hub with at least four ports: one for a display cable, a port that you can connect a charger to prevent too much battery drain, and two USB ports, one for a keyboard and one for a mouse.
Make sure you have a high quality cable that can deliver at least the power your hub requires as well as supports high-speed data transfer so all of your accessories work at the best of their ability. Simply plug everything up, DeX will boot up, and you can get going.
Wirelessly
With Samsung devices running the most recent Android updates, you can use DeX wirelessly by connecting to a Smart TV or monitor that supports Miracast. This makes it so that your television is a second display that you can manage on your phone. To access it, just make sure your TV or monitor is in screen mirroring mode, and then click the DeX button in your quick settings and find the device you want to connect to. You are then good to go.
On your PC
With the DeX for PC app, you can connect your phone directly to your PC with a USB cable and have full access to your phone on your PC.
What’s DeX like?
Desktop Interface
Basic DeX interface with two folders on the desktop
The basic DeX desktop pictured above looks like your traditional desktop experience. Start menu on the left, system tray on the right, and taskbar in the middle. At the left, you’ll also find some traditional smartphone navigation buttons, including home, recents, and back. The desktop also allows for apps and folders to be created on it.
Apps Menu
DeX Apps Menu
No Results Found Page
In my mind, the DeX Apps Menu is probably most similar to that of Chrome OS, with a search bar at the top, full-sized app icons, and arrows to click between pages.
Upon opening the apps menu, you can start typing to automatically use the search function. The No Results Found page gives you the option to search an app store or use Finder for a more extensive search.
One thing I will note at this point is the fact that you cannot search your file browser in the menu, which is a feature of both Windows and Chrome OS. This feature is available in Finder, which leads me to a point of confusion: If there is an app that comes on the device that can carry out those kinds of searches, why not integrate it into the menu?
Finder also brings the benefit of being able to search through apps, such as Messages or Spotify. This is one feature I would very much like to see in the future.
App Windows
For Apps that fully support DeX, you can dynamically resize the windows they reside in. For an example, I will use one app that is fully supported by DeX: Microsoft Word.
As you can see, YouTube can be dragged all across the screen, resized in a variety of ways, and can snap to either side to support split screen or the top to make it full screen. One thing to note is the lack of snapping to corners, but that’s not explicitly necessary.
DeX Settings
DeX Settings
DeX Labs
If you need to tweak DeX, there are a variety of settings available to you that are pictured above. You can determine the resolution, font size, and screen zoom, change your desktop wallpaper, tweak your mouse or touchpad, and enable or disable certain features.
In DeX Labs, which are more experimental settings, you can allow apps to force resize if they are not supported by DeX or make it so your latest app open automatically when DeX is opened or closed.
Can I use DeX everyday?
DeX is a very cool step into the future, but can it be used instead of a computer for an entire day? I decided to try this out for you, right down to me actively typing this article in DeX. Here are some things to consider.
Resource Usage
I started my journey with DeX at around 10 AM this morning with a full battery and at the time of writing it is 2:30, and I have 67% battery.
As far as resource usage goes, with about six Google Chrome tabs, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Slack open, and my podcast app running and playing on my Galaxy Buds Pro, I’m sitting at around 10 GB of memory usage.
With all of those things closed except for my podcast app, I’m using about 8 GB of RAM. But there’s no lag and my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a total of 16 GB of RAM, so it’s very unlikely I would reach full utilization.
My phone has also gotten slightly warm, but not hot, throughout the day.
How well do apps important to my job work in DeX?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m typing this in Google Chrome on the DeX interface. Microsoft Apps are fully supported, and I could do tasks in Excel such as autofill, creating charts and tables, and inserting formulas. Adobe Acrobat Reader also works very well.
Many remote desktop apps are supported, as well as VMWare apps such as Horizon (pictured above). I was able to access my school’s virtual lab with Horizon with complete ease and no issues. Obviously this will take some personal testing for your specific use case, but in my opinion, DeX is well-supported for apps that are necessary to business.
I also hopped on a Zoom call and was able to screen share with the other person. One consideration at this point is setting up your camera. With DeX, I usually have my phone face up on the table, so my camera just sees my ceiling. You could use a phone stand to prop your phone up properly during a video call.
Social Apps
Forget about work! Can I browse my social media on DeX? Kind of. No social media apps are officially supported by DeX except for Twitch and YouTube and you can argue about whether those two count as social media.
The Facebook app is downright terrible and doesn’t resize well even though it attempts to. Messenger doesn’t resize but still works. Twitter probably works the best out of the basic social apps and Instagram is a close second.
One beneficial thing is that these apps can be used in the browser instead if the apps don’t work to your liking and that might be what you have to do. The same case with video apps such as Netflix and HBO Max. You should be able to view both of these in your browser as opposed to your apps.
Conclusion
Apart from a few quirks DeX is a desktop platform that has it all. Barring any Windows-specific business apps, and assuming a proper setup, I see no reason that DeX could not be used instead of your laptop or computer on a daily basis. It also has the added benefit of integrating your smartphone experience and apps that you can normally only access on your phone into a desktop experience, so there’s no switching back and forth between your phone and laptop. You can do it all in one place.
The Nitty Gritty: For a limited time you can pick up a refurbished Wii U console, for $235.99 — a 32% savings.
When it comes to games and consoles, Nintendo’s one the best in the business. For decades now it has produced a continuous stream of consoles and titles and it shows no signs of slowing. In fact, the Switch became one of the most sought-after devices in the pandemic as people looked to fill their newfound free time with some escapism.
What about other game consoles, such as the NES Classic or its previous model, the Wii U? If you’re lucky, you can find them in retail stores or on the second-hand market. Or, you can check out the deal we have in store for you today.
For a limited time you can purchase a refurbished Wii U in the AG Deals Store where it’s currently offered for under $240.
Console works with most games from the original Wii console, as well as the Wii Remote, Wii Remote Plus, Nunchuck controllers, Balance Board, and many other Wii accessories, so you can continue to enjoy your favorite Wii features.
The Wii U features a 6.2-inch LCD touchscreen, a motion control system, front-facing camera, microphone, stereo speakers, and a shaking rumble feature. You have the option to play directly on the gamepad/console itself or sync to play through your TV.
This is a deluxe edition model, which means it comes with 8GB of base storage to hold all of your saved games.
About the Refurbished Rating
This product is listed with a grade of “A”. It arrives in a near-mint condition and may have very minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case.
Purchase Yours Now!
For a limited time, you can purchase the refurbished Wii U console for just $235.99 and get to gaming in no time.
Over the past couple of years, the market for smartphones from Huawei and its sub-brand Honor has dried up in the West. This was brought on by sanctions from the U.S. which prevented the Chinese company from gaining access to U.S. technology such as chips from Qualcomm and software from Google.
Without Google services and apps, smartphones from Huawei, and by extension Honor, lost appeal with many of us who rely on these apps and services. Just imagine trying to use your phone without Google Maps, YouTube, or Gmail and you’ll understand what I mean.
That’s a real shame because Huawei phones often feature some fantastic hardware and cameras. Its sub-brand Honor oftentimes included the same hardware but at a cheaper price, making it a big loss for consumers over here.
However, it looks like that might all be about to change. Earlier this year, Huawei sold off Honor to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. Now, without Honor under Huawei’s umbrella that has opened the possibility of the company regaining access to Qualcomm processors and most importantly, Google apps and services.
According to a now-deleted tweet reply from the German Honor team, the upcoming Honor 50 will indeed have Google services. The Twitter thread began with a user asking if the Honor 50 would have Google Mobile Services, and in the reply, the Honor Germany team said “Ja, das können wir bestätigen. Aber pssst, soll noch eine Überraschung werden.”
The English translation for that reads as such, “Yes, we can confirm that. But pssst, should be another surprise.”
The information comes to us via Gizmochina, and if accurate, this would be the first Honor phone to launch with Google services since the company was sold off. Hopefully, it is the first of many.
Besides the big news of the Honor 50 being the first smartphone from the brand to acquire Google apps and services in quite some time, we also have a couple more details about the phone. For instance, it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chip, feature a 120Hz AMOLED display, and it will also run the Magic UI skin. However, we’re still waiting on the launch date and many other details.
Most wireless customers are familiar with the big-name brands in Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Relatively few buyers, though, are as well-versed when it comes to the topic of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO).
It might surprise you to know that companies like Metro, Boost Mobile, and Cricket Wireless operate on the T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T networks, respectively. These network operators license the towers and coverage from the tier-one providers and offer their own phones, rate plans, and customer service.
As a company that operates almost virtually, Net10 doesn’t have any towers of its own. What’s more, it does not have any official retail stores, paper bills, activation fees, or overage charges.
It does, however have a presence at indirect sellers and locations such as Dollar General and Family Dollar. Net10 Wireless service plans and Bring-Your-Own-Phone SIM Kits are currently sold in Walmart, CVS, Best Buy, Walgreens and many other local stores. Its devices are available exclusively online via the brand’s website,
Using both CDMA and GSM technologies, NET10 lets customers bring their AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, or unlocked GSM phones.
Rate Plans
Customers can choose from a number of options spread across various types of plans. For those who only needed the barest of necessities, the pay-as-you-go provides buckets of minutes. The Monthly Talk, Text, and Data plans range from $20 up to $65 per month and come with variable amounts of high speed data.
Note that all plans include unlimited data but allow for only certain amounts at high speed. Once you hit the cap you’ll have slowed (2G) speeds for the remainder of the bill cycle.
$20/month: 2GB
$35/month: 5GB
$40/month: 10GB
$50/month: Unlimited (Includes unlimited international calls and 5GB hotspot data)
$65/month: Unlimited (Includes unlimited international calls and 10GB hotspot data)
Select plans give buyers the option to save a few bucks per month by enrolling in Auto-Refill automatic bill payments.
Family Plans
Net10 Wireless refers to these as “Multi-Line Plans” as opposed to family plans. A new line of service can be added to any plan. The first line is discounted by $5 per month; each line after that is discounted by $10 per month (up to four lines).
Handset Selection
Customers can purchase handsets in one of two ways: buy outright or spread payments out monthly. The selection through the former leaves much to be desired with less than one dozen models to choose from. Opting for the latter (payment plan) opens the door to a wide range of phones with financing through Affirm.
One place where NET10 shines is in its ability to support phones from other carriers. Those of you who have access to an existing phone, or who might have purchased an unlocked phone elsewhere, can bring the device to NET10.
Whether you’re looking for a new phone number or hoping to keep your existing one, NET10 works. Moreover, you can also keep your same network in the background, receiving the coverage you already know. Head to the NET10 page to check compatibility of your phone.
If you’ve never been to the My Activity page in Google, then you’d probably be surprised at the wealth of information gathered there. Among the activities recorded there are apps you’ve used, videos you’ve watched on YouTube, webpages you’ve visited in Chrome, voice commands given to Google Assistant, places you’ve checked on Google Maps, and more.
It truly can be a detailed look into your life and habits that you may not want to share with others. While Google gathers all this information in an effort to better tailor its products and experiences to you, it’s something you may not want others browsing through. Which is something they could do if they have access to your computer or phone where you’re already logged in with your Google account.
That is until recently when Google enabled a new privacy feature allowing you to password protect your My Activity page. Now it won’t allow you to set a separate password to protect the page, but it will require your Google password to be entered before viewing this private information once you set it up.
To get started, go to the My Activity page while signed in to your Google account on the web or your mobile device. Once the site opens, there should be a notice prompting you to manage My Activity verification. Click on “Manage” and select “Require extra verification” and tap on Save. Next, it will forward you to enter your Google password to verify it is you making the changes.
After you’ve completed all these steps then you’ll be redirected back to your My Activity page where your history will now be hidden until you verify your account with the password.
Alternatively, if you don’t want Google keeping tabs on you, then you can look into disabling much of what is being recorded, or even set the data to be auto-deleted after a set amount of time.
Verizon has a new perk for new and existing customers who subscribe to its unlimited, Play More, or Get More plans. Starting on May 25, 2021, subscribers on these plans will be eligible to receive Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade free of charge, however, the length varies depending on your plan.
Subscribers to any of Verizon’s unlimited plans will be able to get six free months of Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade, while customers on the Play More or Get More plans will receive 12 months. With a subscription cost of $4.99 a month for Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade, that’s almost a $30 value for unlimited customers or nearly $60 for those on the Get More or Play More plans.
Whether you’re an Android or iOS user, both of these perks are a great value and will open you up to a world of apps free of charge, removing in-app purchases and ads. At the same time, what Google Play Pass and Apple Arcade offer differ greatly, both in the number of free apps, as well as in the type of apps that are available.
As the name suggests, Apple Arcade focuses more on gaming, offering more than 180 different titles to choose from. Games include Apple exclusives such as Grindstone, Card of Darkness, and Fantasia from the creator of Final Fantasy. There are also fan favorites like Mini Metro, Fruit Ninja Classic, Cut the Rope Remastered, and more.
Google Play Pass, on the other hand, has a much wider variety of apps and games with over 800 to choose from. Titles range from popular games such as Monument Valley, Stardew Valley, and Dead Cells to apps with in-app purchases like Accuweather.
It’s worth noting, that the Verizon Play More plan starts at $80 per month, and the Get More plan is even more at $90 per month. However, along with the extended trial to Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade, those plans also come with some additional perks. The Play More plan offers an unlimited mobile hotspot up to 15GB of 5G data, the Disney Bundle, six months of Apple Music, and 12 months of Discovery Plus.
The Get More bundle ups the ante with an unlimited hotspot with up to 30GB of 5G data, the Disney Bundle, Apple Music, and 12 months of Discovery Plus. FYI the Disney Bundle includes Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus.
Whether you’re sending a link to a friend, writing a school paper, or working on a spreadsheet–the ability to copy and paste is an essential task. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter what platform you’re on, whether it’s Windows, MacOS, or a Chromebook–some shortcuts are universal, and copying and pasting is one of them.
Just in case you need a refresher though, follow these steps below and you’ll be forwarding that cat video from YouTube in no time.
1. Highlight the text you want to copy, either by selecting the URL bar or clicking and dragging with the cursor to select the text.
2. Press Ctrl+C to copy the selected text. Alternatively, you can right-click on the text and choose copy from the context menu. Both will accomplish the same task, copying the text to your clipboard, so choose whichever you feel most comfortable with.
Tip: If you’re working on a document and you prefer to move the text entirely instead of copying it, then use the shortcut Ctrl+X to “cut” the selection, instead of copying it. You can also find this option in the context menu by right-clicking as well.
3. Navigate to where you’d like to paste your freshly copied text and press Ctrl+V. Again, if you’d rather not use the keyboard shortcut, then that’s fine, simply right-click again and select the paste option.
Tip: Sometimes text that you copy will include the formatting, such as being a larger size or bolded. However, there is a way to remove this when pasting it into your document. Simply, use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V when pasting, or you can right-click and choose the “Paste as plain text” option.
When it comes to purchasing wireless earbuds there’s never a shortage of selection. Moreover, the features seem to get better all the time and the price continues to come down. Finding a quality pair of budget-friendly earbuds is rather easy in 2021. Take the UGREEN HiTune T2 Wireless Earbuds for example.
Test Drive posts are our way of sharing immediate impressions and early reactions to products, apps, and services. Not to be construed as a full review, these are first-blush looks at things we think you’d enjoy.
Offered in black, white, pink, and blue options, the HiTune T2 are a pair of true wireless earbuds (TWS) with a wallet-friendly ($35) appeal. Don’t let the price fool you; these are a quality pair of earbuds that work well in a variety of environments. Be it the gym, the train ride home, or a walk in the park, they’ll provide you with up to four hours music per charge.
Features
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C and Wireless Charging
4 hours playback per charge; 20 hours total from charging case
IPX5 water resistance
Works in twin and mono modes
Early Impressions
The UGREEN brand may not be familiar to many but it’s one we’re starting to really appreciate. The HiTune T2, like others we’ve reviewed, are a great balance of features that most need without leaning too far in any direction. This lets them keep the price in line.
The HiTune T2 have deceivingly large drivers which put out a rich and even audio experience with a surprising amount of separation. Music, podcasts, and phone calls sound great whether it’s using one earbud or both. Battery life is decent at around four hours but the charging case will ensure you’re back out there in no time.
Where to Buy
You can learn more about the HiTune T2 True Wireless Earbuds at the UGREEN website where they’re also available for purchase. As of today they are priced $35.
