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Visible shakes things up with six new features

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Visible, the all-digital wireless carrier that’s backed by Verizon, on Tuesday announced a number of new features that its customers will certainly appreciate. Indeed, there are no less than six details to share as part of the changes.

Some of the features are a little more obvious to some subscribers than others, but all of them are positive steps forward for the carrier.

First up, Visible is now offering 5G coverage for it compatible devices, delivering speeds up to 200 Mbps. The faster network and access comes at no additional monthly cost.

Next, Visible is bringing its unlimited data, messages, and minutes to more consumers in additional locations. This now includes calling to Canada, Mexico, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Visible is making it easier for subscribers to activate new devices by integration of eSIM technology. A number of today’s top phones allow for the virtual SIM card, but Visible is starting with recent iPhones first. Android handsets will be added in the near future.

The Party Pay feature, which was previously capped at four people per Party, is now expanded to allow for an unlimited number of people. The feature lets people share a rate plan for as low $25 per line per month.

  • 2 people in a party = $35 / line per month
  • 3 people in a party = $30 / line per month
  • 4 (and now an unlimited number of people) in a party = $25 / line per month.

Visible will now offer a referral credit for each new friend or family member who signs up for service. Each new line who signs up using your referral will brings your next month’s bill down to just $5. It doesn’t matter if they sign up for their own plan or join your Party Pay account.

Last, but not least, Visible is introducing a new Community forum to let members connect with one another. Whether it’s to learn best practices and tips, meet others for a Party Pay plan, or something else, the forum is a central hub for communication and collaboration.

Four Months Later: Google Pixel 4a (5G) review

Scott Webster
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For my tastes, the Pixel 4a (5G) should be the one Google promotes the most this year. In fact, after having spent more than 18 months living with the Pixel 3a as my primary device, I’d be fine if Google were to shake up its Pixel line and stop playing in the flagship sandbox altogether.

The Pixel 4a (5G) is the third in the “Pixel a” models, but comes closely behind the release of the Pixel 4a. And while it would make sense to offer a 5G variant and leave everything else alone, Google took the opportunity to add in a couple of other features.

As far as I can tell, this is the best all-around experience for my needs. Do I love pricier, sexier phones? Sure. Do I want to pay for those luxuries? Not really. And from what I can gather, there are a lot of people just like me.

Pixel 4a (5G) at four months

I’ve had the phone set up as my main device now since it launched and use it for all the normal stuff that I would for any other “daily driver”. How does the Pixel 4a (5G) stack up after a few months of regular usage?  Read on to find out.

What’s the difference between the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4a (5G)?

Aside from the obvious (5G connectivity), there are three notable differences between the two phones. Those include screen size, additional rear camera, and higher capacity battery.

Pixel 4a

  • 5.8-inch display
  • 12-megapixel dual-pixel camera
  • 3140mAh battery

Pixel 4a (5G)

  • 6.2-inch display
  • 12-megapixel dual-pixel camera and 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera
  • 3885mAh battery

There are also changes in the processor with the 5G model being slightly more powerful (Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 vs Snapdragon 765G), and the camera experience is also enhanced with a few software touches.

All told, those are certainly worth the extra money for those willing to consider the Pixel 4a (5G). However, I suspect many consumers would be more than pleased with the experience that comes with the Pixel 4a.

What is it like using the Pixel 4a (5G)?

In terms of physical design, the Pixel 4a (5G) is not a looker. It’s not a sexy device, and the all-black is still boring in 2020. But toss a protective case on it, and that matters little.

The polycarbonate unibody design is soft to the touch, doesn’t attract too many oily smears or smudges, and wipes down easily. There’s no water resistance here so keep that in mind. For that you’d have to look at the Pixel 5.

The Pixel 4a (5G) has a large screen — and it has a generally large shape. In fact, it has the biggest display of all current Pixel phones. As a random bit of trivia, only the Pixel 3XL had a larger screen (6.3-inches) and this one is considerably bigger than the 5.5-inch that came in the original Pixel XL.

I appreciate that Google has stayed with the hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera because that allows for the screen to be bigger without increasing the overall footprint of the phone.

What about the software?

One of the first things I ever remarked about the original Pixel phones was that the software and the hardware finally felt cohesive. After the various approaches to the Nexus line, the Pixel felt like a device that was built under one roof.

That is still the case as we get rolling in 2021 as the Pixel 4a (5G) offers the best of Android, now in its 11th official iteration. Google keeps sprinkling little things into the platform that make it ever so useful and more intuitive.

The custom “skin” that many device makers used in the first few generations turned me off and I fell fast in love with the way Google handles Android on its own phones. To be fair, the stuff that we get from Samsung and others has really become more interesting and palatable. But for my tastes, I like when brands get out of the way.

Android is snappy, visually appealing, and more helpful than ever before. As someone who lived with the Pixel 3a as my main phone, I’ve noticed that the 4a is noticeably quicker. Whether it’s opening the camera or hopping between a few apps and games, the phone is fast enough for my needs.

How about the camera?

The Pixel line may no longer get the highest marks or industry scores, but that means little to me. In my opinion Google makes the best seamless camera experience for people who like to open the app and shoot.

I spend most of my time in normal or automatic mode, switching to the portrait mode for people and things where I’d like to create some distance between the subject and the background.

I appreciate small things like double tapping the camera button to wake my phone and jump right into picture taking. The Pixel 4a is fast enough for me to grab shots when the inspiration strikes; I don’t end up missing anything vital.

If I am snapping a collection of images (especially with portrait mode), I might find it takes a few moments for them to render and let me see the finished product. It’s nothing bad, and it’s on par with what I expect from a phone at this price. I’m not in a hurry to send of the pictures anyhow.

What else?

I’ve enjoyed seeing some of the features added to the Pixel experience with the recent addition of Google’s feature drops. I find them helpful but never really vital to the overall experience. As I see it, these are first looks at the stuff that could come to the Android platform in future releases.

Getting timely software updates and security patches is more important to me than high-end performance. I don’t care to play too many games or use my phone as a miniature PC so I don’t need 8GB RAM or more and I certainly couldn’t care less about more powerful processors.

As time goes I have become content with slowing down the pace at which I upgrade my phone. Whereas it almost felt necessary to upgrade once a year to have a decent Android phone experience, that’s no longer the case.

The Pixel line is my favorite family of phones because of the total package. The sum of its parts is better than the individual ones. It’s not the prettiest phone, it doesn’t have the cutting edge hardware. Moreover, to purchase this one you may have to look a little harder than if you were going after a Galaxy S phone.

Conclusion

I regularly find myself recommending the Pixel line to friend and family members. The Pixel 4a (5G) is no different. As we enter 2021 we’re finally at a point where it makes sense to consider 5G or to at least have a phone that takes advantage of it.

I would not recommend the device on its 5G merits alone but I don’t push any handset on the basis of 5G support. But, for people who want a quality device with that future proof connectivity, the price is right and it’s a fraction of what premium flagships command.

I’m more than happy to work with the Pixel 4a (5G) and use it as my main phone today and see myself content with it into 2022.

You can find the Pixel 4a (5G) available through all three major wireless carriers of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. It’s also offered unlocked through Google.

Ready for the day trader lifestyle? Check out this 10-course bundle, just $49.99

AndroidGuys
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Surely you’ve headlines lately. It seems the last few weeks have had plenty of chatter around Gamestop, AMC, Robinhood, Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and the stock market in general. You’ve heard the stories about someone cashing out and making a mint and though, “hey, that should be me.”

If you’ve ever thought about investing a little bit of money in the stock market but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. The Premium Novice-to-Expert Day Trading & Technical Analysis Bundle, available in the AG Deals Store for just $49.99 right now, is your 10-course ticket to financial freedom.

Whether you’re brand new to the concept, or have a pretty solid idea of what you’re doing, this bundle is the education that will put you on the path to investing in your future.

Ready to become a day trader? Looking to set up a few investments for the long term? Let’s go!

You’ll be come well-versed in all the technical jargon and concepts such as shorting, candlesticks, reversals, breakouts, and more. Further, you’ll learn how to take that knowledge and apply it, molding it with technical analysis, and figuring out trends and forming strategies.

Whether it’s the stock market or cryptocurrency, the education here is the same. You’ll come out wiser on the other end and be ready to make informed and calculated decisions.

The Premium Novice-to-Expert Day Trading & Technical Analysis Bundle is valued in the thousands of dollars, but we’re offering it to our readers for just $49.99 right now. That’s a small fraction of its typical cost and the first step in investing in yourself.

Best Sellers

Earn Credits!

For every $25 you spend in the AG Deals Store you get $1 credit added to your account. And, if you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

First Time Buying?

If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.

Free Stuff

Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.

Master cloud computing and machine learning with this heavily discounted bundle

AndroidGuys
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Would you like to learn some quick tricks and tips for improving tech processes at your organization? How about arming yourself with skills that can land you a new job or promotion in 2021?

Becoming a certified cloud computing expert can make that happen, and right now, the 2021 Cloud Computing Architect Certification Bundle is your ticket for that ride. On sale for just $29.99, it’s an amazing 98% off its regular price of $1,800.

This bundle of nine courses spanning some 21 hours of content which covers everything you need to know to master cloud computing. You’ll learn valuable topics such as understanding infrastructure as a service, microservices architecture, and more.

Beginners who may be looking for a change in career will find plenty to get started with fundamentals on machine learning, cloud computing, and AI. The courses are taught by Idan Gabrieli, a cloud and AI expert who holds an impressive 4.5 instructor rating (out of five stars) from students.

Get Started Now!

Take your career to the clouds today with The 2021 Cloud Computing Architect Certification Bundle. on sale with a huge 98% off right now for just $29.99 (regular price $1,800).

Best Sellers

Earn Credits!

For every $25 you spend in the AG Deals Store you get $1 credit added to your account. And, if you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

First Time Buying?

If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.

Free Stuff

Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.

This 19-part CompTIA training bundle will turn you into a certified boss

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CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. It enables pros to be more successful with industry-leading IT certifications and IT business credentials, IT education, resources, and the ability to connect with like-minded, leading IT industry experts.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes, and in nearly all industries, are hiring talented and educated IT professionals. What’s more, they’re paying these people generously for their services.

If you want to be in the running for these positions, you’ll want to have a firm grasp on CompTIA and pass certification exams. According to CompTIA, about 96% of HR managers (PDF) use IT certifications as part of its screening and hiring processes.

If this sounds like something that you’d be interested in, you would be wise to go to the AndroidGuys Deals Store today. Head there and you’ll find a damn good deal on the Complete 2021 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle. Worth thousands of dollars, we can get it to you for just $70 right now.

Included in the bundle are some 19 categories spanning topics such as Linux+, Network+, A+, CySA+, blockchain, and much more.  All told there are more than 465 hours of education across the bundle.

Where to Buy

Normally valued at nearly $3,500, this complete training bundle is brought to you for just $69 right now. You’ll have a 19 courses of training for less than $4 a piece!

Best Sellers

Save even more!

For every $25 you spend in the AG Deals Store you get $1 credit added to your account. And, if you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

First Time Buying?

If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.

Free Stuff

Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.

Raptic Rise Headphone Stand review

AndroidGuys
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If you’ve ever purchased a quality pair of over-ear headphones, you surely know how nice it is to have them on display. If not just because it’s easier to grab them, it’s also fun to show them off. Keeping headphones in a box or carrying pouch is cool and all, but hanging them in plain sight is better.

The Raptic Rise Headphones Stand, priced about $70, is not only a solidly-build unit for holding your headphones, but it also has a base for wireless charging, too. Indeed, it’s a great multifunction device that begs to sit on your desk or night stand.

When it’s time to charge your phone, or simply put it aside for work, place it on the wireless charging pad. It will juice your device to the tune of 12W, or pretty damn fast for cord-free charging.

 

There’s also a USB-A port in the base which lets you plug in your headphones. Or, if you’ve got a Nintendo Switch or some other portable gadget, plug it directly in and draw power.

Standout Features

  • Solid machined aluminum for durability
  • Base pad provides 12W Qi for wireless device charging
  • USB-A port for headphone charging
  • Cable management system on bottom to coil access wires
  • Sleek modern design

Bottom Line

If you’re in the market for a stand for your best headphones, you’d be wise to grab one that pulls double or triple duty. The Raptic Rise is built from premium materials and has a clean, modern design that looks at home in any environment.

Where to Buy the Raptic Rise Headphone Stand

As of the time of publishing this review, the Raptic Rise Headphone Stand can be purchased for about $70.

This audio software rips, converts, burns, copies, and more, just $39.99

AndroidGuys
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If you’re like us, you’ve got a giant collection of CDs that have been collecting dust for more than a few years. Ever since MP3 players took off and moved us to digital files, we’ve pretty much left them on the shelf.

You’re likely never going to pop one of those back into a CD player, but that doesn’t mean you should toss them in the trash. Not yet at least. First, back them up.

Audio Toolbox by Gilisoft features everything you need to not only back up your files, but it can also turn your music into ringtones or small clips for your social media videos. All told, this comprehensive audio suite boasts nine different tools.

Tools include both a CD ripper and CD burner copy tracks from your CDs into digital files (WMA, MP3, FLAC, and WAV). You can also convert your videos into music, extracting them from files saved on your hard drive.

GiliSoft Audio Toolbox

Audio Recorder

  • Record streaming audio from music sites, video platforms, radio stations & more
  • Capture sound from audio chats effortlessly

Audio Cutter

  • Create ringtones, make mash-ups, music clips & more
  • Cut your favorite part from a video or audio

Audio Joiner

  • Add your file, pick a start/finish time and press Cut, or;
  • Find the file you want to merge with and press Join

Audio Converter

  • Cut, merge, mix & add effects to audio
  • Re-create the audio & make ringtone without hassle

Video to MP3

  • Extract audio from video files to MP3 and WAV Lossless Audio
  • Save audio in high, standard, & economy quality

ID3 Tag Editor

  • Just load the file you want to edit, enter the new information, & then add or edit tag metadata
  • Metadata includes genre, title, artist, album, year, track number & more

Transfer to iTunes

  • Transfer music on your PC into iTunes
  • Video files automatically convert & transfer into iTunes

CD Ripper

  • Rip audio CD tracks to WMA, MP3, OGG, VQF, FLAC, APE, & WAV formats
  • Supports multiple CD/DVD drivers & includes audio playback controls

CD Burner

  • Burn your audio to blank CD
  • Share your songs with others via CD disc

Order Yours!

Audio Toolbox retails for about $180 if you were to purchase on your own; AndroidGuys readers can save big right now, getting the full kit for just $40. Head to the AG Deals Store and take advantage of the steep discount while you can!

Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro review

Andrew Allen
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Soundcore has become one of my favorite brands over the last few years. For those that may not know, this audio-centric Anker sub-brand specializes in mostly wireless audio accessories for consumers. How does the company’s newly announced Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro stack up to this history? Very well, actually. Let’s dive in.

Design

I really like the design of the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds. They have a familiar teardrop and stem shape, but this leads to a very comfortable fit while listening. The stem lays gently on the outside of the ear and really stabilizes the earbud while in your ear.

Speaking of comfort, the silicon tips that Soundcore has provided should give you many fits to make sure you can find the right side. This allows you to secure the Liberty Air 2 Pro in each ear and helps fend off outside noise.

Audio and calls

I couldn’t be happier with audio and phone calls. Anker has nailed this with the Soundcore team with the Liberty Air 2 Pro headset. You have rich playback of music and podcasts with some really active noise cancellation that is instantly noticeable.

We’ll get back to the ANC features, but let’s focus on the pure music playback first. Anker has worked with Grammy-winning producers to help fine-tune this experience. Pair that with the 10 hardened nano-layered drivers, and you have exceptional sound quality for such a small package.

To round out this listening experience you have targeted active noise cancellation. This allows you to choose from three different environmental settings to help the microphones dictate how feedback is given while using the Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds.

We’ve recently covered this with our over-ear Soundcore Q30 review, but this is offered in Transport, Indoor, and Outdoor listening profiles. Transport targets things like car engines, trains, and airplanes to be eliminated; Indoor focuses on dampening chatter from human voices; Outdoor hopes to quiet wind and general environmental noise.

Calls also take advantage of the tech on board the Liberty Air 2 Pro. I had no issues placing multiple phone calls during my time with the earbuds. Both ends of each conversation were clear and well-received with no drops or muffled voices.

App and touch controls

All these profiles can easily be changed inside the Soundcore companion mobile app. Just tap your device on the home page and you can set the ambient sound profile you prefer. You can also choose Transparency mode that allows for more ambient feedback to make it to your ears. This comes in handy in work settings where you may be listening to audio but still need to be aware of surroundings or co-workers trying to interact.

Another thing you can control inside the app is the Liberty Air 2 Pro touch options. Each earpiece has a capacitive strip on the outside of the stem for some basic options. By default, this is a double-tap on the left earbud to go to the next track and the right will play/pause the song.

A long-press is the other functional gesture control with the standard-setting for both earbuds to cycle through the Ambient noise options. However, you can change the double-tap or extended hold to many other shortcuts: volume up, volume down, previous, and voice assistant.

Battery

You might think with such a small form-factor that the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds might skimp on runtime, but you’d be mistaken. The Liberty Air 2 Pro buds were able to last me a full shift of work excluding my lunch. This is right on par with the estimated playback of 7 hours per charge.

Just in case you do run out of juice, a top-off is conveniently available from the carrying case. The case will get you another three charges for somewhere around 26 hours of total audio enjoyment. Another couple of perks is that the charging case has both USB-C and Qi wireless charging to recharge the complete bundle again.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my time with the Soundore Liberty Air 2 Pro wireless earbuds. These audio buds will give you quality music playback, crystal clear phone calls, and some interesting active noise cancellation for $130. This pits the Liberty Air 2 Pro against the AirPods Pro for over $100 less.

You just can’t beat that and I will be surprised if you are disappointed in your choice. One more win is the awesome color variants Soundcore has chose this year. You can choose between Onyx Black, Titanium White, Sapphire Blue, and Crystal Pink. All have a slight metallic finish to them that’s hard to capture in photos but does make the Liberty Air 2 Pro headsets stand out in person.

These are available now at both Soundcore’s website and Amazon.

Google improves performance of Meet and Zoom on Chromebooks

Andrew Allen
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Google has a real winner for the year of the pandemic in Chromebooks. The devices are deployable and easily maintained for cloud-based remote work. This past year of 2020 has driven the largest growth the company has seen for Chrome OS devices.

Mountain View has decided to invest more into this trend with on-going improvements to Meet and a new partnership with Zoom. Google sees these changes as a way to make sure education and remote workers have a more fluid experience with both its in-house Meet platform as well as the dominant player that Zoom has become.

It’s all about the dynamics

The main alteration Google has made is how Meet sessions are streamed. The company claims its optimized the backend processes on how Chrome OS handles the network and bandwidth. Meet now takes into account device, open streams, and even simultaneous chats taking place while on calls.

Google hopes this leads to less dropped sessions by instead altering the resolution and screen frame rates to keep the stream going while other things are hitting the network. This is much the same way content streaming services like YouTube and Netflix handle network jams while playing a video. Using this same type of approach on live calls seems like a natural progression for Google Meet.

Education specifics

Google also notes that it added a few things to make the classroom setting a little easier. You can now raise your hand, use a virtual whiteboard, break out rooms, and polls inside the Meet interface. These additions are a great way to make sure teachers have features to utilize with the kids in their classrooms.

Zoom gets some love too

Google recognizes that Meet doesn’t meet all the needs of every user. Engineers have been at work with the Zoom team to make sure some of these tweaks make it to that platform as well. The main of which is dynamic streaming. Zoom will now adapt to the network and system payload to lower or raise the stream quality as needed.

Video calls have been crucial over this crazy last year and looks to continue in 2021. It’s nice to see Google continuing to invest in both Meet and Zoom for Chromebooks.

Google Fit adds heart rate and respiratory rate measuring

AndroidGuys
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Google will soon add a pair of new health tracking tools to its Google Fit. The update, which is expected to arrive in March, will introduce heart rate and respiratory rate measurement.

The first phones to see the additional features are in the Google Pixel family, however it’s not clear as to how far back Google plans to roll it out.

Taking advantage of sensors built into the phone’s camera, Google can measure both heartrate and respiratory rate. To track your heartrate, it will ask users to place their finger over the camera where it will look for subtle changes in color. As for respiratory rate, it will employ the front-facing camera and analyze chest movements in breathing.

While these measurements aren’t meant for medical diagnosis or to evaluate medical conditions, we hope they can be useful for people using the Google Fit app to track and improve day-to-day wellness.

Google Fit users can opt to save the readings in the app to monitor trends over time.

If you own a Google Pixel phone, keep your eyes peeled for the Google Fit update which will start in a few week’s time. Other Android-based devices are expected to see the update in the future.

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