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Google Assistant can now schedule turning lights on or off, and more

Jason England
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Scheduling your lights to turn on or off at specific times is one of the most essential functions in a smart home. This dates far back to when people would buy simple plugs with timers on them to accomplish this task.

These days, tech has become more advanced, most smart hubs can handle this for you. However, what if you don’t own a smart hub and use a simple Wi-Fi-enabled smart plug or light bulb for all of your lighting needs? Sure, asking your Google Assistant smart speaker to turn lights on or off works great, but there was no way to schedule this action, until now.

Over the weekend, a post on Reddit revealed the feature has gone live, and it is now possible to schedule turning your lights on or off. Plus, it’s much more powerful than the old school timers we used in the past.

Not only can you tell the lights to turn on or off at specific times, but you can also ask them to turn on in 10 minutes, or turn on for only 10 minutes. Below is a sampling of commands that are verified to work with the new feature after saying the “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” trigger phrase.

  • Turn on the lights at 6 PM.
  • Turn off the lights at 11 PM.
  • Turn on the lights in 5 minutes.
  • Turn off the lights in 5 minutes.
  • Turn on the lights for 10 minutes.
  • Turn on the lights at sunset.
  • Turn off the lights at sunrise.

It’s also important to note that the examples above only mention lights, but these commands can be used for any smart home product. For instance, you could schedule your coffee maker for the next morning, or tell your sprinklers to water the grass at a specific time.

As great as this all is, there are some limitations. At this time, not all the features appear to be working. For example, you can only schedule an action for the current day or a day within the next seven day period. Also, the ability to cancel an action doesn’t seem to be working yet. Hopefully, Google gets this all worked out soon because this is one feature we’ve all been waiting far too long for.

This $25 bundle could you usher in 2021 as a certified AWS practitioner

AndroidGuys
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Cloud computing is growing in popularity, and, as such, many businesses are embracing it. Just about every major business has a go-to person for IT and back-end administrative technology.

The ever-changing structure of how work is done creates huge opportunities, particularly for aspiring IT professionals and developers. Amazon Web Services is the perhaps the biggest name in the space, offering its leading cloud computing platform with reliable and scalable services. AWS cloud services are where it’s at.

The AndroidGuys Deals Store has a 6-piece set of training around AWS architecture and development. Valued upwards of $300, we’re offering it for just $25, a savings of more than 95 percent.

SEE ALSO

There are nearly 400 lessons spread out over more than 25 hours of education awaiting you. You’ll start with a general understanding of what AWS is and how it works and then move into more specifics.

Your full bundle includes:

  • Introduction to Cloud Computing on AWS: Learn general cloud computing concepts & AWS from fundamentals right through to advanced concepts
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Video Course: Over 12 hours of instructor-led training including Hands-on Labs, exam-cram lessons for quick revision of the important facts, and quizzes to test your knowledge
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Practice Exam Course: Prepare for the real AWS exam with 390 practice questions
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam Reviewer Walkthrough: Learn the strategies and test-taking techniques for answering AWS certification exam questions so you can easily pass your AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam first time
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Training Notes: Over 200 pages of exam-specific information, detailed facts, tables, and diagrams
  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Offline: Take your AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C01) studies offline with these downloadable practice tests (PDF)

Where to buy

You can purchase the entire AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner All-in-One Bundle for just $25 in the AndroidGuys Deals Store. Hurry, though, this incredible deal will not last forever. If you want the 91% discount, you will need to act fast.

Save even more!

In addition to the savings above, when you buy through AndroidGuys Deals, for every $25 spent, you get $1 credit added to your account. What’s more, should you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

If this is your first time buying, then you are also eligible for a further 10% discount when you subscribe for email updates.

How about a freebie?

Not looking to spend any money today? That’s alright, we understand. Why not visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and take something anyhow? Go ahead, grab two!

Master web design and development for just $15

AndroidGuys
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We’re just a few weeks away from 2021 which means it’s time to get those resolutions in order. What are your plans for the new year? Outside from getting your life back to normal, of course. If you’re at all interested in creating a blog, web design, or something similar, listen up.

The Complete Web Developer Course, available in the AG Deals Store, is exactly what you’re looking for and the timing couldn’t be better. For a limited time you can score this bundle for just $14.99, or at a steep (92% OFF) discount.

This is the best course to learn how to build websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In this course, you learn by doing. Build your own fantastic websites today. One of the best features is that you can watch the courses at any speed you want. This means you can speed up or slow down the video if you want to. This course is project-based, so you will not be learning a bunch of useless coding practices.

Features

  • Access 41 lectures & 10 hours of content 24/7
  • Learn to build your own websites
  • Code in CSS, JavaScript, & HTML
  • Learn practical, employable skills
  • Build 20 fantastic websites to use in your portfolio
  • Jump start your programming career

Get Started Today

Ready to get a head start on your side hustle or 2021 resolution? Head to the AndroidGuys Deals Store and you’ll find the bundle waiting on you.

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.

Grow your small business with GoDaddy’s Websites + Marketing offering

AndroidGuys
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The world has gone digital, and it’s on small businesses to try to keep up with a rapidly evolving world. For small businesses with some tech-savvy, the internet is a huge asset, allowing them to reach and connect directly with people in their area. Small businesses that aren’t as tech-savvy risk being left behind and missing out on valuable opportunities to reach new customers.

Fortunately, these days, you don’t have to be a digital savant to build your small business’s brand online. GoDaddy’s Websites + Marketing offering makes it easy for small businesses to grow from the ground up.

You’ve probably heard of GoDaddy from its domain names and web hosting business. GoDaddy Websites + Marketing, however, goes above and beyond to help even complete web novices grow their businesses with intuitive tools.

Just because you don’t know how to build a website doesn’t mean you can’t scale your small business, non-profit, side hustle, or website. Likewise, we’re in lean times — a small budget shouldn’t keep you from investing in your business’s digital presence either.

GoDaddy Websites + Marketing allows you to do the work of multiple complete teams all by yourself, saving you a bundle in consulting fees. You get ready-made digital marketing tools designed to provide meaningful, measurable growth, including Facebook and Instagram integration, allowing you to interact with your customers directly inside of the platforms they’re already spending all of their time on. You can sync your entire online store to a convenient catalog across your social media accounts, which lets you create shoppable posts and tag featured products. The best part? Customers don’t even need to leave Instagram to complete their purchase — just a few clicks, and it’s done! Oh, and don’t worry — your inventory is always automatically updated, so you never wind up accidentally selling products you’ve run out of.

With GoDaddy Websites + Marketing, you can automatically sync your social media with your online store to create a convenient catalog. That way, it’s easy to tag featured products and create shoppable posts that drive customers to your website to make purchases. Plus, your inventory automatically updates across platforms so you never have to worry about overselling.

GoDaddy Websites + Marketing’s simple tools yield powerful results. Make the change today and start scaling your business online. Right now, you can get started with GoDaddy Websites + Marketing for free.

Pamu Explore over-ear headphones review

AndroidGuys
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Casual readers may not know much about the Pamu brand, but it has been making headphones for years, although it stays mostly in the earbud market. Its biggest claim to fame, to me, is unique design language.

Take the Pamu Scroll, for example. Most truly wireless earbuds come with a simple clamshell type case that you plop your earbuds in when they need to charge. The Scroll sort of unwrap, much like an old school scroll. An interesting choice in terms of design, to be sure.

Does Pamu do anything fun or odd with its recently introduced Explore over-ear headphones? Let’s dive into a review.

pamu explore box contents

Build/Unboxing

I tend to lump box contents in with the build quality. Off the bat it’s pretty impressive with a nice hard shell carry case for these headphones. I always like when I get a decent case with my headphones. This one may not be super stylish, but it’ll get the job done. You’ll also find an auxiliary cable and USB-C cable in the box.

On to the actual headphones, they have a decent heft to them. They are not overly heavy but there is a good amount of weight.

My first quibble with the Explore is that the entire thing is made out of plastic. While technically not an issue, I would like to see a some metal in there –especially for the $199 price tag. With that said, they do have the fairly standard creaks and sounds you get from plastic. I would imagine that the sound will become worse over time.

The headband and ear cups have a real soft and nice padding to them. On the ear cups you’ll find the touch controls, “rocket lights”, while the bottom is where you locate the power switch, charge port, and 3.5mm.

On most headphones the ear cups rock up and down a bit to accommodate for different size heads. These, for whatever reason do not. They have a very angular design to them, which on my head make them press harder at the bottom of my ear than the top.

This creates two problems for me. One, they’re not super comfortable; I can feel the pressure difference and it’s distracting. And two, I wear glasses. When I listen to these with my glasses on it degrades the sound quality considerably.

Speaking of distractions, when I do have my glasses on the “rocket lights” flash constantly and create a glare on my lenses when they do.

I hate sounding so negative, but there is one more thing that I had trouble with: touch controls. They are insanely sensitive. If you have to adjust these at all, I guarantee you will activate the touch controls when you do. Even if you try extra hard to make sure you don’t touch the outside of the ear cup at all.

One positive I can take from this is battery life. Pamu claims 27 hours on the Explore. During my testing, I was consistently getting about 30 hours between 65-70% volume. I didn’t test the fast charge capabilities, but considering the battery life, I wouldn’t doubt the 10 minutes of charging provides five hours of playtime.

Sound quality

This is usually my favorite part of testing headphones and on paper the Pamu Explore doesn’t disappoint. As far as codecs go it has pretty much everything you’re looking for in a good pair of headphones, aptX, aptX HD, SBS, and AAC.

Before I get too far, I’d like to remind you that if you wear glasses you might want to pass on these. Thin wire frames may be okay, but plastic frames impact the sound experience, breaking “the seal” around your ear and losing a lot of the finer detail in music.

That said, while listening to the Pamu Explore with my contacts in, I would put the sound quality at decent. But, if I’m factoring in the $199 price tag, I would put the sound quality at almost bad. It pains me to say all of this because I really wanted to like these.

The bass extension is actually really nice. It’s tight, and not all over the place and it does hit you right in the ear hole. On bass-heavy songs the bass just sucker punches the mid range right in the gut.

To round out the soundstage, the highs just feel a little recessed to me and lack the clarity I was hoping for. Overall, I think the Pamu Explore suffer from a lack of separation in the soundstage. Everything is right next to each other and the bass just bullies everyone else around.

Thoughts

Taking everything into consideration, from packaging to sound quality, there’s a lot left to be desired with the Pamu Explore. Pamu gets some things very right, (nice hard shell case, USB-C, battery, and even bass response), but the things it gets wrong, it gets very wrong. To recap, this includes the overall sound quality, over-sensitive touch controls, the rocket lights, general design of the headphones. I simply can’t recommend these. I want to, I just can’t.

Availability

You can learn more about the Pamu Explore at the Padmate website where you can also purchase them.

T-Mobile is the first major carrier to enable 988 emergency health services

Jason England
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Beginning today, T-Mobile subscribers nationwide can dial 988 to be connected to a network of approximately 180 crisis centers run by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The call is 100 percent free, and will connect you with professionally trained counselors when you are in need of mental support.

With this announcement, T-Mobile is the first major wireless provider to enable the 988 emergency lifeline for those in needing support with mental health issues. That puts T-Mobile nearly two-years ahead of the July 2020 deadline set by the FCC, and with the current state of the world, it couldn’t come soon enough.

According to the latest data from the CDC “15.4 million American adults seriously thought about, made a plan for, or attempted suicide.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows clinical anxiety and depression are on the rise with one-third of Americans showing signs of mental health issues.

Additionally, we lose 48,000 lives each year to suicide, with a death occurring every 11 minutes. Our veterans are some of the hardest hit, averaging 17.6 of them taking their own lives every day. Going into the holidays with many of us unable to get together with our families is sure to exacerbate the problem.

That’s why T-Mobile thought it was more important than ever to speed up the process and activate this free life-saving service on its network.

T-Mobile modified its nationwide network to translate and route 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, updated its billing system to ensure no customer will be charged for using the service and created a bounce-back message so anyone texting 988 on the T-Mobile network will get an immediate response advising them to place a voice call to 988.

It has been a rough year for all of us, and if you or someone you know needs help, make sure they know about this free essential service offered through T-Mobile.

Motorola brings the deals with $500 off the Razr, $300 off the Edge, and more for the holidays

Jason England
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It’s a week before Black Friday but the deals are already flooding in. If a new phone is on your wishlist or someone else’s, then Motorola has some huge savings for you. Whether you’re looking for something sleek and futuristic like the Razr, or something more affordable with a ton of battery life, Motorola has deals for everyone.

To kick things off, the retro Razr with an innovative folding display is getting a $500 discount. You can pick it up from Best Buy or buy directly through Motorola. Plus, it’s 5G ready making it future proof.

Next up, we have the Motorola Edge which is dropping down to $399 for a savings of $300 off of retail, but only if you make sure to add a Verizon SIM card to your cart at checkout. Don’t worry though, the SIM card is 100 percent free. The Edge sports a 6.7-inch immersive display that wraps around the, well edges. Not only does it looks stunning, but it also has a 90Hz refresh rate that makes it feel buttery smooth. Pair that with the triple camera setup on the back and 5G connectivity, and you’ve got quite the package.

The Motorola One 5G UW is another option for all of you looking to jump onto the 5G bandwagon. This handset is packed with cameras, with four on the back and two on the front, making it perfect for the shutterbugs out there. Even better, you can grab it from Verizon for as little as $5 a month by activating a new line on the Premium Unlimited plan.

The hits keep coming with the unlocked Moto G Stylus receiving a $100 discount. Meaning you can pick it up on Amazon for a total of $200 and use it on any network. This is a perfect phone for all of you looking for an integrated stylus, but find the Samsung Galaxy Note series to be too pricey.

Last but not least, the Mote E is available from Walmart for $39.88 while supplies last. While it might not be as feature-rich as Motorola’s other offerings, the Moto E excels in offering a value option that won’t break the bank.

Echo Frames second-gen now available for pre-order while Echo Loop is discontinued

Jason England
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Last year, Amazon launched its first Day 1 Editions products with the Echo Frames, an Alexa powered pair of smart glasses, and the Echo Loop, a smart ring with Alexa built-in. Day 1 Edition products are akin to a public beta test, where Amazon launches a device, in order to get customer feedback and determine if it’s worth mass-producing.

Since last year, Amazon has learned a lot about what customers like and dislike about the products, and has come to two conclusions. The Echo Frames will continue on, but the Echo Loop will be discontinued.

What that means for consumers is, the Echo Frames are now available for pre-order and will begin shipping on December 10, 2020, just in time for the holidays. While the Echo Loop will cease production and sales, however, users of the Echo Loop will continue to receive updates and support.

In case you’re in need of a refresher, the Echo Frames are a pair of prescription-ready smart glasses featuring a microphone, speaker, and built-in support for Alexa. The glasses were designed to look like normal everyday eyewear while using open-ear audio technology to focus sound toward your ears.

This gives you the power of Alexa while on the go, without looking too conspicuous like with the Google Glass smart glasses. While using the Echo Frames, you’ll have the ability to make calls, play music, control your smart home, hear notifications, and more with the power of Alexa.

During the past year, Amazon learned a lot from users and has made some improvements to the Echo Frames before launching the second-gen version. The all-new Echo Frames now sport improved battery life, and provides you with up to 40 percent more battery life during continuous playback when compared to the previous generation.

There have also been improvements to the VIP Filter, which allows you to set what apps and contacts you’ll hear notifications from. Now, this feature has been extended to support calendars and group messaging.

Lastly, you can now extend your battery life even further by using Auto Off, which automatically powers down the Echo Frames when being placed upside down for three seconds.

The second-gen Echo Frames are now available for pre-order for $249.99 and come in a range of colors, including Modern Tortoise, Horizon Blue, and Classic Black.

T-Mobile has deals for the Pixel 4a 5G, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, and more for the holidays

Jason England
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Who’s got the deals? T-Mobile’s got the deals. As we’re swiftly approaching the holidays and Black Friday, T-Mobile is kicking it off with some Holideals starting Friday, November 20, 2020. Whether you’re an existing customer, new customer, Business customer, or a Metro by T-Mobile subscriber–T-Mobile has you covered.

For starters, the Google Pixel 4a with 5G will be available for free with trade-in and activation of a new line. That’s a $500 value on a great phone, our own Scott Webster said this about the version without 5G in his review, “all the phone I will need for the next year or more.”

Samsung fans also have something to look forward to with deals on the latest Galaxy phones and Galaxy Watch Active 2. First up is the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, which you can pick up for only $99 with a new line, or you can grab any of the latest Galaxy phones for $500 off with trade-in, or buy one get one with a new line. For a savings of up to $1000 in total.

As far as the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is concerned, you’ll be able to pick up two of them for $99 when you activate a new line. That’s one for you and one to give away to someone special over the holidays. That’s a fantastic deal on a smartwatch that typically retails over $200.

Business customers aren’t forgotten though, T-Mobile is offering up to $4,750 in bill credits for early termination fees or device payments when you switch 10 lines over to the Un-carrier.

Metro by T-Mobile is also running a promotion where you can switch over and get four lines of unlimited for $25 a month and four free Samsung A21 smartphones after rebate.

Last but not least, all TVision Live subscribers will receive an additional 30+ channels from TVision Vibe, while TVision Live+ and TVision Live Zone subscribers can get 12 months of Apple TV+ for free.

Pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 and get a free Stadia Premiere bundle

Jason England
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Lately, Google has been handing out free Stadia Premiere Edition bundles left and right. First, they ran a promotion giving them away to YouTube Premium subscribers. Now, you can get a free Stadia Premiere Edition bundle by pre-ordering the hotly anticipated and often delayed Cyberpunk 2077 from Stadia.

The promotion begins today and runs until December 17, 2020, but it’s only available while supplies last. We saw the YouTube Premium promotion end pretty quickly due to limited supplies, so you might wanna jump on this as soon as possible. Also, don’t worry if you’ve already pre-ordered Cyberpunk 2077 prior to this announcement, you’re still eligible for a free Stadia Premiere bundle.

After you order the game, a redemption code will be emailed to you within a week of the release of Cyberpunk 2077. However, once you redeem your free bundle via the Google Store, it could take up to several weeks for it to ship out, but Google promises to get them shipped out as quickly as possible during the busiest time of the year.

Considering all the hype around Cyberpunk 2077, and the fact that the Stadia Premiere Edition usually sells for $100, this is a fantastic deal. For only $60, you’ll get a copy of Cyberpunk 2077, a Stadia controller, and a Chromecast Ultra. Everything you need to enjoy what could be one of the best games of the year. Additionally, if you’re a Stadia Pro subscriber you’ll even be able to save $10 off the total if this is your first game purchase.

Also, remember that you don’t need to be a Stadia Pro subscriber to play games with the service since Google launched the free tier earlier this year. As long as you purchase the game, you can play with Stadia on all supported platforms, even on your phone using a controller you already own or the Razer Kishi. There are even a couple of free options at the moment such as a demo of Immortals Fenyx Rising and Destiny 2: New Light that you can play today by just creating a Stadia account.

However, the quality will be limited to 1080p at 60fps with stereo sound for free-tier users. If you want to play in 4K HDR at 60fps with surround sound, you’ll need to be a Pro subscriber.

Along with this promotion, Stadia recently celebrated its one year anniversary. While the initial launch may have left many disappointed due to the lack of available games and features. Stadia has since addressed many of these issues by expanding its game library and the addition of new features. I covered many of these new features in my recent review of the cloud gaming service, including on-screen controls, stream connect, family sharing, and more.

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