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OnePlus adds Nord 10 5G and Nord N100 to wallet-friendly roster

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OnePlus on Monday kicked off its week with a pair of new phones for its newly established Nord series. The N10 5G and N100 are both set to launch in Europe but, unlike their predecessor (Nord), are ultimately expected in North America.

The N10 5G has a starting price of £329 in the UK (~$412 USD) and is powered by a Snapdragon 690 processor, while the N100 comes in at just £179 (~ $235 USD) with its Snapdragon 460 chipset.

Nord N10 5G

As you may have guessed by its name, the OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a 5G capable handset (sub-6GHz in Europe), and features a 6.49-inch display. Additionally, it has 6GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage,  a rear fingerprint reader, and dual stereo speakers.

Similar to other OnePlus phones, the Nord N10 5G’s 4,300mAh battery can be fast-charged via Warp Charge 30T.

Around back is a quad-camera setup consisting of a main 64-megapixel camera, 119-degree ultra-wide, and macro and monochrome cameras. A 16-megapixel camera is located on the front.

Nord N100

Although it’s a lower-end phone in terms of hardware, the N100 still features a handful of notable details. It offers up big 6.52-inch display, dual stereo speakers, and a bigger 5,000mAh battery. Although larger, it is fast-charged at up to “only” 18W, which is still considered fast by most standards.

The 4G capable phone runs Android 10 and has 4GB memory and 64GB storage. There’s a 13-megapixel main camera with portrait and macro cameras, a rear fingerprint reader, and microSD expansion card slot.

Growing Mid-Range

It will be interesting to see how OnePlus continues shaping its portfolio. Will it keep pushing forward with high-end models or might it start focusing more on the lower end and middle of the pack?

We found the OnePlus Nord to be a great phone when reviewing it recently. If OnePlus is content to spread its wings in the junior flagship and entry-level space, we think it could really carve out a nice slice of the pie.

This 98-hour ethical hacking bundle is just $39.90 right now

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For all of the scary notions and ideas that spring to mind when you think of “hacking”, there’s plenty of good that can come from it. Hacking isn’t strictly a nefarious thing. Done right, you can leverage hacking to better your life, automate processes, and have more fun — all without breaking any laws.

Learning to hack, ethically, is a necessity in today’s age of ever-growing digital threats. Whether your goal is to build a business or simply stop your secure data from being breached, learning the ropes of hacking can be the perfect leg up in sales or counter-measure against cyber thieves.

The AndroidGuys Deals Store has a terrific value-packed collection of training centered around the proper way to hack your life. The Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle is designed to arm you with the tools on both sides of hacking. Featuring some 98 hours of content, there are nearly 1,000 lessons to take you from newbie and novice to knowledgeable and learned!

People tend to fear what they don’t understand and with this collection you can put fears to rest and truly empower yourself.

Courses

  • The Complete Cyber Security Course, Vol.1: Hackers Exposed
  • The Complete Cyber Security Course, Vol.2: Network Security
  • The Complete Cyber Security Course, Vol.3: Anonymous Browsing
  • The Complete Cyber Security Course, Vol.4: End-Point Protection
  • CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst (CS0-001) Prep Course
  • Cyber Security: Python & Web Applications
  • Complete Ethical Hacking & Cyber Security Masterclass Course
  • Python 3 for Offensive PenTest: A Complete Practical Course
  • The Complete Nmap Ethical Hacking Course: Network Security Assessment
  • CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-001) Ethical Hacking

Where to Buy

You can pick up a lifetime access to the Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle for only $39.90 in the AG Deals Store. Valued at nearly $1,400, the whole kit can be yours for 97 percent off.

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

Free Stuff

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Earfun Air Pro earbuds review

Andrew Allen
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Earfun may not be a name you are familiar with, but as the name slyly suggests, the company makes audio accessories. We’ve reviewed several models in the past and were pleased to get a chance to test out its Earfun Air Pro earbuds.

How do these match up to the other truly wireless options out there? Let’s find out in this full review.

Design

One of the most polarizing parts of the unboxing of the Earfun Air Pro earbuds is the overall design. You will either love or hate the unique lines and shape of these headphones. Personally, I found the sharp, geometric edges to be a refreshing take on a crowded segment of the audio market.

At the core, the Earfun Air Pro is still a set of teardrop-shaped headphones, but the stark design elements will immediately make it stand out. The tips of the buds are covered in interchangeable silicone tips to find the most comfortable size for you.

Features and specs

The main feature set that will catch people’s eye is the active noise cancellation (ANC). Using external mics the Earfun Air Pro can filter up to 38-decibels of outside chatter.

The sound shouldn’t be an issue with the 10mm drivers in each earbud. Pair that with IPX5 water resistance and up to 32 hours of playback, you have a pretty great spec sheet for most users.

Real-world results

You have to start with the audio experience, right? I’m happy to report the Earfun Air Pro earbuds perform really well. The audio is punchy is and has a decent balance of bass and hi/mid playback.

The active noise cancelation is also a great addition to the audio quality. The external microphones do an awesome job of filtering out the surrounding conditions. Is it as siloed as canned, over-ear ANC headsets? No, but for earbuds, the Earfun Pro are solid as background noise reduction.

The buds even have a transparent mode that allows you to lower the filtering process. This allows you to allow more noise in current environments. The transparent mode can be useful for those of you still traveling to in-office working every day. You can have your audio while still being able to hear if your boss is asking for that report you’ve been working on.

Stereo and mono modes are present while using the Earfun Air Pro earbuds. This makes it easy to use one or both of the devices while listening. One downside is the next portion of this review is slightly different for each side whether you use the left or right bud.

Gestures and touch controls

You can’t release a truly wireless earbud these days without controls and Earfun has the basics covered. As mentioned, each side has some dedicated options to affect the audio playback.

Let’s start with music. Tapping twice on the right earpiece will start or pause audio. Triple the motion to move forward to the next track. There is no way to move back a song in the playlist.

This omission is due to the left side being dedicated to voice assistant and active noise cancelation profile. A double-tap of this side will launch your phone’s voice assistant. Google Assistant, Siri, and even Bigby are all compatible.

A third tap of the left Earfun Air Pro will turn the ANC mode from full filtering to transparent mode. You should notice a voice prompt of “ambient sound” and will start hearing a little more outside noise. The triple tap again turns “normal mode” back on.

Phone calls are the exact same tap sequence whether you use one or both Air Pro buds. You can answer or end a call by a double-tap of either earpiece and reject a call by a triple-tap.

Rounding out the interactions is an accelerometer in each earbud. This feature makes it easy to pause and resume the playback by simply removing the earbud from your ear. The motion is detected and the Earfun Air Pro will automatically stop or start the audio.

Battery life

The runtime of the Earfun Air Pro is exceptional. You get seven hours of playback with ANC mode turned on and nine hours if you keep it turned off. I’ve found these estimates to be spot on and can get through a full workday regardless of the mode.

When you do need to charge, the case has inductive charging for topping off the earbuds on the go. This gives you of up to 32 hours of maximum time away from a cable. Speaking of cables, USB-C is the avenue you’ll use to recharge the battery case.

Insert my normal “I’d love to see Qi charging included” tagline here, but unfortunately, it’s missing in action.

Final thoughts

I’ve enjoyed my time with the Earfun Air Pro earbuds. You get the combination of unique design, good audio, and great battery life for $80. Throw in the compact footprint and battery case and you have audio that’s just dying to go to work with you every day. Even better for the next two weeks, our readers can get a huge discount to $39.59 using the code: EARFUNAIR1.

Google Fi subscription lets users get a Pixel every two years

Andrew Allen
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Google has announced that the Fi mobile network is launching a phone subscription program. The first device added to this new offering is the Pixel 4a and includes a 2-year discounted payment schedule.

The phone subscription includes phone payment, device protection, and the upgrade option in 2 years for the $15 per month rate. After the 24 month payment period, the buyers then fully owns the Pixel and will be eligible to take another upgrade with a similar plan.

Google Fi’s website claims this will save buyers $138 over two years. It also gives users the opportunity to upgrade at a consistent timeframe while taking a much easier financial hit at $15 per month versus the outright price for the Pixel 4a.

Device protection includes a full phone replacement for damage such as cracks or other damage that may require a new device. A deductible will still come into play with screen repair at $49 and full replacement at $99.

Google Fi is giving customers a 15 day grace period before the contract is valid for those that may have buyers remorse or simply have a life change. It’s also worth noting that if you go past these 15 days, the full amount of the remaining payments will be due if you decide to cancel.

You also have to activate the subscription device within 30 days on Google Fi’s network. The new subscription model is available now from the Google Fi website. It’s currently unclear whether this will expand to the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 as both have yet to launch in the US market.

This Python bundle, just $15, is aimed at beginners

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It’s never to late to get started on a new hobby or career path. Finding what resonates in you is important, and for some people, that means creating and tinkering. To create in today’s world that often revolves around coding, or computer science.

Given we’re all more or less confined to our homes, it is a perfect time to pick up a hobby or learn a side hustle. How about taking the opportunity to learn one of the most fundamental coding languages?

We’ve got an incredible little set of training designed to help beginners get up to speed on the essentials of Python. It’s everything you need to get started and on your way to a new passion. Get started with this Python beginner education and jumpstart a new career path.

  • Access 13 lectures & 1 hour of content 24/7
  • Understand the Python programming language
  • Know the basic functions of Python
  • Learn how Python programming works
  • Know some of the basic yet essential applications of Python

Availability

Normally, these types of training courses cost about $200, but AndroidGuys readers can pick up the kit for just $14.99 right now.

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.

Boost Mobile’s new 2GB rate plan is just $10 per month

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Boost Mobile on Friday announced a limited-time rate plan which could kick off an interesting season of competitive options.

Available immediately, and running through the end of the year (December 31, 2020), Boost’s new offering is just $10 per month and includes unlimited talk and text, plus 2GB of high speed data.

Additionally, it offers a $15 plan that doubles the data. Indeed, that’s 4GB of high speed data per month. Most carriers tend to price their plans around twice that, or approximately $30 per month.

The Catch?

What’s the fine print? There are two caveats to consider. First, the plan is only available to new customers who bring their own phone to the service.

Also, after the three-month promotional period, Boost subscribers on the $10 plan will receive 1GB of high speed data; those on the $15 plan will receive 2GB of high-speed data.

For those who don’t follow the wireless space all that closely, Boost offers five rate plans that cost less than $50 per month. Among them are the $10 (1GB) and $15 (2GB) option.

Future gaming technology trends we should expect in 2021

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Every decade there is a change of trends in video games. According to the marketing and sales specialists, by 2021 the gaming industry will see a new transformation.

Trend 1: Introduction of 5G

At first glance, the transition from 4G to 5G does not seem so important. But what does this mean for gamers? Mobile games have always been limited by the latency of the Internet. Currently, this is about 10 milliseconds on 4G tech. For the average user, this may seem like a very small number, but for games – it’s an eternity. For more information, see androidappsforme.

With 5G, Internet latency will be reduced to one millisecond, which will open up new opportunities for gamers. 5G data transfer speed will open up incredible opportunities for gaming and entertainment. Widespread use of 5G will begin around 2021. Thanks to this, mobile games will show an even faster pace of development.

For example, over the past 40 years, about 1.5 billion game consoles have been sold. And over the past 10 years, more than 2.2 billion people have used smartphones to play games.

Trend 2: The spread of the realities of AR and VR

Also, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will change.

Since the creation of virtual and augmented reality, games have gained a truly immersive experience and a new perspective on the future of the gaming industry.

In 2016, VR and AR raised $1.8 billion and $1 billion respectively; in 2021, these figures are projected to be $19 billion and $20.3 billion.

The development of AR and VR proves that they are an integral part of the gaming market.

Trend 3: Age categories of gamers

In addition to changes in technology, the portrait of the gamer as a whole is changing.

While previously only a teenage boy was considered a gamer, today 45 percent of American gamers are women. And the average age of a player is 34 years. People play everything – from simple puzzle games to deadly shooters.

By 2021, the Millennials (a generation of people born in 1982-2004) will reach its peak of purchasing power and become the main part of gamers.

Trend 4: Streaming

If you find it silly and boring to watch other people play video games, you should reconsider your opinion. Thanks to streaming, video games have gained popularity in eSports.

While the player base has grown by an average of 10% a year since 2015, the viewership base has doubled. In 2017, total eSports revenue was $655 million. In 2021, this figure will approach $1.6 billion.

Trend 5: Gamification as attracting customers to stores

Since various stores are constantly under pressure from the competition, they are looking for new solutions that would help them bring customers back to the shopping centers. Therefore, in this area, gamification solves two problems – attracting and retaining users. To increase interest in the project, the following must be present: status, new content, and free products. Within the game concept, higher levels, rewards, and belonging to a particular group or clan are valued.

Especially for the Y generation – young people aged 18-27 who are more used to gamification. That is passing stages, tasks, and improving the level.

For example, the Japanese retailer PARCO rewards customers with “coins” and discounts if they visit certain points or interact in any way with the store and the store’s app.

Trend 6: Game data analysis will make games more profitable

In 2016, the Survios Studio used statistical data to understand player behavior. This helped them create the Raw Data shooter, which became exclusive to virtual reality helmets, earning $ 1,000,000 in a month.

Data analysis for the game was done by the CDP platform, based on the player’s behavioral data, find out the answers to questions:

  1. Do gamers complete the game or stop at certain levels?
  2. Where do players prefer to launch games? In the Steam store or via Oculus?
  3. Do players choose HTC Viva or Oculus Rift?
  4. Are the players right-handed/left-handed?
  5. Do players return to the game and how much time they spend on games?

Game manufacturers are trying to figure out what exactly will be the next popular trend in the gaming world using CDP data. This helps collect data about players and understand what they like best.

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

10 of the best press release distribution services 2020

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First, you need to know what a press release distribution is before you choose one.

What is a press release distribution?

If you’re a business owner looking to spread your words about yourself or your business press release distribution is so crucial for your success, choosing a good PR service can flip the game to your side.

Press release distribution is simply an operation to spread and deliver your press release to press members. The main purpose of this procedure is to get media coverage, think of it as a marketing tool, in this way your content whatever it may be, is shown to a broad audience that eventually boosts your business’s reach and sales.

Best Press Release Distribution Providers in 2020

Now since you know what press release distribution is, let us discover the best 10 press release distribution services in 2020.

1 – PR Distribution™

PR Distribution™ is a perfect press release distribution provider for any business or organization; they provide a multitude of services that suits your budget, needs, and anticipation.

PR Distribution™ offers a great array of services for an affordable price that you can’t find elsewhere, the plans start from $49 up to $99 only, with their plans they allow you to stand out from the crowd by publishing your press releases in remarkable media outlets such as FOX, ABC, and CBS.

Furthermore, the size of your business does not matter, if you’re looking to reach broad audiences PR Distribution™ is your best bet even if you don’t have a big beefy budget.

Apart from that, PR Distribution™ offers industry targeting for 5 different categories, even in their basic plan.

PR Distribution™ Benefits:

  • Affordable plans
  • Broad reach
  • Great targeting
  • Unlimited word count even for their basic plan
  • Multimedia embedding (video, audio…)
  • Flexibility due to their large checklist of options

Remember: PR Distribution™ is the ideal press release distribution provider for any business or organization.

2 – Press Release Jet

Press Release Jet is an amazing press release distribution service if you’re on a tight budget and if you’re looking for high ROI (return on investment).

This press release distribution company offers an incredibly large amount of services that match any business size. With Press Release Jet, you get access to top-tier media outlets such as ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, and Fox; this is included in both their $129 plan (Premium Pro) and their $299 plan (Premium Concierge).

You might ask: what If I don’t have that much money to spend on a press release distribution service? No worries, Press Release Jet got you covered! With their $69 plan, you get access to a broad array of other media outlets, networks, and search engines including Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Press Release Jet Benefits:

  • Affordable and flexible plans starting from $69 only
  • They offer a multitude of options in each plan
  • SEO optimization
  • Multimedia embedding
  • Industry targeting
  • Social sharing

Remember: Press Release Jet is a flabbergasting press release distribution service when it comes to ROI, so definitely consider it!

3 – Business Wire

Next on this list, the old but updated Business Wire; it is a Berkshire Hathaway company, founded in 1961 in the US. It can distribute your press release in a giant list consisting of 100K media outlets and websites.

Business Wire is a trustworthy press release distribution service, their plans are expensive, and they charge you for extra services. However, it is considered to be a trusted news source.

They distribute the press release through their unique NX network, and they also can distribute it in more than 20 languages!

Business Wire Benefits:

  • Distribution through industry’s only patented network
  • Free social media share links
  • They provide email distribution
  • They provide a press release builder

Remember: Despite their extravagant prices, Business Wire is a trusted press release distribution provider with 219 industry categories that suit any business.

4 – PR Newswire

 

PR Newswire a great way to target specific audiences, let’s say you are a real estate agent, and you are targeting new home buyers between 18 and 25 in a specific area, PR Newswire can get you directly in front of them!

Its enormous database gives it the ability to target media outlets, or journalists, by topic and industry type.

However, PR Newswire is an expensive press release distribution service. Their plans start from $350, so if you’re on a tight budget consider other affordable press release distribution services.

They also have a membership fee, and they charge you for each attachment like photos, videos, etc.

PR Newswire Benefits:

  • Reach your ideal target audience
  • They publish on famous media outlets such as The New York Times and Buzzfeed
  • They offer highly detailed reports

Remember: PR Newswire’s database is massive; this is why they’re great at finding the ideal target market you’re seeking; however, their services are expensive.

5 – Easy Newswire

Easy Newswire targets Twitter feeds allowing you to get massive following reach, this is great if your aim is social media success. Their experts guide and help you to fulfill your needs.

Furthermore, they offer a verity of services including geo-targeting, which allows you to reach specific industries, distribution to 4500+ outlets, and SEO services.

Easy Newswire Benefits

  • Fair prices
  • Great customer support
  • Geo-targeting

SEO services

Remember: Easy Newswire is a great press release distribution service for social media

6 – PR Underground

PR Underground also fits small businesses seeking a large audience and exposure. It distributes press releases to nearly 80 media outlets, including FOX and CBS.

The pricing is decent starting at $49, the downside of this basic plan is that you get only one post in DigitalJournal.com. For more posts and potential reach, they offer a $129 plan.

PR Underground Benefits:

  • Reasonable plans
  • They offer SEO optimization
  • The $129 plan covers 375 media outlets

Remember: PR Underground is a good choice for startups; however, consider paying $129 to unleash their maximum potential

7 – eReleases

Next is eReleases, another good option if you’re tight on budget, they offer a wide exposure with considerable prices. Their plans start at $299 and for an extra fee, you can get press release writing, next-day distribution, and proofreading.

They offer exposure on a minimum of 60 media outlets, attached images, next-day distribution, and their database consists of 5000+ sites.

eReleases Benefits:

  • Decent prices
  • They provide useful reports
  • Great customers service

Remember: eReleases makes it easier for you to reach your potential audience.

8 – 24-7 Press Release

24-7 Press release offers many press release distribution services for an acceptable price.

Their prices start from 69$ this gets your press release distributed to nearly 50 media outlets, it’s a bit limited; however, Their premium package distributes your news to PR Newswire’s 4500+ websites, this guarantees a great deal of exposure for you.

They also can distribute your PR in different countries in Asia, Latin America, the USA, and Canada with ease.

24-7 Press Release Benefits:

  • Affordable plans
  • Vast exposure possibilities
  • They offer translation services
  • They offer SEO optimization

Remember: 24-7 Press Release is a decent choice for small business also.

9 – GlobeNewswire

GlobeNewswire (formerly known as PrimeNewswire) is a free way to distribute your press release to a broad audience; this is an advantageous opportunity if you’re a small business or if you’re just getting started.

GlobeNewswire allows small individuals or investors to track a multitude of companies throughout a verity of media outlets and social networks. Also, it is specialized in the delivery of corporate press releases and financial disclosures.

GlobeNewswire Benefits:

  • Free to use
  • Amazing customers service

Remember: GlobeNewswire comes free; however, it has many limitations.

10 – PR Web

PR Web’s small business distribution plans range from $99 to $389.

Both basic and standard plans provide a fixed placement in PR Web and PR Newswire’s industry-focused public relations. Besides that, they provide search engine optimization SEO, unlimited word count, and multimedia attaching.

PR Web Benefits:

  • SEO tagging
  • Unlimited word count
  • Good pricing
  • Multimedia embedding

Remember: PR Web is a great choice for both small-to-medium and large businesses, due to the flexibility of their plans.

Conclusion

Press release distribution impacts are tremendous; it is one of the most efficient ways to market your business and yourself.

Throughout this comparison of the best 10 press release distribution services, PR Distribution™ is the most reliable choice. Their prices and services are well balanced, supported with many free features, and an exceptional customer service that is willing to help you at any time.

Check PR Distribution’s official website now, and get the most out of your business!

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

OnePlus Nord review: Cutting the right corners

Matt Adams
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OnePlus built a reputation on its stellar, wallet-friendly phones. From the introduction of the OnePlus One all those years ago, the company has been on a steady march. Every year its phones get a little better… and a little more expensive. We’ve yet to see the company pause its pricing increases and its devices now routinely cost in the same neighborhood as flagships from Apple, Samsung, and Google.

Luckily, the OnePlus Nord is here to save us from those nasty $1,000 prices with a smart design, great battery life, and the best software on any Android device. And the best part? The Nord is only $499, a solid $250 lower than its newest flagship, the 8T, which costs $749.

Design

I’ve always been a bit struck by OnePlus’ designs and this time is no different. The OnePlus Nord is one of the better-looking phones available today with an excellent colorway and smooth glass back that looks absolutely fantastic when the sun hits it right.

The rear of the device is home to a large camera sensor in the top left corner, something that’s becoming an all too familiar trend in 2020.

The bottom of the device houses the disappointingly Mono speaker, USB C port, and SIM card tray. OnePlus decided not to follow Google’s lead and continues to eschew the 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, as OnePlus is pushing its OnePlus Buds Z, fully wireless earbuds priced at just $50.

The display is nothing short of brilliant. Max brightness is fantastic and makes it easy to see on those sunny days and colors pop to make your images come alive.

I’m very happy to report that this 6.4-inch display is flat, with no curvature at all. In my old age, I’ve really become a hater of curved displays due to how much harder they make devices to use with almost no benefit other than “it looks cool”.

If I did have one complaint about the display, it’s the front-facing camera. It’s actually two cameras, one wide and one ultra-wide angle lens, in the top left corner of the device. I’m not a fan of hole punch cameras but if they’re inoffensive like on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, I can get over it.

The OnePlus Nord, on the other hand, has a pretty ugly cutout and it takes up so much space that you can only get four notification icons at a time in the notification tray. This led to me opening up the notification tray a lot more than I normally would just to see what was up there. It doesn’t look good and it’s annoying. Bring back the pop-up camera, OnePlus!

Camera

Speaking of cameras, this is easily where the OnePlus Nord is the weakest. There are a total of six cameras – four on the rear and two on the front. The front cameras consist of a 32MP f/2.5 wide-angle lens and an 8 MP f/2.5 ultra-wide-angle lens.

I love the addition of the ultra-wide-angle lens here and I think it makes for some great shots with your friends or family. Selfies with the main lens were fine for social media or sending off to friends.

The problem with the camera setup really is with the rear lenses. We have a quad camera configuration with a 48-MP sensor (the same as on the OnePlus 8), an 8-MP ultra-wide, 5-MP depth sensor, and 2-MP macro.

Let’s get the last two out of the way first. The macro lens is garbage and you should avoid using it. This is the definition of a stat-sheet stuffer and is here for no other reason than for OnePlus to say “we have a quad camera phone”. The depth sensor seems to be equally useless as covering up the lens has no noticeable effect on pictures.

The wide-angle lens is a lot of fun to use. Sure, pictures come out soft but you get that with pretty much any wide-angle lens these days. Take pictures of cool buildings and throw them up on Instagram like everyone and you’ll be just fine. If you’re looking to use this for serious photography work and you’ll probably end up rather disappointed.

And speaking of being disappointed, use the main 48-MP sensor in anything but perfect lighting and you’re going to have a bad time. During the day, the camera takes nice pictures with good color reproduction and a solid focus. But, in anything less than that, pictures become very muddled with soft edges everywhere, detail lost in shadows, and a ton of noise.

There were always going to be corners cut to get the device this cheap and this was it. There are other options on the market that will get you better pictures for a similar price and if that’s important to you, look elsewhere. But, if you’re like me who uses their camera a couple of times a month to snap a picture of the kid to send to the grandparents, it will perform admirably.

Software

Out of the box, the OnePlus Nord runs Android 10 with Oxygen OS on top. Oxygen OS remains one of the closest to stock Android skins out there and, in my opinion, it’s the best version of Android available right now.

There are no heavy brushes taken to the OS here. Everything looks pretty much the way you’d expect and settings and apps are laid out in logical order. I love the small additions like the Shelf and theme customization engine built directly into the OS. There’s just enough here to satisfy

Possibly the best thing about Oxygen OS is what it doesn’t come with: bloatware. We recently reviewed the LG Velvet via AT&T and I made a joke about it having 37 million pieces of bloatware on there.

There were a handful of apps on the Nord that I didn’t install but they were all able to be deleted in a few seconds. This is exactly how it should be and OnePlus should be applauded for being consumer-friendly here.

I’m sure the company is passing up a lot of money by not signing agreements that would see them pre-install apps that you could only disable, but not delete.

OnePlus has a fantastic track record of updating its devices quickly and for long periods of time. We don’t know yet how they’ll support the Nord as it’s a mid-range phone, but I’d imagine that it’ll get close to the same treatment as OnePlus flagship phones. I’d expect to see years of updates, both major Android upgrades and monthly security updates.

Performance and battery

For the first time in its history, OnePlus isn’t using the most powerful processor available for one of its devices. Instead of the Snapdragon 865 or 865+, the Nord features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, a mid-range chip that supports 5G and without the massive price tag of a flagship device.

I was a bit worried about performance going into this review. OnePlus has always been the “flagship killer” in my mind despite the company dropping the branding years ago. How could this phone be a flagship killer without a flagship processor?

Well, the mad men, they did it. The Snapdragon 765G does a great job powering the Nord and you’d never really know you were using a midrange chip if you weren’t looking for it. Sure, there are some dropped frames or an app may take a little bit longer to open but I’m really happy with how it’s performing, especially when you take into account its price tag.

Helping matters is 6, 8 12 GB of RAM, paired with 64, 128, or 256 GB of storage. The Nord utilizes UFS 2.1, an extremely fast storage standard, that helps the divide store and recall information than other devices. While some were disappointed that the Nord didn’t come with the newer UFS 3.0 standard, I don’t think you’d see much of a difference if it had and little things like that matter to the bottom line.

Battery was even better. Most days saw anywhere between 5.5 to seven hours of screen on time with some days reach more towards nine hours of screen on time. This is fantastic battery life by any metric and will stand up to almost every Android device on the market today.

If you do get low on power, the Nord supports Warp 30, one of the newest and fastest charging standards from OnePlus. The company states that the Nord can charge up to 70% of its battery in half an hour. We saw speeds very close to that, with the phone fully charging from dead in about 50 minutes.

Battery life is so good and charging is so fast that you can easily go to bed with the device next to you, wake up and charge while you’re getting ready for work and be just fine all day. In fact, I did exactly that for a week and had to top off only once, a day where I had to use my phone an inordinate amount during my day job.

The only thing that could’ve made this even better was the addition of wireless charging. I do understand that they have to watch the bottom line, but wireless charging coils are cheap. When consumers are deciding how to spend their hard earned money, one or two premium features like wireless charging can be the difference between them picking up your phone and picking up another.

Conclusion

The OnePlus Nord is almost a great phone. And there’s no qualifier here about the price, it’s just damn near a great phone. You can nitpick things like the plastic frame of the phone, lack of expandable storage, or the hole-punch camera, but the only true downside in my opinion is the camera array. OnePlus seriously needs to step up its game if it wants to play with the big boys like Google, Apple, and Samsung.

I would love to see a few premium features added to further versions of the Nord to really crush the competition in the mid-range market. Every time I put my SIM card in the Nord, I miss wireless charging. Yeah, I know it has excellent battery life and super fast WARP 30 charging, but wireless charging is just one of those things I can’t get away from.

Other devices like the LG Velvet both feature wireless charging and are pretty close to the same price. Plus, the Velvet lets you attach a secondary display, add a micro SD card, or experience a far superior camera layout and app. I believe that adding one or two features really sits the Nord above all the other devices, but could come at the cost of some sales of OnePlus’ more premium devices.

And that’s really the rub. OnePlus doesn’t want to eat into the sales of the 8, 8 Pro, or 8T so the Nord is missing a few features we’d really appreciate here. In a vacuum, we can say we want these features, but we’ll probably never see them because OnePlus sells devices in the real world, not a vacuum.

Can we recommend that OnePlus Nord? Absolutely. It’s a wallet-friendly 5G device that looks great and is damn fast in nearly every aspect.

Just $60, Blurams outdoor security camera packs siren, alarm, facial recognition and more

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Believe it or not, it’s holiday shopping season time. As such, you’ll likely have plenty of packages being delivered over the next few weeks. Do you need to ensure that those boxes are being delivered? Worried about someone walking away with a gift? Consider an outdoor camera, such as the blurams Outdoor Pro Security Camera.

Priced just $60 right now, the camera is easy to install and even easier to manage. Feel free to leave your home without worrying about what happens in your absence. Designed with IP65 water and weather resistance, it works just as well indoors, too.

  • Smart integration. Use voice command to view the security camera live stream
  • Face recognition. Differentiate humans, pets, & other moving objects
  • Siren & flashing alarm. Communicate with your guests when they’re at your door
  • IP65 weather-resistant. Keep recording in the ever-changing outdoor environment

This security camera is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and even IFTTT for custom rules and actions. It comes with a power adapter and own mounting setup so you don’t have to worry about any extra accessories.

Typically, this security system goes for $89, but for a limited time, you can purchase it for 33% off at just $59.99.

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