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Verizon streamlines data plans for connected devices

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Verizon has offered up new Unlimited data plans for connected devices such as smartwatches, laptops, tablets, and mobile hotspots.

With the introduction of a new $30 monthly plan, Verizon now offers three different Unlimited options for its subscribers. Select plans will include access to 5G Ultra Wideband.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how things look as of today.

$10 Unlimited

Smartwatches: Unlimited 4G LTE with 15GB premium data and unlimited talk/text.

$20 Unlimited

Tablets: Unlimited 4G LTE plus 15GB premium data, unlimited mobile hotspot with 15GB 4G LTE

Jetpacks, MiFis, Hotspots: Unlimited mobile hotspot with 15GB 4G LTE

$30 Unlimited Plus

Tablets: Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband, unlimited 4G LTE with 30GB premium data, and 30GB of 4G LTE

Jetpacks, MiFis, Hotspots: Unlimited 5G Ultra Wideband, unlimited mobile hotspot with 30GB 4G LTE

The aforementioned prices are per month with an existing phone on an Unlimited plan. Customers who sign up for a Do More or Get More plan get a 50% discount on the three connected device plans.

The rate plans are in effect as of September 17.

Four ways to choose the best web design agency for you

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You probably know someone who is a web designer. If you do a simple search for web design London, you’re likely to get hit by numerous results for many design firms, online specialists, and even app developers. The most confusing thing is that all these agencies will tout their services as the best, but you must put your hard-earned resources at work with the best agency.

If you don’t get it right the first time, you will not only pay top dollar for poor services, but you may also end up with a website that will not meet your needs or that of your business. If you want to save yourself all this hassle, all you need to do is follow the simple tips we provide below to get you the best web design agency that’ll fulfill your requirements and meet your needs.

Experience and Expertise

Before you contract an agency to design your agency, you must ask for proof of their relevant experience. Even if you can only contact them online, ask them to point you in the direction of recent similar work. Once they do, you will be able to go through their work and check whether they will be suitable for you and deliver high-quality work. The only exception to the rule when it comes to a potential agency offering work samples is if your project is unique.

Your Budget

Before you speak to a potential agency, you should have an idea of what a comfortable budget looks like to you. Just because you want excellent services doesn’t mean that you should pay the highest quote. To make the most of your budget and have a clear picture of what you should pay for web design services, consider how long your project will take.

Once you have an idea of the number of hours, consider how long your project will take. Once you know the number of hours your project may take, you can multiply this by regular industry hourly rates. This will give you a general idea of how much you should spend on your project.

Technology

Different web design services are specialists in specific technologies. For instance, some are experts at frameworks or programming languages and have loads of experience working on them. When choosing such agencies, you want to ensure that the technology they offer you is scalable and portable.

This will ensure that if there are any future changes, then you can do them quickly. When it comes to scalability, the technology you choose must grow with your site as you get more traffic and introduce new customers.

Reviews From Past Customers

Before choosing a web design agency, you must consider what previous clients had to say about them. If the agency has nothing to hide about their work, they will have no problem introducing you to their past clients. It is also essential that you use their website and search for any comments or reviews that their clients have made. You have to make sure that you put your project into the hands of people that you can trust. Whatever your agency promises you, they should be able to deliver.


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

Where can I buy an unlocked phone?

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We talk quite a bit about unlocked phones here, including their benefits and where you can use them. One of the questions we’re often asked, though, is where to buy them.

Are unlocked phones part of some secret society and hard to find? Quite the opposite, really. In fact, there are are plenty of great spots to buy unlocked phones, some of which are places you already shop.

What follows are a number of outlets to explore when it comes to buying an unlocked phone.

Amazon

Try to act surprised when we tell you the world’s largest online retailer offers unlocked phones. With a full section dedicated to them, visitors can pare down results by criteria such as wireless carrier, brand, and budget.

Reference guide to US carrier bands and networks

Most phones will show the compatibility with carriers and buyers are protected with hassle-free returns. While you’re there, grab an accessory or two.

Best Buy

Best Buy gives consumers a handful of options for finding unlocked phones, including a section of models which are considered universally unlocked. In other words, these would work with any carrier. You can also shop by brand, carrier compatibility, price, and condition. Indeed, there are pre-owned and refurbished devices to choose from, too.

B&H Photo Video

Although most might think of this one as a destination for audio and video equipment, B&H Photo Video is also a decent place to purchase an unlocked device. Moreover, it’s often one of the only places to pick up some models here in the US. If you’re looking for Sony, for instance, start here.

Here’s what you should know about unlocked phones

Swappa

Because not everyone needs a brand new phone, Swappa is our favorite place for scooping up a used model. Trusted, secure, and user friendly, you’ll have no problem buying (or selling) an unlocked phone. Trim your options by carrier, price, condition, and other criteria.

Newegg

A trusted name in the online electronics game for nearly two decades, Newegg is home to computer products, general tech, and smartphones. In addition to popular unlocked models, you’ll also find rare devices, open box, refurbished, and clearance deals, too. As always, be sure to check the fine print for network compatibility and warranty.

eBay

You can’t talk about online shopping without adding eBay to the conversation. Not only will you have tons of options for used unlocked phones, there are plenty of sellers who have new devices as well. What’s more, you’ve got an abundance of riches when it comes to affordable accessories.

Other Retailers

Phone Makers

Why bother messing around with a wireless provider when you can go straight to the phone manufacturer instead? Many of the top handset makers sell devices direct to consumer. Here are a handful of options to get started.

Editor Note: AndroidGuys may earn a small commission for purchases made using select outbound links. Read More

This $16 developer bootcamp kickstarts your coding career

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Heads up, aspiring mobile app developers! We’ve got a great offer for you in the AG Deals Store. Called the Complete Developer Bootcamp, it’s the perfect way to get your footing in the world of coding.

For just $16 right now you can have access to four hours of content around the best practices in software development, including code quality gates, standards, unit testing, test automation, branching strategy, business analysis, estimations, Agile, and more.

With some 35 lectures to choose from, it’s the education and tools you need to start transforming you into a job-ready, high-quality software developer.

Developer Bootcamp Includes

  • Access 35 lectures & 4 hours of content 24/7
  • Know what a software bug is & what damage it can bring
  • Understand code quality & code quality gates
  • Learrn what coding standards is & why you need it
  • Find out what is the difference between code-style & code-convention
  • Know testing approaches & techniques you can use during software development
  • Use software releases to improve product quality
  • Understand continuous integration, delivery, & deployment
  • Learn the benefits of Agile methodology

This training course is yours for life so feel to take your time and soak it in. Worth about $200, this coursework is yours for only $15.99, or about 90% off. That’s just $4 per hour for the next-gen education!

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.

Five tips to choose the best VPN based on your needs

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Whether you work from home or on the move, Virtual Private Networks or VPN, have become a popular tool to protect your browsing history. Having said that, while all the important things you do online remain a secret between you and the other point on the internet, your protection from the VPN server to your destination server remains a cybersecurity hotspot that can cost you dear in the long run. This is the reason that the VPN service you choose should be after careful consideration.

Getting hold of the right VPN (like best value VPN is one of the leading providers in the market today) can be extremely difficult, after all it is a matter of trust between you and the service provider as one can do little to control who can set up a VPN for rent and who cannot. While in theory VPN’s are supposed to keep your interests safe, in practice some of them can be scams designed to steal your data for selling to someone else. That said, there are reliable VPN services, best for your needs, which can be selected by following these five useful tips.

Check the trial period

One of the most important things to check initially while opting for a new VPN service is the length of the free trial period. During this time you can avail of the service without having to pay for it and ask for a refund if not satisfied. In order words, do not invest in a VPN without testing if it conforms to your requirements, which means, the trial period should be long enough to fully try out the VPN you are intending to purchase.

AG DEALS: Shop our offers on VPN services

Numbers can confuse

VPN service providers display a list of numbers which are meant to inform the buyer about the services they are offering to different locations in various countries. This information, though useful to gauge the scope of the VPN company, may not necessarily offer what you actually want. The bottom line is, that irrespective of the big numbers, you should check whether the country you want to VPN is on the list. Say you want to connect to a server in Shanghai, the VPN may be useless for you even if it has thousands of locations but don’t include China.

Bigger is better

Depending on how you access the internet, it is important to know the number of simultaneous devices you can be contacted to at the same time. While traveling, two or three may be more than sufficient, but at home you may want more connections in your router.

Add on features

Almost every VPN service has software installed for Macs, Windows PC, phones, iOS devices and even Linux users. If at home you may prefer to control all your traffic a VPN service with your router, once you move away from this platform, support can become inconsistent. You will need to check, therefore, all the individual offerings which inform you about the add-on features like special software, editing etc. which may meet your needs.

Kill switch

This term basically refers to the stopping of sending data from the app of a VPN client as soon as the connection of the provider is over. The object is, that unless encrypted, nothing should be transferred to the destination server. While some VPN vendors have kill switches that are effective, look for a provider who says it runs at higher levels in the app network connection. A simple yardstick: do not sign up with a VPN service that does not offer a kill switch, even though it may not be universally effective if you happen to lose your connection.


Editor Note: This is a promoted post and should not be considered an editorial endorsement.

Samsung schedules another Unpacked event for September 23

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Samsung has had a pretty busy go of things as of late, but that doesn’t mean it’s done introducing phones for the year. An invitation for a “Samsung Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan” has gone out, revealing the hardware maker still has something up its sleeve.

Scheduled for September 23, the event figures to mark the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. First spied on Verizon’s website by Android Police, it looks to be a less expensive approach to the Galaxy S20 experience.

This would not mark the first time Samsung has taken this approach to its flagship series of phones. In the past, however, they were known as “Lite” versions.

The hardware details, which have not been confirmed, are rumored to include the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor but with potentially less memory.

The screen size may actually come in larger than in the standard model, and retain the same 120Hz refresh rate.

According to video renders found on the Verizon website, the back of the phone will retain three cameras. Reportedly, it will feature an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3X zoom instead of the 48-megapixel crop/zoom sensor of the original.

With about one week to go before the official announcement we might not be surprised if more details surface. Given the phone is already in Verizon’s system and seemingly ready to sell, availability shouldn’t be very far off.

Samsung’s invitation shows a mint green and dark blue phone so we suspect those are two of the color options for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. Others are anticipated to include red and pink; choices may vary by carrier.

Google partners with Lenovo for Meet hardware kits

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Google on Tuesday announced new Google Meet videoconferencing hardware as part of a partnership with Lenovo. The new Series One hardware comes in the form of a bundle which are slated for pre-order soon.

The entire kit is powered by a Compute System which has a version of Chrome OS designed for Meet. The platform uses AI to provide a smarter and more user-friendly way of conducting meetings. Features include joining meetings using voice, enhanced noise reduction, and participant framing.

The Series One hardware is comprised of a 12-megapixel Smart Camera; an alternate 20.3-megapixel Smart Camera XL is offered for larger conference rooms.

A Smart Audio Bar houses a 2.5-inch woofer, one-inch tweeter, and eight beam-forming microphones that Google says can process “up to 44 channels simultaneously.” It advises that it can filter out distracting sounds such as typing and snacking.

This isn’t Google’s first approach to workplace tech, nor is it the first attempt at hardware for Google Meet. Asus introduced gear for Google Meet back in May.

Depending on what version of the Series One hardware you purchase, you’ll may also be able to control meetings via a rechargeable remote control or a 10.1-inch display. Both of support Google Assistant for hands-free meeting controls.

Companies interested in adding one of the Series One kits to their conference rooms will soon be pre-order one. Exact timing isn’t known yet, but pricing starts at $2,699 for the Small Room Kit.

For the money, you’ll get a Smart Camera, Smart Audio Bar, Compute System, and remote control ($2,699). Alternatively, a $2,999 Medium Room Kit and $3,999 Large Room Kit will be sold. Color options include “charcoal” (black) and “chalk” (white).

Mobvoi’s new budget TicWatch GTX smartwatch is now available

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For those that may not know, Mobvoi has become somewhat of a darkhorse for Google devices over the last few years. With multiple iterations of Android Wear, Google smart speakers, and earbuds, the “Tic” line of devices are affordable options for those living the connected life. Today the company’s latest a budget smartwatch targetting the workout warriors with the TicWatch GTX is ready for purchase.

The Ins and Outs

While the $60 price tag will get most people’s attention, the software might be the biggest story for the TicWatch GTX. This marks the first time the Mobvoi team has strayed away from Android Wear. The GTX runs a custom Realtime OS that the company claims leads to the optimization it accomplished.

That mainly shows itself in up to 10 hours of battery life. Android Wear has struggled to find that kind of endurance, but the TicWatch GTX presents that it can far exceed the single day that Wear OS lasts on most watches.

Outside of battery, the TicWatch GTX offers normal sports tracking you’d find on most smartwatches. There are 14 workout modes to follow you while running, cycling, swimming, or even yoga. General steps are getting calculated as well of course.

Sleep tracking is also onboard. This should give users the ability to better track trends about a good night’s sleep versus a sleepless evening.

Other smart options are the basic interactions with the paired phone. The TicWatch GTX offers notifications for incoming calls and messages. You can also control media playback, check the weather, and find your phone.

Internally, the GTX is fairly straight forward. You will get 160KB of RAM, heart rate monitor, accelerometer, IPX68 water resistance, and Bluetooth 5.0 for pairing. No GPS, WiFi, or microphone.

Pricing

The full retail price of the TicWatch GTX is $60, but if you act fast, you can snag this watch from Amazon or the company’s website for just $54. The GTX should offer a nice alternative in the Mobvoi lineup to the likes of entry-level Fitbit and Garmin devices and at this price point, it even undercuts many of its competitors while offering better battery life.

Google Pixel 5 expected to launch September 30

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Google is expected to introduce its Pixel 5 smartphone, Pixel 4a with 5G, and a handful of other products on September 30, according to an invitation being sent out.

The “Launch Night In” event takes place at 2PM EST/11AM EST and promises details on a new Chromecast, a new smart speaker, and new Pixel phones.

Google has previously indicated that the Pixel 5 and a 5G-ready version of the Pixel 4a were coming this fall. According to Google, the 5G variant of the Pixel 4a will start at $499. The Pixel 5’s price remains a mystery.

Google’s new smart speaker is likely the one that leaked in July, which appears to be somewhat of a cross between the Nest Mini and the Google Home Max from a few years back.

As for the new Chromecast device, it may be one of two that were recently spied at the FCC. Google has been working on tweaking its Android TV and Chromecast experience; a TV dongle with codename “Sabrina” is the likely candidate and figures to blend the two.

Given there are a couple of weeks separating now and the September 30 launch chances are good that a few leaks could spoil the surprises.

Verizon to acquire Tracfone for nearly $7 billion in 2021

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Verizon has entered into an agreement with America Movil to buy Tracfone, the leading prepaid mobile provider in the US and largest reseller of wireless services.

Verizon and America Movil have a longstanding relationship with about 13 million of its 21 million subscribers using the Verizon network. To be clear, Tracfone is actually comprised of a family of brands, including StraightTalk, Net10, Simple Mobile, Total Wireless, Walmart Family Mobile, and others.

The deal, which is expected to close in 2021, is worth upwards of $7 billion; it includes $3.125 billion in cash, $3.125 billion in Verizon stock, and up to $650 million in future cash consideration.

Following the closing of the deal, Verizon plans to bring its 4G LTE and 5G networks and technology to Tracfone.

Verizon expects to keep all 850 Tracfone employees as it folds them under the larger umbrella.

There are more than 90,000 retail locations serving the Tracfone family of brands, including Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Family General, and CVS.