When it comes to watching videos, a bright white background can be distracting and isn’t often ideal. That goes for TV, monitors, and mobile devices. When YouTube finally rolled out its dark theme, it gave us all a reason to rejoice.
Unfortunately, the dark theme isn’t enabled by default, but it’s not that hard to turn on. Just follow these steps below, and you can enjoy all your favorite YouTube videos with a pleasing dark background.
Click on your profile icon in the top right corner to access the flyout menu.
Select Dark theme.
Toggle the dark theme on or off.
How to enable dark theme on a mobile device.
Open the YouTube app.
Tap on your profile photo in the top right corner.
Choose Settings.
Tap on General.
Toggle Dark theme on.
Now, that you’ve enabled the dark theme you can say goodbye to that blinding white flash every time you open up YouTube and get back to enjoying your videos.
For all of the convenience and automation that comes with a connected home, it’s hard to rival the experience of having a smart door lock. Not only are they as secure as any traditional deadbolt but they have way more flexibility.
The next generation of locks doesn’t rely solely on traditional keys. Moreover, it’s not just personal PIN codes, Bluetooth, or fingerprint sensors. No, the best stuff available uses all of that tech, and even works via voice.
Lockly Secure Pro
The Lockly Secure Pro is one such smart lock. Available in Satin Nickel and Venetian Bronze finishes, it’s the sort of deadbolt you’ll come to use daily and in a mindless manner. And that’s just awesome.
We don’t like to fumble for a key to unlock, or start our cars. That old school stuff has been replaced by fobs. Now we just walk up to the car, grab the door handle and get in. Starting is just a press of a button. We do it daily and we don’t think about it. Lockly’s door solution is the same thing.
To be completely fair up front, Lockly is hardly the first company to offer a smart lock and many of its features are not exclusive. We don’t want to suggest there aren’t other models on the market which do a similar job. Then again, there are things, such as Offline Access Codes, which are unique to the Lockly experience.
Installation and Setup
Installation, for the most part, requires just a Phillips screwdriver and maybe 20 minutes of your time. The box comes with quite a few documents, including manuals for installation and usage.
There’s also a paper tool with measurements printed which can be used if you have a little more involved process ahead of you. Say, for example, that you need to drill holes and aligning things on a new door.
Once physically in place, the process of creating codes, adding fingerprints, or integrating with your Google Home takes but a few minutes each. We took our time with things, playing around with different options as we went, and still spent less than one hour on the entire setup.
PIN Codes and Access
The Lockly Secure Pro lets homeowners set up to eight personal codes of 6-8 digits each. These trusted users can unlock the door anytime they want, as often as they want.
Unlike most door locks with keypads, this one’s screen has four circles with three different numbers in them. Randomly generated each time, you’ll never tap the screen in the same order.
Worried about someone peeking over your shoulder or spying on your keypad? This approach makes it nearly impossible to figure things out. A “Random” mode can be enabled, making it even more difficult. Under this method, the four buttons refresh with new numbers each time. All you need to do is remember the 6-8 digit code and enter it.
A second type of user, a guest, can be created which works within a predetermined time frame. In other words, the code expires. This is a great for vacations or temporary situations where you might have a house-sitter or friend to take care of your pets.
The third type of user is a one-time access code. There are all sorts of reasons as to why you might let someone into your house on an individual basis, such as a friend dropping off a gift.
The offline access code feature lets users generate and grant access code access which can be used even when there is no internet access.
Previously, we had a Schlage door lock which utilized PIN codes but we had been using 4-digit numbers. The concept of moving to 6-8 digits seemed a little intimidating but we understood the security behind the extra numbers.
Our anxiety and quibbles were assuaged by the Lockly Secure Pro’s ability to use fingerprints. Simply place your finger on the right side of the lock and you’ll gain entry. It’s as quick as anything you’ll find on a phone, too. This has already become our preferred way of unlocking the door.
Of course, you can also use the Lockly app on your phone to lock and unlock the deadbolt. Oh, and it does come with two traditional keys, too.
Other Details
By default, the deadbolt is designed to automatically lock after a predetermined time. In other words, you can unlock the door, open, and then shut it without having to turn around and lock it. While this is awesome, we tend to like our main door open for breeze or for our dogs to look out.
Having it automatically spit the deadbolt back out sometimes causes more trouble than it’s worth. Disabling this feature is as easy as tapping your phone screen. Likewise, you can also extend the time frame it allows before locking again.
The app keeps a log of all activities, showing each time the deadbolt was locked and unlocked. What’s more, it parses out which codes or fingerprints were used. This is an excellent way of tracking when your child gets home from school.
Connected Home Integration
Another really cool way to use the lock is by voice. Indeed, it’s compatible with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and it’s as easy as saying, “Okay Google, lock the front door.”
In a related note, one thing we hadn’t thought of was the security that comes with unlocking the door via voice. Thankfully, Lockly did. Instead of just making it easy to say “unlock the front door” into your phone or to a connected speaker, you have to enter a PIN code on your phone.
Imagine how poor of a design it would be if someone could walk up to your home and use their voice to gain entry to your front door. By requiring the PIN on a phone it keeps people from talking their way past the security.
You can use your voice to lock and unlock the door, and that’s really cool, but you there’s a way to dial things up even more. There is a sensor you can adhere to the door and jamb to detect whether it’s open. Doing this lets you ask your phone or connected speaker to check on the status. Really neat stuff that doubles as peace of mind.
Conclusion
We appreciate that there’s nothing else to buy if you want to get the full experience. Some locks might require an add-on accessory or component to plug into your router if you want to use voice. The Lockly Secure Pro has everything in the box.
We’ve yet to add the lock to a routine, but we can imagine how nice it will be to say “Goodnight” or automate a bedtime ritual. So, not only will our lights turn off at night, but we can sleep easy knowing the entryway is locked up, too.
For $300 we simply love all of the features that come with the Lockly Secure Pro. There’s no nickle and dime approach to add on extra features; you know exactly what you need to spend. We’ve seen hubs and Wi-Fi accessories that add $50 or more to the bottom line and we’re glad to not have to worry about the cost or compatibility.
We also like that Lockly doesn’t make us choose between Amazon and Google. While we lean pretty heavily in one direction in our home, we do use both.
Installation and configuration is a breeze and we appreciate not having to break out a tool box or fuss with a messy app. To say that any homeowner can put one of these in their home is not an exaggeration.
Availability
Pick up your Lockly Secure Pro for $300 at Lockly’s website or Best Buy in Satin Nickel or Venetian Bronze.
You love to tinker, build, hack, and tweak. We get it. There’s nothing quite as cool as building your own computer or coding and playing with a Raspberry Pi. Electronics hobbyists have never had it better.
We’ve got a great bargain in the AndroidGuys Deals Store aimed right at people like you. It’s the SunFounder Robotic Arm Edge Kit for Arduino, and it’s on sale for just $54.99, or 21-percent off.
About
The Rollarm Kit for Arduino is designed for DIY electronics hobbyists to learn robot arm control. With the open-source MCU Arduino UNO and a servo expansion board, the robot arm is easy to use and full of fun.
You can control its four axes by the 4 potentiometer buttons, as well as make them move on your computer. In addition, it can memorize the movements it has made and repeat again and again, making it a great tool for repeated tasks.
The bundle comes with a whole array of pieces and parts, including clips, servo motors, cables, and buttons. Of course, it also has a SunFounder board, expansion board, and necessary tools, too.
Availability
Ready to grab your SunFounder Robotic Arm Edge Kit? Head to the AndroidGuys Deals Store and you’ll find it at $54.99 for a limited time. Hurry, the 21-percent discount won’t last forever.
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.
Nokia on Tuesday introduced its Nokia 2.2 smartphone, an entry-level Android affair with a premium outward design. It’s the first of the brand’s first 2 series handset to be included in the Android One program.
Powered by Android One 9.0 Pie, the Nokia phone is Android Q ready. And, because it’s included in the Android One initiative, it will see two years of OS upgrades plus three years of monthly security updates.
The Nokia 2.2 has a 5.71-inch display with a small cutout notch display and comes in Tungsten Black and Steel color options. The 13-megapixel rear camera has advanced low-light capabilities that stitch multiple pictures together with AI to create great detail and less noise.
A quad-core MediaTek A22 processor runs the show and is paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Rounding things out, the Nokia 2.2 has a dedicated Google Assistant button which can trigger the feature with a quick press. A long-press lets users go deeper with requests or multiple tasks.
In an interesting twist, the Nokia 2.2 allows for owners to express themselves with exchangeable Nokia Xpress-on covers. Using the same nano-texture coating technology, these covers can be changed in seconds and come in Pink Sand, Ice Blue and Forest Green.
Nokia 2.2 from HMD Global
Amazon and Best Buy sell the Nokia 2.2 unlocked for $139 on their websites; Best Buy stores will also offer the phone starting in early August.
Prime Day from Amazon has become somewhat of an unofficial holiday in the United States recently. The company creates huge traffic to the retail site by offering a 48 hour period for some large discounts on many of its most popular items.
We wanted to put together a shortlist of some of our favorite tech deals left on the final day of Prime Day.
Amazon has both the standard and 4k models of the Fire TV Stick marked down for Prime Day. The company’s other Fire TV devices and TVs are also marked down to some the lowest prices we’ve seen.
Most of the deals also come with $45 credit towards Sling TV’s streaming service for a limited time.
Mesh networks are the latest advancement in consumer WiFi and most of the major players are getting involved in the market. Google, Eero (Amazon-owned), Nokia, and Netgear all now support mesh WiFi in product lines.
Google WiFi — the normal price for 3-pack: $259 — Prime Day price: $229
Eero Mesh WiFi — the normal price for Eero and beacon pack: $400 — Prime Day price: $200
Nokia Beacon — the normal price for 2-pack: $350 — Prime Day price: $280
Netgear Orbi — the normal price for 1-pack: $289 — Prime Day price: $200
Roku Streaming
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Roku has become the king of streaming. The company leads the market in set-top boxes and has even moved into TVs with the software built into the unit. While it is a direct competitor of Fire TV, Roku is also seeing some great discounts for Prime Day.
Roku Stick — the normal price: $50 — Prime Day price: $35
Roku Express — the normal price: $30 — Prime Day price: $25
Roku Ultra — the normal price: $100 — Prime Day price: $70
Your normal tech accessories for your travel bag are big sellers on Prime Day. This year is no different with many popular options seeing prices slashed.
Ring Alarm Systems — the normal price for 8-piece systems: $239 — Prime Day price: $144
Smartphones
Maybe you are looking for a bigger, grander purchase on Prime Day. Many of the top smartphones are on the list of marked down options via Amazon today.
The Un-Carrier and the 4th Meal are teaming up for a crazy deal on July 23. T-Mobile and Taco Bell have announced a joint 3-day event where you can get some spicy prizes and food, at participating pop-up stores aptly dubbed T-MoBell.
This co-branded experience builds on their previously successful free taco every Tuesday for T-Mobile’s Tuesday promotions since the Super Bowl.
The “T-MoBell” stores will be available in select locations in three major cities: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Those outside these cities won’t be left out in the cold, however. Everyone nationwide will have the chance to enter to win free tacos for a year . This is offered in the form of a $500 Taco Bell Gift card or smartphone swag for other winners.
As a guy who purchased a new debit card just for the Taco Bell discount, the mileage on $500 may vary.
These unique storefronts will be busy during the three days between July 23-25. T-MoBell will be offering a limited edition Freeze drink, free tacos, and one of kind branded merchandise to show your flare to your friends out there. There will also be celeb meet-and-greet signings for each location at the openings.
Each T-MoBell experience can be found at T-Mobile’s Signature Stores in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Free tacos, Freezes, and giveaways will happen from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily on July 23-25. Here are some of the ways to peak your fun:
Get that camera app ready. On opening day, you’ll have a chance to snap a pic with surprise special guests at every T-MoBell location, including The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood at the Chicago T-MoBell!
Free tacos and an exclusive, co-branded T-MoBell Freeze – a colorful, disruption-flavored drink that tastes a lot like white cherry.
Seriously legendary T-MoBell merch including taco-themed socks to treat yo’ feet and a co-branded stick-on wallet to spice up your phone.
All the giveaways! Hang out in-store and get your chance at some fun swag. You may even score some sweet sunglasses or a Taco Foam Hat sure to snag the double taps on your ‘gram.
If you can’t make those locations the T-MoBell, then make sure to follow @TMobile on Twitter to have the chance at the $500 gift cards and prizes like PowerBeats Pro Earphones and the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 Speaker. For more information, you can always hit TMoBell.com to see the latest news.
While we’d love to think our technology would work as it’s designed 100 percent of the time, there are instances where things get weird. Maybe your screen has a flicker, or your laptop trackpad stutters. A simple solution to problems like this with Chrome OS devices might be to Powerwash the unit.
What does Powerash do?
This is Google’s version of a factory reset on Chromebooks. It’s essentially re-flashing a fresh install of Chrome OS onto the computer, returning the software to its defaults much like the day you bought it. Powerwash is also a great way to prepare your Chrome OS unit for resale to make sure you don’t leave behind any personal information.
How to make it happen?
The steps for a Powerwash are fairly simple, but we will have to jump through some settings menus.
Open Settings from the control center in the notification shade
Click Advanced at the bottom of the main Settings window
Scroll to the bottom of the next screen and select Powerwash
Select Restart on the popup prompt
Fresh Chrome
Now, you should see your Chrome device reboot and complete the Powerwash process. From there, you have a fresh installation of Chrome OS. This takes your laptop back to its default settings and wipes all of your user data.
You will have to log back into all of your accounts and apps, but the best thing about Chrome OS is that most of your settings will be brought back down from the cloud. All of your wallpapers, icons, and settings will be reapplied once you log into your default Google account.
Taking it back to its bare bones removes all of the extra stuff you’ve picked up along the way. Sometimes a plugin or extension hangs things up and keeps the device from functioning properly. Be careful, as your device may look to add all of those back in immediately.
Powerwash’s recovery is one of my favorite things about Google’s desktop OS. Windows, Mac, and even Linux struggle with pain-free restoration after a fresh installation. Should things go sideways on your device, and you have to wipe it, the process is far more involved.
If you are nuking the hard drive to resell your Chromebook, it completely strips all your precious data for the next user. Easy stuff.
Qualcomm on Monday announced it has introduced a souped-up version of its Snapdragon 855 mobile processor. Dubbed the 855+, it features a more powerful CPU and GPU but relies on the same Kyro 485 CPU and Adreno 640 GPU.
According to Qualcomm, the 855+ is 15% faster at rendering graphics when compared to the current model. What’s more, it houses three times the power of a Snapdragon 845 mobile processor.
Clock speeds in the 855+ can get as high as 2.96GHz; other key features offered in the mobile chip include support for 4K HDR video capture, 5G support with LTE speeds up to 2Gbps, 3D sonic fingerprint technology, and 3D face recognition.
You’ll also get fast, smooth, and power efficient game play with our brilliant on-device Qualcomm AI Engine. Combine these advantages with true HDR gaming and premium audio, and you’ll get fully immersive, elevated experiences unlike any other.
Snapdragon Elite Gaming, a signature detail included here, is a mix of hardware and software designed to give gamers as “exclusive, competitive edge”.
As to when we’ll see phones with the chipset, it’s not exactly clear. Our gut tells us we’ll get them at IFA or in early September. It’s often around this time of year when select phone makers roll out something special for the last quarter.
Asus is the first manufacturer to say it will feature the Snapdragon 855+ in its forthcoming Republic of Gamers (RoG) Phone II . Stopping short of any other details, it only advises that the phone will be the “first” to do so.
There are two main keys when it comes to effective product management. For starters, you need to make sure you have your life skills in order. Things like effective communication, collaboration, time management, and the like.
Equally important is the highly specialized side. Product management structures and philosophies, such as Lean Management, are incredibly valuable tools. So are backgrounds on Google Analytics, HTML5, CSS3, and other principles.
If you want to be the go-to person at your company, you’d be wise to start with The Complete Become A Product Manager Certification Bundle. This massive collection of 13-parts is valued at over $2,000 and is available now well over 90 percent off, just $39 from the AndroidGuys Deals Store.
Even if you’ve never started on the path to project or team management, this collection covers all the basics.
Leading Effective 1-on-1 Meetings ($200 value)
Skillsets to Shift Your Career to Product Management ($45 value)
The Complete MySQL Bootcamp ($199 value)
Advanced Product Management ($200 value)
Advanced Product Management #2 ($200 value)
Project Management Fundamentals ($200 value)
Lean Management ($200 value)
The Non-Technical Person’s Guide To Building Apps ($100 value)
Become a Product Manager ($100 value)
Mastering Collaboration ($200 value)
Applying Design To Wireframes with HTML5 & CSS3 ($10 value)
Google Analytics Certification ($199 value)
The Complete Career in Programming Course: Get a Great Coding Job! ($179 value)
This bundle has a taste of everything, including courses on project management, strategies for improving interpersonal skills, and database training. This limited time offer pulls together all of this training into one kit that’s cheaper than a date night dinner.
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.
Wireless is the latest and greatest way to enjoy audio while on the go. Smartphone and accessory manufacturers have all but anointed Bluetooth as the full-time replacement for the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. iFrogz is joining the party with the Airtime fully wireless earbuds.
iFrogz has offered wired headset for some time and now the company is expanded into mobile wire-free audio. The company was kind enough to let me put the new Airtime earbuds through the paces over the last few weeks, and I came away pretty impressed.
Design
With a name like Airtime, you’d think these earbuds would be Airpod knockoffs, but that’s not the case. iFrogz went with a more traditional bud without the stem design that has become uber-popular recently.
Each earpiece has a nice LED ring around it for battery and pairing indicators. There’s also a silver iFrogz logo on each earbud. Aesthetically, I found the Airtime to be very pleasing.
I did have some slight issues with the fit for my ears, however. While this is completely subjective for each user’s anatomy, the portion of the bud that goes into the ear has a long angle to it that I found difficult to get the correct fitting for me. It’s not a deal-breaker but is worth noting for those that may have issues with this style of earbuds.
The Airtime are also water-resistant with an IPX4 rating. This should make it sweatproof and be able to survive light rains while running.
Sound and Controls
Once I got the iFrogz Airtime fitted and paired, it was time for the real test: sound. I’m happy to report that they exceeded my expectations. The audio from the Airtime is better than most earphones I’ve recently tried.
The Airtime have an 8mm driver in each earpiece and both have dedicated mics for simultaneous or individual phone calls. Bluetooth is on board, of course, with the 5.0 version that allows for quicker pairing and better connections.
The controls are also robust for the Airtime. A quick press play/pauses audio. Double-tap the left earbud and you go back a track while the same on the right takes you forward. A long-press, while music is playing, will allow you to change between three different EQ modes: Signature Sound, Podcasts, and Bass Boost.
The bass is punchy and has good stereo when using both earbuds. Mids and highs are also clear without being drowned out by the bass as well. This is really crucial for me. I’d much rather have a more muted bass for music listening than to have the bass overpower everything. You see this quite a bit in audio accessories, but iFrogz has struck a nice balance on the Airtime.
Call Quality
Calls on the iFrogz Airtime are also above average for me. Both ends of the calls had acceptable sound quality. The earbuds have several controls for calls too. A quick press accepts a call and a double-press while on the call will end the connection. You can reject a caller without answering with a long-press of the buds.
Battery Life
The iFrogz Airtime suggests a long battery life as the company rates the earbuds at three hours of playtime and 15 hours overall with recharges by the battery pack. The pack also has a quick charge function to get you 50% in under 10 minutes.
I found this to be pretty accurate for all of these stats. The quick charge was great when I needed it and the playtime duration is spot on as well. Overall, the battery life on the Airtime is super solid.
Final Impressions
I found the iFrogz Airtime to be a very good entry into the truly wireless space for iFrogz. They have a nice feature set, good sound, and admirable battery life. I wish that they personally fit me better, but as mentioned in that section of the review, that will vary greatly per user.
The Airtime are available for $59.99 direct from iFrogz website. They are offered in four different color options of white, black, blue, and peach.
The Lockly Secure Pro lets homeowners set up to eight personal codes of 6-8 digits each. These trusted users can unlock the door anytime they want, as often as they want.
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