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Samsung Galaxy S10 hasn’t been announced but you can already reserve one

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When Samsung takes the stage at its Unpacked event later this month, don’t even bother to pretend to be surprised. It knows that you know what’s looming on the horizon.

Samsung hasn’t exactly been shy about what could be unveiled at the upcoming February 20 event. The timing is right in line with the last few years, and the promotional image more or less spells it out.

There’s still one week to go before the Galaxy S10 line makes its formal introduction but don’t let that stop you from ordering one. That’s right, Samsung has already set up a mini-site for the phone that shall not be officially named.

Samsung’s website already tells us what it is willing to do in order to entice buyers of its “next Galaxy” Indeed, it promises customers up to $550 off the phone with trade-in of an eligible device. What’s more, the new phone will ship by March 8.

Placing a reservation gives you prioritization during a 72-hour window once the pre-orders kick off. It’s more or less a spot in a virtual line so if you don’t order during that time frame, you lose your spot and could miss out.

Interestingly enough, the website says “Not all Galaxy device versions are eligible for this offer.” There are at least three devices expected to debut at the Unpacked event, possibly four. Indications are that the Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and an S10e will be unveiled with a 5G-compatible model looming somewhere in the distance.

If you’re ready to get a spot in line for the Galaxy S10, head to Samsung’s website and sign up. Those who do so will also receive a $50 instant credit toward accessories. You can also check to see the trade-in value of your current phone.

Google to launch lower cost phone, watch, and security camera, report indicates

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Google will introduce a more affordable smartphone and its first branded smartwatch later this year, according to a Nikkei report. Presumably these are the so-called Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel Watch.

As Google continues to expand its hardware portfolio with the likes of the Pixel line and Google Home devices, customers and observers are left to wonder what else is on the horizon.  We could soon learn the answer.

The new phone will be the spearhead of Google’s drive to expand the hardware using its operating systems. New products planned for this year include smart speakers, wearables and web cameras, sources familiar with the company’s plans told the Nikkei Asian Review. Google also plans to launch a new premium phone in its Pixel range, as usual.

Allegedly, Google is readying its first “non-premium” smartphone with a price tag said to come in under $750. Moreover, it is said to be planning a new “premium phone” in the Pixel line. If previous rumors are correct, this would be the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 4.

Also on tap for later this year are said to be a new smartwatch as well as new smart speakers and web cameras. None of these should be a surprise, especially to those who follow Google closely. The company has been securing talent, tech, and the other items necessary to expand its reach.

Google has long needed a branded watch to operate as a flagship experience for its Wear OS. Will a Google Watch or Pixel Watch have what’s necessary to keep the operating system afloat or, better yet, catapult it to another level? Time will tell.

As to when we might see the Pixel 3 Lite it’s not immediately clear. We can’t imagine it wanting to wait until fall to introduce the phone. For starters, it might make more sense to simply drop the price of the Pixel 3 and keep it available. And, given the recent spate of rumors, benchmarks, and leaks, it feels as if it could happen at any time.

Get to Know: Unreal Mobile

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Most of us can identify the bigger names in the wireless network space as we routinely see advertising from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. These so-called “Big Four” pretty much own the landscape.

But, for each of the aforementioned service providers listed above there are others out there vying for your attention and money. Most of these smaller outfits license and use the towers and infrastructure from tier one players but offer their own rates, customer service, and phone selection.

You might have seen a commercial or print ad for some of them along the way. Some of them include Boost Mobile, Cricket, and Mint Mobile. These Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) can offer customers everything they need at a fraction of the price they’re paying.

Let’s take a look at one of them in particular: Unreal Mobile.

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About

FreedomPop, a brand we’ve profiled, makes its name by offering free and inexpensive phone plans. Its spin-off, Unreal Mobile, hopes to peel away subscribers who might be attracted to, or put off by, the potential merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.

Unreal supports both CDMA and GSM phones, relying on Sprint and AT&T for the networks, respectively.

Rate Plans

Unreal has a plan for $10 per month that includes unlimited calls, texts, and 1GB of high-speed data. A $20 option nets 3GB per month while the $30 plan offers up 5GB of LTE data. These are among some of the cheapest you’ll find around and match up nicely with what Mint Mobile does.

PODCAST: What is an MVNO?

It’s worth noting that users actually receive unlimited data each month and there are no overage fees. Once a user hits the allotted month the speeds are throttled down to 2G speeds for the rest of the bill cycle.

On the other end of data usage, customers who do not go through their bucket can roll up to 500MB over from month to month. All plans are no-contract which means there’s no long-term obligation and subscribers can cancel at any time.

  • Unlimited Everything + 1GB LTE $10/month
  • Unlimited Everything + 2GB LTE $15/month
  • Unlimited Everything + 3GB LTE $20/month
  • Unlimited Everything + 5GB LTE $30/month
  • Unlimited Everything + 10GB LTE $40/month

All Unreal plans also include a VPN, ad blocker, and data saver. The VPN encrypts and secures your internet connection, and protects phone calls, texts, and data from being snooped on by malicious types.

The ad blocker block ads from showing up on web sites and in select mobile apps while the data saver compresses and saves data, in turn saving users money. Additional features can be purchased for a fee. Unreal also provides hotspot-only plans, too.

Handset Selection

Unreal Mobile offers a modest selection of devices but many of them are a generation or two behind. Moreover, they tend to skew to the lower end of hardware. With that said, there are big brand names here such as Samsung, Motorola, LG, and Apple.

Bring Your Own Device

You can often use your current unlocked GSM phone, especially if it was purchased directly from the manufacturer. Additionally, those which are compatible with Sprint or AT&T will work on Unreal.

As a general rule, T-Mobile unlocked phones ought to be compatible with Unreal Mobile’s GSM-based plans. To check compatibility of your existing device, head to the carrier’s website.

Pokemon Go adds Go Snapshot mode with new ways to show off your pokedex

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The folks at Niantic don’t appear to get much sleep. Pokemon Go is set to add yet another feature in the coming weeks. Today finds the game maker announcing “Go snapshot” which will let players share photos of their favorite pokemon in the real world.

Building off of the AR+ feature that was first introduced more than a year back, Go snapshot gives players the ability to hand pick which pokemon they’d like to show off and where.

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Similar to what players can do when catching today, the new option lets you place a pokeball where you want to have the pokemon appear. And, building on the AR feature, you can move around to get different angles and move in for closeups. Any pictures taken in the app are saved to your phone’s camera roll and can be shared over social media.

It’s simple to use. Select a Pokémon and tap on the screen to throw its Poké Ball to that spot. Once your Pokémon is situated in the ideal spot, you can then move around it to find the best angle for your photo. Is your Pokémon distracted or looking the wrong way? Brush across it to get its attention, and it will be sure to face you.

Last year saw Niantic introduce Pokémon Go’s AR+ feature for Android, giving select players an enhanced way of capturing pokemon in an augmented reality. Moreover, it brings about more advanced animations, shadows, and other details to make the pokemon feel more realistic.

It’s not clear if the forthcoming Go snapshot mode will add a hashtag or branding to the photos. On one hand it would help to further spread the word about the game; on the other hand it doesn’t appear that Niantic is having no problem making money. A Wall Street Journal report from December 2018 indicates the developer is valued at around $4 billion.

Niantic says that the snapshot tool will be launching “soon” on both iOS and Android.

A brief history of Android releases (podcast)

AndroidGuys
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How long have you owned an Android phone? Were you there when the T-Mobile G1 kicked off the platform more than one decade ago? We were, and we remember what it was like to own an Android phone.

As much as we loved our handsets at the time, we’ve really come to appreciate new features as they rolled out with each of the Android releases. Some we felt immediately and added to the experience; others laid the groundwork for other features we’re just now regularly using.

Widgets, MS Exchange, Live Wallpapers, NFC, Google Now, Material Design…

From Android 1.5 Cupcake all the way up to today’s latest build, Android 9 Pie, the history of Android releases has been an interesting one. Join us as we dive into the rabbit hole and explore the major features that popped up along the way.

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Click here to directly download the MP3 file and enjoy immediately.

Google Fi SIMs coming to a Best Buy store near you

Jason England
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Jumping to Google Fi formerly Project Fi has just gotten easier, now you can pick up a SIM from over 500 Best Buy stores in the US. Previously, the only way to get your Google Fi SIM was to sign up online and wait for it to be delivered.

That all changed on Monday, Google has now expanded the service to Best Buy retail stores across the US. Google Fi SIMs will be sold separately from devices for $9.99 and include a $10 Fi service credit. The $10 service credit is limited to one per person and up to 6 total activations for group plans. The credit is not immediate and will show up on your bill within a week after activation.

While you can pick up a Google Fi SIM in stores Best Buy employees will be unable to help with activation. In order to activate you will have to do it yourself online following these simple steps. Besides activation, there is another caveat as Best Buy will not carry the data only SIMs. If you want a data only plan instead of one that also includes talk and text you will still have to order your SIM online.

Google Fi service has been around for several years now and takes a unique approach to service and billing. With Google Fi, your service is provided through three different networks including T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular for all phones. While Fi specific phones get the added benefit of access to Fi service Wi-Fi hotspots to help you save money on data.

Google Fi plans start at $20 for unlimited domestic minutes and texts and international texts with cellular coverage across 200+ countries and destinations. Data, on the other hand, will run you $10 per gigabyte until you reach 6GB. Once you reach 6GB Bill Protection kicks in and all data afterward is free.

This ensures you’ll never pay over $60 for data in a single month no matter how much you need. With this approach, Google Fi offers flexibility for your data plan. Providing you with unlimited data on months where you need it and saving you money on months when you do not.

Ultra Mobile expands unlimited calling to 80 plus destinations and closes in on 1 billion international minutes

Jason England
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The nationwide carrier Ultra Mobile has announced that it is expanding its unlimited calling plans to over 80 international locations. With this announcement, Ultra Mobile is expected to go from over 900,000,000 international minutes in the past 12 months to over one billion in 2019.

Ultra Mobile’s recent expansion includes a host of new countries including Algeria, Angola, Bhutan, Brunei, Japan, Namibia, Northern Mariana Islands, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Plus, you’ll still be able to call many popular destinations such as Canada, China, Dominican Republic, India, and Mexico. For a full list of all included countries check here.

Not bad for a carrier whose plans start at $19 per month for unlimited minutes nationwide and to over 80 international locations. The $19 Ultra Classic plan also includes unlimited texts and unlimited data with the first 1GB being 4G LTE and afterward throttled to 128kbps.

For the more data-hungry of users, you can step up to Ultra Mobile’s $49 a month plan which offers 50GB of data at 4G LTE speeds, along with unlimited minutes and texts. Regardless of what plan you choose, Ultra Mobile allows you to top up your 4G LTE data at any time and offers a bonus 1GB of high-speed data when you prepay 3 months at a time.

If you’re looking to call some locations not included in Ultra Mobile’s unlimited plans, then you’ll be interested in their uTalk minutes. Included with their $39 plan Ultra Mobile offers 1250 uTalk minutes. With these minutes you can call chosen locations outside of the 80+ destinations already included in the unlimited plans. The plan includes 39 total locations and is perfect for those who make frequent calls to Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

If you find the country you want to call is not included in the 80+ covered by the unlimited plans or uTalk minutes then Ultra Mobile still has you covered. Thanks to their industry-leading per minute rates and international credit included in all plans except the $39 one, you’ll still be able to call without breaking the bank.

Ultra Mobile even has an ultra-affordable Ultra Flex plan with unlimited minutes nationwide, global text, 250MB of 4G LTE data, and includes 15 international countries. All of this for only $12.50 per month when you purchase 4 lines and pay for four months at a time.

With this latest expansion and Ultra Mobile has shown their eagerness to provide an evolving service. Providing customers with affordable plans for keeping in touch with your friends and loved ones abroad.

Amazon purchases Mesh WiFi Company Eero

Andrew Allen
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Have a Google WiFi system in your house? Or maybe another mesh network by Lenovo, Netgear, or Cisco? Well, most of that can be attributed to the launch of an independent company named Eero back in February of 2016. Eero is making a new splash in the market today but it’s not technology related. It is being bought by Amazon.

Amazon and Eero announced the acquisition in a press release today. Amazon’s SVP of Devices and Services, Dave Limp, says the move was made to further the company’s foothold in the connected home market:

“We are incredibly impressed with the eero team and how quickly they invented a WiFi solution that makes connected devices just work,” said Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices and Services. “We have a shared vision that the smart home experience can get even easier, and we’re committed to continue innovating on behalf of customers.”

The Eero team also seems to be excited about what the company can do with the additional resources of Amazon. CEO and founder, Nick Weaver, weighed in today after the announcement:

“From the beginning, eero’s mission has been to make the technology in homes just work. We started with WiFi because it’s the foundation of the modern home. Every customer deserves reliable and secure WiFi in every room. By joining the Amazon family, we’re excited to learn from and work closely with a team that is defining the future of the home, accelerate our mission, and bring eero systems to more customers around the globe.”

For those that don’t know, Eero creates a hybrid network where all routers and access points are a blurred line. Each Eero unit acts somewhat as both. Together they blanket your home in individual access points to extend the network while sharing the same WiFi credentials. This offers you extended coverage from room to room in less than 10 minutes without advanced setup.

Both companies have yet to disclose the value of the acquisition of Eero, but this marks the 3rd payout in less than 18 months for connected homes including Blink for $90 million and Ring for $1 billion.

Step up your Excel game in 2019 with this $40 ‘Bootcamp Bundle’

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Let’s say you’re someone who’s been wanting to get some certification to launch a career or to enhance the one you already have. Perhaps you’re an IT graduate who feels as though a little certification could improve your chances for that first big job interview. Maybe you’re looking to polish things up before asking the boss for a raise.

It’s 2019 and that means you don’t have to go back to school and pay thousands of dollars per semester for an education. No, today we get to take things into our own hands and move at our own pace.

If you’re looking to get serious about certification or expanding your horizons, look no further than The 2019 Microsoft Excel Bootcamp Bundle.

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The 2019 Microsoft Excel Bootcamp Bundle includes five courses and more than 78 hours of instruction in how to improve your knowledge and skills by way of Microsoft Excel. What’s more, there’s certification at the end so you can show off your expertise or use it as a bargaining chip with management.

First, you’ll start with learning how to use Excel to solve complex problems, automate spreadsheets, and master graphs for presentations. Lifetime training is yours for pennies on the dollar., automate spreadsheets, and master graphs. After that you’ll be on to macros, functions, PivotTables & PowerPivots.

The 2019 Microsoft Excel Bootcamp Bundle comes with lifetime access, so you need not worry about taking advantage of these courses within a limited time offer. You can buy the software now, then use it at your own pace or as life affords the opportunity.

The 2019 Microsoft Excel Bootcamp Bundle is valued at more than $1,700, but we’re offering it to our readers for just $39 (96% off). It’s literally pennies on the dollar. It’s 50 cents per hour of training. It’s a tiny little investment in yourself and your future. It’s… well you get what we’re saying.

Hurry, this incredible offer won’t last forever!

T-Mobile wants to be your new sweetheart for National Break Up with your Carrier Day

Jason England
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If your carrier has been taking you for granted then this February 13 on National Break Up with your Carrier Day it’s time to say goodbye. To make things even easier T-Mobile has some specials to help woo you away from your current carrier.

If T-Mobile Tuesdays, free Netflix, and having all fees and taxes included weren’t enough to make you switch already. Then watch out for this February 13, where you’ll be able to get two lines of service along with two new phones on T-Mobile Essentials for $100 a month with autopay and 24 months of bill credits.

If you’re wanting to take advantage of free Netflix and travel benefits then you can choose T-Mobile ONE for $130 a month with two free phones as well. The list of phones includes the T-Mobile REVVL, REVVL Plus, REVVL 2; the LG Aristo, Aristo 2 Plus, K20 Plus; the Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime, Galaxy J3 Star; or Motorola e5 Play.

If you’re currently on a contract then no worries because with Carrier Freedom T-Mobile will pay off your device and contract up to $650 per line. All you have to do is trade in your current device for a new one on a qualifying plan. This includes you Verizon customers, with their #GetOutoftheRed program T-Mobile covers some of the most popular phones out there such as the Samsung Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, Pixel 3 or 3 XL, and others.

This next part is for all of you, whether you decide to join the Uncarrier or not T-Mobile will be giving out prizes for your funniest break up stories. All you have to do is tweet out to @TMobile using the hashtag #MyFunnyBreakUpStory on Twitter. Then on Valentine’s Day John Legere will pick his favorites to win great prizes like phones and more.

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