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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)

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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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Google Fi SIMs coming to a Best Buy store near you

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Weekend Recommender: Gadgets and tech we love

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It’s officially February and the new year is in formally full swing. Have you stuck to your resolution? That’s okay, neither have others.

Try as we might to get rid of things in an effort to clean our house, we find ourselves buying new gadgets. It’s not our fault that CES has so many cool things. Right?

If you’re like us, and love to check out new stuff, you’ll like what we’ve got in store for you here. Before you go off blindly buying something you’ve never heard of just because it’s on sale, do a little homework. Ask around, check reviews, and turn to others for help.

The Weekend Recommender is our way of highlighting the cooler devices we’ve encountered along the way. Generally, it’s an assortment of tech and mobile-related things, but it’s also a handy place to learn about other items, too.


Jaybird Tarah

As one of the first headphones to feature the Google Fast Pair technology, there’s a lot to love about the Tarah. For starters, we’re fans of the affordable price tag. At $80 these are the least expensive earphones from Jaybird.

You’ll get upwards of six hours of playtime from a full charge so there’s more than enough for your workouts and runs. Speaking of which, the IPX7 rating ensures you’ll be protected against water and sweat.

The last thing you want is to think about headphones or earphones when working out. To that end, the earphones come with an array of eartips and fins to create a comfortable fit. Further, the “Speed Cinch” lets wearers manage the cord so that it doesn’t drape too loosely or slap against the head and neck.

Charging is done via a proprietary cable so you definitely will not want to lose it. It might sound like a nuisance but it helps the engineers create a lighter and less obtrusive control — another box to tick in the area of mindless wearing.

Though they are designed for runners and workouts, the Tarah work well as an everyday pair of earphones. With decent clarity and a fair amount of bass, they’ll sound good for music at the gym or podcasts on the bus. For added personalization, a mobile app gives wearers more control of bass and treble.

You can pick these up in three colors: Black Metallic Flash, Nimbus Gray-Jade, and Solstice Blue-Glacier. In regular speak this means black and electric green, gray and jade green, and dark blue with light blue. $80 at Jaybird

Limitless Innovations ChargeHub X5 Elite E3005

We all have a bunch of gadgets and gear that need regular charging. Some require daily charging while others can go much longer without plugging back in for more juice. What happens, though, when you have a number of devices fighting for wall outlets? The problem only worsens when you have a spouse, children, or co-workers who want that same access.

The ChargeHub X5 Elite is an excellent desktop companion that lets you charge up to six devices at one time. With four standard USB ports, one USB Type-C port, and a wireless charging coil, it’s something for everyone.

Whether you’ve got a pair of headphones, a Nintendo Switch, a Galaxy S9, or any combination of devices, you’ll be able to use the all-in-one charging device.

The unit is built like an overstuffed hockey puck with all five ports easily accessible from the front. The USB Type C port is centered and flanked by two sets of standard USB ports. The top is where you locate the wireless (Qi-ready) charging platter. Underneath is a non-slip pad that makes sure things don’t sliding around.

We really liked the speeds at which the charger refills the batteries on our phones and accessories. The standard ports allow for up to 2.4A each while the USB C has 2.5A with Power Delivery. The latter is especially convenient when stopping by the desk with a laptop or other power-hungry device.

Offered in black and white, this is the sort of product that grows with you and doesn’t find itself outdated when new technology arrives. $80 at Limitless Innovations

Puppyoo T10 Home Cordless Vacuum

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a clean room. Whether it’s the living room, kitchen, or office, there are many benefits to picking up and keeping the floor tidy. If you’re a pet owner, you likely know that simply running the vacuum once a week is not enough.

The problem a lot of people face is that a solid sweeper often seems cumbersome or bulky. Who wants to be bothered by lugging around a heavy vacuum just to keep up with Fido’s hairs? What’s more, a good cleaner can get to be expensive, too.

The Puppyoo T10 Home is a great solution for homeowners looking for a decent vacuum on a budget. It’s lightweight, highly flexible, and runs off of a rechargeable battery. In other words, it addresses a lot of common pain points.

We liked the way in which this vacuum switches from standard upright mode to a more portable handheld experience. This makes it efficient for getting to the steps and in hard-to-reach places like under car seats.

Thanks to the numerous heads, the Puppyoo T10 Home handles carpet and hard surfaces such as tile or wooden floors; furniture is a breeze, too. It’s not just dust that you’ll sweep up, either, as the vacuum remove mites, pollen, and allergens.

The Puppyoo comes with a variety of attachments, each of which speaks to different needs. Among them are a crevice tool for corners and in between cushions, a soft dust brush for curtains, picture frames, and fragile surfaces, and a 2-in-1 tool for upholstery. Then there’s also an extension wand and EVA hose for added assistance.

When it comes to cleaning up, there’s no bag to worry about. Simply pop open the dust tank and dump it into the trash. If any of the vacuum components need cleaned, you can wash ’em off in the sink.

Battery life comes out to around one hour and charging is done automatically when you hang the unit up. That might not sound like a ton of time but you wouldn’t spend any more than that in practice.

We mounted our charging station/dock on the wall just inside of the garage and find that it’s always fully charged when we go to use it. From zero you’re looking at around 2-1/2 hours to completely charge up.

Nyrius Orion Home

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wanted to display a video or HDMI signal on a TV or screen in another area? Perhaps you have a gaming console that’s in one room but want to play it on a larger TV that’s in another room. That’s exactly what you get with the Nyrius Orion Home.

Comprised of two components, you’ve got one piece that plugs into your HDMI source and another that plugs into your display. In essence, whatever passes through one gets sent to the other.

You can transmit wirelessly up to 40 feet away, keeping things in high definition and free from lag. We can think of a variety of use cases for the Nyrius, including game consoles, laptops, Roku, Bluray, and digital satellite receivers. A centrally-located unit on a conference table that broadcasts to a large TV or monitor makes great sense in business environments.

We’ve placed our review unit on the TV stand where it can be used for a whole array of devices. It has been fun hopping from one device to another, streaming the content to a different room. Should we, or anyone else, need to scale, we can add up to two more receivers.

The transmitter and receiver have the same footprint and take up very little space. They’re 3-1/2-inch squares that are about one inch thick. Light, and easy to tuck away, you can also mount them to a wall. $150 at Nyrius

iLive Portable Bluetooth Tailgate Speaker

Football season might be over but that doesn’t mean we pack everything up for a few months and go dormant. Quite the opposite, really. Summer will be here before we know it and that means pool parties, backyard barbecues, and trips to the beach.

While you’re working on toning up and shedding that winter weight, give yourself a proper soundtrack. Pump out the jams with this all-in-one portable speaker solution.

Connect via Bluetooth, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB/microSD (MP3 files), or kick it old school with the built-in FM radio. No matter your source, the speaker is ready to drop a beat indoors and outdoors. What’s more, there’s a microphone input so you can use it for giving an impromptu speech or for singing Happy Birthday.

Battery life is pegged around three-five hours, depending on volume levels, and should be sufficient to last through most get-togethers or afternoon parties. The microUSB port plugs into the wall or your favorite external power source so you can keep the party going all night.

Speaking of which, there’s a fun visual component to enhance the experience. The LED light effects flash a variety of colors to add a little something extra.

There are physical buttons and knobs to control playback, audio sources, and tune the digital radio. Setup is virtually instantaneous as it starts pairing upon powering up.

Although the Wireless Tailgate Speaker isn’t weather resistant, it does have a plastic shell that takes scuffs and scratches in stride. Don’t worry about this one tipping over in the parking lot or on the deck. It’s lightweight and feels designed to be thrown in the back of a truck without any thought. $60 at iLive