Blogroll

Amazon

If you’re a fan of Amazon Dash Buttons, then prepare yourself for bad news. Amazon ordered a swift death to Dash Buttons, and it came with prime shipping—Amazon says Dash Buttons aren’t needed thanks to Alexa shopping.

Amazon Dash Buttons were always a curiosity. For $5, Amazon would send you a branded button (like Tide or Glad) to stick on your refrigerator, washing machine, or other convenient location. Pressing the button would automatically order a set product at today’s prices, and your first order was $5 off, making the button essentially free. If it were a Tide button, you’d get Tide Laundry detergent; a Glad Button ordered trash bags, and so on. The downside was if the cost of Tide increased without warning you wouldn’t know.

It didn’t take long for people to hack the buttons either; it wasn’t difficult to intercept the Dash Button signal and repurpose it. Enterprising users reconfigured Dash Buttons to send text messages, control smart devices, order pizza and more. Amazon even took notice and start selling an official IOT Button, albeit at a higher cost and with less capability.

Physical Dash Buttons are no more though. Amazon confirmed in a statement that it will no longer sell the buttons. Existing buttons will continue to be supported, and virtual buttons are still available through your Amazon account, but if your physical Dash Button dies that’s it.

IOT Buttons are still available to purchase, however. Amazon gave several reasons for the move, including the increasing use of Alexa Shopping.

In a statement, Amazon explains:

Since the introduction of the Dash program, we’ve continued to work on making the shopping experience convenient and easy, and in some cases, even disappear for customers. With Dash Replenishment, we’ve launched hundreds of devices globally that automatically reorder essentials so customers don’t have to think at all about restocking. And we introduced virtual Dash Buttons, which are available digitally — whether online, in the Amazon App, through screened devices like Echo Show or on third party devices. We’ve also seen customers increasingly using programs like Alexa Shopping, which provides a hands free shopping experience, and Subscribe & Save, which lets customers automatically receive their favorite items every month. With this in mind, we’ve decided to shift the Dash program focus — as of February 28, Dash Button devices are no longer available for purchase on Amazon globally. Existing Dash Button customers can continue to use their Dash Button devices. We look forward to continuing support for our customers’ shopping needs, including growing our Dash Replenishment product line-up

What Amazon isn’t mentioning is that Germany ruled the Dash Buttons illegal just last month. While Amazon had promised to fight the ruling, it would seem that’s unnecessary now.

via GeekWire

Amazon

Microsoft’s line of Surface devices has redefined the word “tablet.” These powerful tablets and their detachable keyboards can be expensive but now’s your chance to grab a setup for $260 off the regular price.

In the world of portable computers, the Surface tablet has been a catalyst for change. It’s a powerful machine that can be used for work or play, yet it’s a lot more portable than any traditional laptop or netbook. Apple users have the iPad Pro, but in the world of Windows, the Surface Pro tablet is the king.

Surface Pro tablets are known for their balance of power and portability. They have responsive touch-screens, long battery life, and premium detachable keyboards. Right now, you can buy a basic Surface Pro tablet with a soft detachable keyboard for just $799 from Amazon. That’s a fat $260 discount on a great little computer.

And this isn’t the basic model of the Surface Pro 6. No, this is the more powerful Intel Core i5 model, with 8GB of RAM and 128 GB of solid-state storage. It has a 12.3″ touch screen, and it’s bundled with the platinum “type cover—the soft keyboard that everybody loves. Seriously, it’s a luxurious keyboard.

It’s nice to get $260 off of any device, especially the Surface Pro tablet. The keyboard that’s bundled with it is just icing on the cake. Just keep in mind that good deals can’t last forever, so don’t wait too long to grab this deal.

Buy on Amazon

Best Buy

It may be time to ditch your grimy old earbuds; Best Buy is selling some stylish, wireless Beats Solo3 headphones in Matte Gold for $150—half of the normal price. This is the best price we’ve seen on these headcans yet.

Right now, you can buy a pair of Matte Gold Beats Solo3 headphones from Best Buy for just $150. As icing on the cake, Best Buy is throwing in 3 free months of Apple Music with every Beats Solo3 sale. This is the absolute best deal that we’ve seen for Beats headphones ($10 cheaper than last time), so if you’re trying to ditch a dirty old pair of cans, now might be the best time to make a move.

Let’s get you up to speed on these new Beats headphones: they’re completely wireless so you connect them to a phone or computer via Bluetooth. Since the Beats Solo3 headphones have a built-in microphone, they’re great for hands-free calls. The Solo3 headphones have 40 hours of battery life, so you can theoretically wear them for a normal person work week without charging them.

Of course, all of these features are secondary to the sound quality of Beats headphones and the famous flashy branding. A pair of Beats Solo3 headphones at half price—that’s a crazy deal, and it won’t last forever. Keep in mind that Best Buy is only discounting the matte gold color of these headphones. If you want a different color, you’re going to have to put down some extra cash.

Buy at BestBuy

Arlo

We like Arlo’s wireless camera system so much we included it in our 2018 gift guide. If you’re looking to add more power to your Arlo cameras, Best Buy has the Arlo Security Lights for $99. That’s a whopping $180 off.

If you’re not familiar with Arlo, it’s known for wireless cameras at a cost lower than Nest. One of Arlo’s advantages is the use of Z-Wave across cameras, security lights, and doorbells, which means the devices can be spread across your house and still communicate.

Z-Wave products can form a mesh network and then reach back to a bridge for communication with other compatible products. Z-Wave also generally use less battery power than Wi-Fi devices.

That gives Arlo’s security lights a distinct advantage, as they can run off rechargeable batteries, so you won’t need to run wiring. They’re also weather resistant, so they’re primed for outdoor use. Additionally, the lights can send mobile alerts if activated, and if you have Arlo cameras, the security lights will wake up your cameras and tell them to start recording. That said, you don’t need Arlo cameras these security lights.

One drawback is the cost of their security lights—usually, a two-pack of security lights with two batteries and a bridge goes for $230 on Amazon.

But Best Buy has that beat today with a pretty fantastic deal. You’ll get two lights, three batteries (one as a spare!) and the bridge for $99. That’s less than half the cost, and you get a spare battery.

If you’ve been thinking about adding security lights to your home, now’s the time to act.

Buy at BestBuy

Apple’s focus on health doesn’t end with the Apple Watch. The Health app on your iPhone is a treasure trove of information, but some of it can be hard to find. Why not set up favorites to make it more accessible?

Third-party apps and the Apple Watch itself feed data right into Health, so it’s probably been quietly collecting mountains of data without you really noticing. That’s great, but the Health app isn’t exactly Apple’s most user-friendly creation. Instead of digging around for details, you can add your favorite information to the app’s Today screen. Want to know how long you meditated? How high your blood pressure was? How far you walked? Add it all as a favorite and set up a custom health dashboard you’ll actually use.

Adding Health Data to the Health App Today Screen

Adding any type of data you wish to the Today screen is super easy. First, open the Health app and tap “Health Data” at the bottom of the screen.

Next, find the type of data that you want to add to the Today screen. In our example, we’re going to use Mindful Minutes by tapping “Mindfulness.”

Now, tap “Mindful Minutes.”

Read the remaining 7 paragraphs

Android gives users a whole lot of customization options, some of which are useful for everyone, while others are just for power users. One of these lower level settings is the Access Point Name—better known as the APN.

The APN is something most users won’t need to worry about. You pop your SIM card into your phone, maybe reboot it, and it connects to your carrier’s network. You’ll be able to make calls, send messages, browse dank memes, and other important things. But, if you still mess around with custom ROMs, or you’re using an MVNO, you may find that things don’t work automatically.

What is an Access Point Name (APN)?

The APN is all the information your phone uses to connect with your carrier’s network. It lists the address your phone uses to connect to the network, the ports used to handle Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages, the type of data that particular APN uses, and other pieces of information to make sure your phone works correctly.

Some of the settings—-like “APN Type”—could be optional, and your phone will still work without it being 100% correct. Others like “MMSC” and “APN” are much more important, and your phone won’t function if they aren’t entered correctly.

Thankfully, most phones have the APN for common carriers built-in, so all you need to do is put your SIM card in and let your phone work its magic. This extends to some prepaid carriers as well: I use Mint Mobile, which runs on T-Mobile’s network. When I pop my SIM into my Google Pixel 2 XL or my Samsung Galaxy S8, it just works. The phones already have the APN, and it knows which one to load to connect to a given network.

How To Add or Change Your APN

On the off chance that you do need to change your APN settings, it’s fairly easy to do. Start by opening the Settings app on your phone. The exact label of the menu will vary, but tap on whichever menu handles your network settings. On the Pixel 2 XL running Android 9.0, this is labeled as “Network & internet.” Then, tap “Mobile network.”

Tap “Advanced.” Scroll to the bottom of the menu, then select “Access Point Names.”

Read the remaining 12 paragraphs

Josh Hendrickson

Power bricks are often so big they partially cover adjoining outlets and make it difficult to plug all your gear onto a single power strip. Here are our favorite solutions for dealing with chunky plugs.

It almost seems like every company is a part of a secret competition to see who can make the biggest power brick, which leads to consumers trying to find creative ways to plug all of them in like you’re trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle. The jigsaw metaphor feels particularly appropriate when different plugs have different plug-prong orientations that result in long narrow plugs covering multiple outlets on the strip. Overall it’s a pretty frustrating experience just about anyone can relate to.

A Word of Caution

Before we dive deep into some awesome solutions for your power bricks, a word of caution is in order before you go plugging everything you own into your new power strip.

Just because you can plug a whole bunch of stuff into a single outlet, doesn’t mean that you should. An electrical circuit can only handle so much current, and if you end up plugging a bunch of power-hogging devices into the same outlet, there’s a good chance you’ll overload the circuit and trip the breaker. Or even worse, start a fire.

So before you go crazy parking everything on one power strip, take stock on what devices you have and whether any of them use a lot of electricity (what you care about here is the watts used by each device on the strip. Stuff like a space heater or a gaming PC use a lot of energy. Stuff like a cellphone charger (even a whole power strip worth of them) uses very little energy. The real benefit to using these strips isn’t the ability to run 20 high-watt items simultaneously, but to plug all your gear in at once so you’re not crawling under your desk to unplug your printer so you can use your paper shredder.

Now, let’s get into our top picks for the best power strips to handle all those dumb power bricks.

Bestten 24-Outlet Heavy Duty Metal Power Strip ($48) Bestten

If you want a power strip with the most outlets, this Bestten 24-outlet power strip is your best bet.

It has an aluminum body, so it’s great for a garage or workshop where it’ll be exposed to some rough conditions, but it’s also perfect for casual usage in a home office where you need to plug in a bunch of stuff.

The outlets aren’t spaced apart to leave room for power bricks, but the nice thing is that there’s still plenty of space to plug in plenty of devices. So even if a power brick covers up adjacent outlets, you still have plenty of other outlets at your disposal.

Read the remaining 12 paragraphs

Keith Muratori/Shutterstock

Wireless HDMI products have been around for almost a decade, but they haven’t gained a lot of popularity. But how does Wireless HDMI work, and should you buy Wireless HDMI products for your home?

Wireless HDMI is an Alternative to HDMI Cables

HDMI cables have been the standard medium for transferring high definition video for more than a decade. But HDMI cables have some obvious drawbacks. A couple of unruly HDMI cables can turn your entertainment center into a rat’s nest, and they can restrict your cable box or game consoles to a single room.

You’ve probably guessed this by now, but Wireless HDMI is a wireless high definition video solution that can solve some of the problems associated with HDMI cables. You can clean up your entertainment center, broadcast a single video source to TV’s all over your house, or mirror the display from your phone or computer to your TV.

There are a lot of Wireless HDMI products on the market, and they’re all pretty easy to set up. You plug a transmitter into the HDMI port of a video source and a receiver into the HDMI port of a TV, and that’s all there is to it.

RELATED: The Best Wireless HDMI Products for a Tidy Media Center and Multi-Room Video

It’s Like Bluetooth, but for Video

Unlike screen mirroring applications like Apple AirPlay, Wireless HDMI doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection. The transmitter that you plug into your video source sends out a microwave frequency, and the receiver that’s plugged into your display decodes that frequency into high definition video. Think of it like Bluetooth, but for video.

Some (but not all) Wireless HDMI products have built-in IR transmitters. These transmitters allow you to use TV remotes to control devices from far away. These IR transmitters are necessary for a lot of Wireless HDMI setups. After all, running from one room to another to change TV channels would be a pain in the butt.

Like any form of wireless transmission, Wireless HDMI is prone to obstruction. Most Wireless HDMI products work around the 5 GHz microwave frequency, which can get congested by Wi-Fi and cellphone signals. Thankfully, most new Wireless HDMI products use dynamic frequency selection to adjust to the least congested frequency in your home automatically.

Alexander_Evgenyevich/Shutterstock

But when it comes to Wireless HDMI, latency is an unavoidable form of obstruction. A video signal has to be encoded, transmitted, received, and decoded before it’s displayed. As a result, most Wireless HDMI products have a bit of lag.

Read the remaining 14 paragraphs

Alienware

When you’re shopping for a new monitor, you’ll be inundated with a lot of technical specs. And while things like the screen size and resolution are fairly obvious, there’s another important factor that isn’t: response time. Here’s how it works.

Response time is the time it takes your monitor to shift from one color to another. Usually, this is measured in terms of going from black to white to black again, in terms of milliseconds. A typical LCD response time is under ten milliseconds (10 ms), with some being as fast as one millisecond.

The exact method of measuring this statistic isn’t agreed upon: some manufacturers express it in terms of an LCD’s panel going black to white, or black to white to black, or more commonly “gray to gray.” That means going through the same full spectrum, but starting and ending on finer, more difficult gray values. In all cases, lower response times are better, because they cut down on image issues like blurring or “ghosting.”

The spec sheet for a Dell monitor. Note the difference between refresh rate and response time. Dell

Response time shouldn’t be confused with a monitor’s refresh rate. They sound similar, but the refresh rate is the number of times a screen displays a new image every second, expressed in Hertz. Most monitors use a 60 Hertz refresh rate, though some go higher—and higher is better. In contrast, for response time lower is better.

Why Do You Want a Low Response Time?

Most computer users won’t even be aware of the response time for their monitor or screen, because most of the time it doesn’t matter. For web surfing, writing an email or Word document, or editing photos, the delay between your screen shifting colors is so fast that you won’t even notice it. Even video, on modern computer monitors and televisions, usually doesn’t have a delay significant enough for the viewer to notice.

Fast-paced multiplayer games like Street Fighter benefit from low response times. Steam

The exception is gaming. For gamers, every single millisecond counts—the difference between winning and losing a fighting match, landing a long-range sniper shot, or even getting that perfect line in a racing game can indeed be a single millisecond. So for gamers who are looking for every possible competitive edge, a low refresh rate between 1 and 5 milliseconds is worth the expense of a more pricey, gaming-focused monitor.

What Kinds of Monitors Are the Fastest?

For your laptop or phone, you typically don’t have a choice for a low response time on the screen, though there are exceptions. But if you’re buying a new monitor for your gaming desktop, you’ll want the fastest panel you can afford.

At the time of writing, there are three different kinds of LCD panel that cover 99% of the monitors sold today.

• TN (Twisted Nematic) screen panels: Inexpensive, but generally have a poor color range. These are among the fastest on the market in terms of response time, and gaming monitors often choose less colorful TN panels to be faster.
• IPS (In-Plane Switching) screen panels: More expensive and with more accurate colors, IPS monitors are valued by graphic designers, photographers, video editors, and anyone for whom accurate colors are important. They have higher response times than TN panels, so are rarely marketed as “gaming” monitors.
• VA (Vertical Alignment) screen panels: A newer design that attempts to pair the fast response time of TN and the more accurate, vivid color of IPS. It’s something of a middle ground, but many gaming monitors are now made with VA panels that have refresh rates as low as one millisecond.

If you want a monitor that can keep up with even the fastest of games, get one with a TN or VA screen panel. IPS gaming monitors exist, but they’re rare and expensive, and still not as fast as the alternatives. You can usually find the panel type in the monitor’s specifications on the online listing, or on the box at a retail store.

What Are the Downsides of a Fast Response Time?

Read the remaining 6 paragraphs

The Jedi Archives Are Modeled After Which Earth-Based Library?

1. Boston Copley Public Library
2. The Library of Congress
3. Trinity College Library
4. Strahov Philosophical Hall

Think you know the answer?

Wyze

Wyze, the company behind some of the cheapest Wi-Fi cameras you can get, released a Q&A video recently with updates. While company employees meant to talk about new features, a few upcoming goodies from the company were hiding in plain sight.

Wyze cameras are an incredibly inexpensive way to purchase a host of Wi-Fi cameras. The basic Wyze Cam runs for $25, while the Wyze Cam Pan runs for $35. (While you can order direct from Wyze, you’ll pay the same after shipping.) They have Alexa integration, microSD capabilities and work off your existing Wi-Fi.

But Wyze knows it can’t solely exist off cameras forever, so while it’s already announced an outdoor camera, it turns out the company is already expanding into other areas of your smarthome.

In a video posted to YouTube, employees from Wyze answered several questions about upcoming features, and products (like Google Assistant integration and the aforementioned outdoor cam). They filmed the video as a walk and talk, giving ample view of the office, but apparently, they forgot to put away all the goodies first. (Or maybe they did it on purpose?)

If you pause at 2:15 to 2:18 you’ll see a box off to the left.

Wyze Youtube

With a closer look, it’s easy to see that this box is for a light bulb, and the Wyze logo is on the lid.

Wyze YouTube

There are no details to be had yet, but it seems likely that the Wyze bulb will run off Wi-Fi, in order to keep costs low. Low costs are their bread and butter, so it will be interesting to see what pricing point the Wyze bulb comes in at.

If you continue in the video, Wyze talks about another previously unannounced product, Wyze Sense. You’ve actually seen a component, the motion sensor, as it’s sitting right next to the Wyze light bulb in the above shot.

Wyze didn’t reveal any real details, but the FCC has already been testing components. According to a User Manual on file, Wyze Sense will use a bridge that connects to the USB port of existing Wyze Cams. The set seems to include a motion sensor and a contact sensor that would be suitable for windows or doors.

Read the remaining 3 paragraphs

The Phone app on your iPhone has a convenient “Favorites” section where you can find your most important contacts. Here’s how to choose which contacts appear here.

You can also set Do Not Disturb so that your favorite contacts can always reach you—even if other incoming phone calls won’t ring your iPhone. This can be vital in an emergency.

Favorites have been around since the very early days of the iPhone, but that likely means that you’ve forgotten that they exist. And that’s a real shame because this feature is so useful.

How to Add a Contact to Favorites

To add a contact to favorites, open the Phone app—the one with the green phone icon—and tap the “Favorites” button before tapping the “+” button in the top-left corner.

Next, find the contact that you want to add and tap their name.

You will now be shown all of the types of entries you can create for the contact you selected. Those include “Message,” “Call,” “Video,” and “Mail.” Tap the type of favorite you want to create. When tapped, that is the action that will be performed when the favorite is activated. For this how-to, let’s select “Message.”

Read the remaining 16 paragraphs

If you’ve been thinking about jumping on the Apple Watch train, you can do it today for a cheaper than ever before. Amazon is selling the white Watch Series 3 for just $220, which is $60 off the normal price.

This deal is only for a specific model, though: the white 38mm version of the Series 3. If you go for the Space Gray model, the price jumps to $250. Similarly, if you have a meaty wrist and ant the 42mm version, expect a price bump—by almost $100, in fact. That’s nuts.

The Series 3 Apple Watch has all of the features that you’d expect from a premium smartwatch. It mirrors notifications from your phone, monitors your heart rate, and helps you keep track of your fitness goals. You can also make calls or control Siri from the Apple watch, and of course, you can use it to check the time.

Keep in mind that Series 3 is the previous generation Apple Watch. If you want to perform ECGs, then you’ll need to wait for the Series 4 Apple Watch to go on sale.

As with any deal, you’ll want to buy this while you can. There are a lot of Apple fans out there, and they’re probably beating you to the deal at this very moment.

Buy on Amazon

Amazon

Do you hate it when your Amazon orders arrive on the one day you won’t be home? If you know a particular day of the week will always be the best day for deliveries, Amazon Day will alleviate your frustration.

It never fails, you ordered that sweet gizmo that’s going to change your life, and best of all it offered two-day shipping on Prime. But you forgot you’re out of town this weekend, or it didn’t actually ship from the warehouse for two days, and now it’s going to arrive at an inconvenient time. Your package will be on the porch all day.

Somehow Amazon packages seem to always arrive on the most inconvenient day of the week. And Amazon wants to help you out with that, and save a quick buck too. When you choose Amazon Day, any eligible item you order throughout the week will arrive on your preferred day, and where possible Amazon will ship in fewer boxes.

First off, to use Amazon Day, you need to be a Prime subscriber. Also, not every item is eligible for Amazon Day, but most items that have two-day prime available will work.  And you need to order at least two days before your preferred arrival day. When you check out, you can choose standard shipping options or your Amazon Day selection.

How To Use Amazon Day

If you’re a Prime member, the next time you check out you’ll see a “Choose your Amazon day” button. Click on that.

Choose the day you prefer and then click on the “Save and continue” button.

Going forward when you check out, you’ll have an option to ship on your Amazon day. Amazon will helpfully remind you exactly which day that will be. If it’s something important that you need now, choose the regular prime shipping options instead.

Read the remaining 4 paragraphs

A Z-Score is a statistical value that tells you how many standard deviations a particular value happens to be from the mean of the entire data set. You can use AVERAGE and STDEV.S or STDEV.P formulas to calculate the mean and standard deviation of your data and then use those results to determine the Z-Score of each value.

What is a Z-Score and what do the AVERAGE, STDEV.S, and STDEV.P functions do?

A Z-Score is a simple way of comparing values from two different data sets. It is defined as the number of standard deviations away from the mean a data point lies. The general formula looks like this:

=(DataPoint-AVERAGE(DataSet))/STDEV(DataSet)

Here’s an example to help clarify. Say you wanted to compare the test results of two Algebra students taught by different teachers. You know the first student got a 95% on the final exam in one class, and the student in the other class scored 87%.

At first glance, the 95% grade is more impressive, but what if the teacher of the second class gave a more difficult exam? You could calculate the Z-Score of each student’s score based on the average scores in each class and the standard deviation of the scores in each class. Comparing the Z-Scores of the two students could reveal that the student with the 87% score did better in comparison to the rest of their class than the student with the 98% score did in comparison to the rest of their class.

The first statistical value you need is the ‘mean’ and Excel’s “AVERAGE” function calculates that value. It simply adds up all of the values in a cell range and divides that sum by the number of cells containing numerical values (it ignores blank cells).

The other statistical value we need is the ‘standard deviation’ and Excel has two different functions to calculate the standard deviation in slightly different ways.

Previous versions of Excel only had the “STDEV” function, which calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as a ‘sample’ of a population. Excel 2010 broke that into two functions that calculate the standard deviation:

• STDEV.S: This function is identical to the previous “STDEV” function. It calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as a ‘sample’ of a population. A sample of a population might be something like the particular mosquitoes collected for a research project or cars that were set aside and used for crash safety testing.
• STDEV.P: This function calculates the standard deviation while treating the data as the entire population. An entire population would be something like all mosquitoes on Earth or every car in a production run of a specific model.

Which you choose is based on your data set. The difference will usually be small, but the result of the “STDEV.P” function will always be smaller than the result of the “STDEV.S” function for the same data set. It is a more conservative approach to assume there is more variability in the data.

Let’s Look at an Example

Read the remaining 51 paragraphs

 

Nokia

The strange-yet-boring Nokia 9 PureView will hit the US market on March 3rd for $599. So, you’ll be paying $120 per camera.

You may remember when the Nokia 9 PureView was announced on Sunday, February 24th, just a few days ago. Well, HMD wants to move fast, I guess. The company’s decision to announce a phone and bring it to market in the span of a week is pretty wild.

Oh, speaking of moving fast, the Nokia 9 PureView’s $599 price tag will only last a week. On March 10th, it’s moving up to $699. That’s like $140 per camera.

Let’s go through the Nokia 9 PureView’s specs real quick, just in case you want to buy it before the 10th. It has five 12 MP cameras that shoot simultaneously. The phone then “stacks” all five of these images to make an insane 60 MP high-res photo.

Inside of the PureView, you’ll find 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage (with an SD card slot), a 6″ OLED display with a built-in fingerprint reader, and last year’s Snapdragon 845 processor. No, it doesn’t have a headphone jack, and there’s only one selfie camera.

Should you choose to buy the PureView, you’ll find it online at B&H, Amazon, and Best Buy on March 3rd for $599. But that price will rise to $699 on the 10th, so don’t wait too long.

via The Verge

Razer

If some of the $1000+ prices on new flagship phones is giving you sticker shock, you might want to swing by Razer’s online store tomorrow. The Razer Phone 2, upgraded and competitive with most new phones as of late 2018, will be just $499.

That’s for the unlocked, carrier-agnostic version you buy from Razer itself, naturally. AT&T also sells the phone as do several retailers like Amazon. They should reflect this change tomorrow or shortly thereafter—it’s a $200 discount off the Razer Phone 2’s current retail price. There’s no word on how long this promotional price will last (if it’s promotional at all), so grab one quickly if you’re ready to buy.

But wait, there’s more! Razer also announced that its phone is getting the upgrade to Android 9.0 Pie starting today. Razer’s phone software is already pretty close to stock, with a few gaming-friendly add-ons to take advantage of that 120 Hz screen and light-up rear logo. Razer’s consistent updates were a highlight of the original.

It’s taken about six months for Razer to get the upgrade in the hands of users, which is pretty good—my Oreo-packing Galaxy Note 8 is looking envious of both the new software and the low price.

Talaj/Shutterstock

Finding the fastest USB connection used to be easy: choose USB 3.0 instead of 2.0. But now, you’ll need to know the difference between USB 3.2 Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 2×2—and what various types of “SuperSpeed” mean, too.

USB Naming Used to Be Simple kontrymphoto/Shutterstock

Once upon a time, USB came in two main flavors, 2.0 and 3.0. All you needed to know about them was 3.0 was faster than 2.0. You could buy a USB 2.0 flash drive and plug it into a computer that had USB 3.0 slots, and it would still work—just at the slower USB 2.0 speeds. Buying a USB 3.0 drive and plugging it into a USB 2.0 port would give you USB 2.0 speeds, too.

If you wanted the fastest speed possible, you’d get a USB 3.0 drive and plug it into a USB 3.0 USB port. It was simple and straightforward. But everything changed with USB 3.1.

USB 3.1 Muddied the Naming Waters USB-IF

The USB Implementors Forums (USB-IF) maintains USB specifications and compliance, and it’s behind the naming schemes found on USB cables and devices. When it introduced USB 3.1, rather than keep things simple and let that name differentiate from USB 3.0, it called the new standard “USB 3.1 Gen 2.” USB 3.0 was retroactively renamed “USB 3.1 Gen 1.”

To further complicate things, the transfer speeds themselves received names. USB 3.1 Gen 1, originally known as USB 3.0, is capable of 5 Gbps transfer speeds—that’s called SuperSpeed.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 is capable of 10 Gbps transfer speeds—that’s called SuperSpeed+. Technically, it accomplishes this by using 128b/132b encoding in a full-duplex communications mode. Full-duplex communication is exciting because that means information can be transferred and received at the same time. That’s why it’s faster.

The difference between the two was slightly confusing. But, as long as you remembered Gen 2 was better than Gen 1, you were good to go. To help differentiate the speeds, USB-IF also implemented logos, which manufacturer can only use by passing a certification to prove a cable matches the promised specs.

USB 3.2 is Even Faster and More Confusing USB-IF

Last September, the USB-IF detailed out new possible speeds for USB-C, and the beginnings of the USB 3.2 specification. USB 3.2 will be capable of 20 Gbps speeds. That’s double the transfer speeds of USB 3.1 Gen 2. If you’re wondering how the cables are doubling their speed so quickly without changing size or connectors, it’s straight forward. USB products capable of 20 Gbps have two 10 Gbps channels. Think of it as more wiring jammed into the same cable.

Just like in previous iterations, this new standard is backward compatible for basic usage—but you won’t get the faster speed without all new hardware. If you buy a hard drive that promises a 20 Gbps transfer rate and plug it into your current computer, the hard drive will work, but at slower speeds that the USB ports on your machine can provide. You’ll have to update both ends of the connection to enjoy all the new benefits.

Read the remaining 10 paragraphs

Nylabone

Dogs can be cute, smart, and gentle. But even the sweetest dog can become a destructive monster when playtime comes around. If your dog is a destructive chewer, then you’ll need some durable toys to make playtime worthwhile.

Luckily, there are a lot of durable chew toys on the market. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and some of them are actually flavored like meat for extra playtime fun.

But it can be difficult to find a good durable chew toy for your dog. Some toys claim to be durable, but they really aren’t any stronger than a bowl of Jello—alright, a little strong than that… maybe. And your dog may be very picky about the shape or texture of certain toys.

Lucky for you (and your dog), we’ve taken the time to find a variety of great, durable chew toys for the most destructive dogs.

Nylabone Dura Chew ($7) Nylabone

The Nylabone Dura Chew is an affordable, meat flavored chew toy made from a durable nylon material. It’s a textured ring that can take a beating from even the biggest, 60+ pound dogs. Plus, it can be thrown like a frisbee.

Most dog chew toys are shaped like bones or sticks, and they can be difficult for dogs to pin down for a good chew session. But since the Nylabone is shaped like a ring, your dog can hold it down with one paw, kind of like a giant ring pop. This is a great toy for power-chewers, and it doesn’t cost much, so you could always buy a new one once it starts to get gnarly.

Buy on Amazon ONEISALL Indestructible Chew Toy ($15) ONEISALL

If you’re looking for a durable, safe chew toy for your dog, then you may be interested in the ONEISALL Indestructible chew toy. It’s made from a non-toxic plastic, so you don’t have to be worried if your dog manages to break off a chunk and swallow it. The ONEISALL chew toy is also bacon scented, so feel free to give it a good chew while your dog isn’t looking (don’t do this).

Buy on Amazon Benebone Flavored Chew Toy ($13) Benebone

Dogs love to chew on bones, but not all dog owners want to riddle their house with nasty old bones. (Fun fact, most dog “bones” are actually bleached rawhide from cows). In order to make your bone-loving dog happy, you’ll need to strike a bit of a compromise.

Luckily, the Benebone flavored chew toy is shaped and textured like a giant wishbone, but it’s made from plastic. It can handle the jaw strength of a 60+ pound dog, so it should last you a while.

Buy on Amazon Pacific Pups Set of 11 Rope Toys ($22) Pacific Pups

Read the remaining 6 paragraphs

Samsung

The biggest upgrade you can make to your old PC is faster storage. Other components like the CPU and GPU have certainly improved in the last decade, but everyone will appreciate faster storage.

NVMe is the latest and greatest storage interface for laptops and desktops, and it offers much faster read and write speeds than older interfaces. This comes at a cost, so depending on what you use the computer for, buying an NVMe drive may not make sense.

What Are NVMe Drives?

Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) is a storage interface introduced in 2013. “Non-Volatile” means the storage isn’t erased when your computer reboots, while “Express” refers to the fact that the data travels over the PCI Express (PCIe) interface on your computer’s motherboard. This gives the drive a more direct connection with your motherboard since data doesn’t have to hop through a Serial Advance Technology Attachment (SATA) controller.

NVMe drives are much, much faster than SATA drives that have been around for years. PCIe 3.0—the current generation of the PCI Express standard— has a maximum speed transfer of 985 megabytes per second (Mbps) on each lane. NVMe drives have been able to utilize 4 PCIe lanes, meaning a theoretical max speed of 3.9 Gbps (3,940 Mbps). Meanwhile, one of the fastest SATA SSDs—-the Samsung 860 Pro—-tops out at read and write speeds of about 560Mbps.

NVMe drives come in a couple of different form factors. The most common of these is the m.2 stick, shown above. These are 22 mm wide and can be 30, 42, 60, 80 or 100mm long. These sticks are thin enough to lay flat on a motherboard, so they’re perfect for small form factor computers and laptops. Keep in mind that some SATA SSDs use this same form factor, so you’ll want to pay close attention and make sure you don’t mistakenly buy the slower drive. The Samsung 970 EVO is an example of an m.2 NVMe drive.

Intel

Next is the PCIe-3.0 form factor. This is similar to a GPU and other accessories in that it plugs into any of the PCIe-3.0 slots on your motherboard. This is fine for full-sized ATX cases and motherboards but is constraining on small form factor PCs and impossible inside a laptop chassis. The Intel 750 SSD is an example of a PCIe-3.0 NVMe drive.

Should You Buy an NVMe SSD? Samsung

Whether you need the faster speeds comes down to your exact workload. But while NVMe drives are coming down in price—the NVMe Samsung 970 Pro and the SATA Samsung 860 Pro both go for about $150 at the 500 GB size—don’t feel like you need to rush out and replace your SATA SSD.

A SATA SSD will already get your computer turned on in a few seconds, launch programs in a snap, and let you copy and move files relatively quickly. But if you work with a lot of huge videos—whether they be from a database, video editing, or ripping Blu Rays—the extra cost may pay itself off by letting you work faster.

In my case, I’m happy to stick with my SATA SSD until it stops working. There’s not much sense in spending the money for an NVMe drive right now just so my computer comes on in four seconds instead of five, or the rare giant file I have to move transfers slightly faster. When it does come time for a new SSD, I’ll go for an NVMe model, because why pay the same amount for a worse product?

Read the remaining 3 paragraphs