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Google offers various ways to pay for things on devices and the web, and all these transactions fall into one of several products buckets. It's a bit confusing, but Google is streamlining its payment branding today with the launch of Google Pay. Android Pay, Google Wallet, and even Chrome autofill payment info will be unified under this brand. As for when—this is happening right now. Some people already see hints of Google Pay on their devices.
You can already get Alexa in phones, speakers, and a few accessories. Amazon wants more, though. The handful of Alexa-powered accessories on the market were developed with standalone smart features, but that's tough to do. Now, Amazon is looking to strengthen Alexa's position by making it easier to get the virtual assistant integrated with accessories like headphones, smartwatches, and more. These devices will, however, require a phone connection.
Dashlane is one of several popular password managers that aims to make remembering long passwords a thing of the past. However, Dashlane now says it wants to make passwords themselves a thing of the past, too. The company has announced "Project Mirror," a service that will somehow eliminate your passwords. Dashlane is a little vague on the specifics, but the first piece of the puzzle is launching very soon.
The chances are almost 100% that everyone reading this has some way to access the Google Assistant. You might even have more than one Assistant device now that most phones released in the last few years have support and Google is handing out Home Minis like they're going to expire. The original Google Home has a respectable speaker for the size, and many people use it to listen to music. Yet, for anyone who's serious about their tunes, the Home and Home Mini just don't cut it. That's where the Home Max comes in. This smart speaker is not screwing around—it's big, heavy, and incredibly loud.
It can be a challenge to find a good portable battery that has the ports you need, sufficient capacity, and the right fast-charging standard. Mophie's latest battery should have all your bases covered with up to 100W of power over an AC outlet, but it'll cost you. The new 22,000mAh Powerstation AC is now live for a whopping $199.95.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5T in November, just a few months after the OnePlus 5. While the price was slightly higher, the 5T added a few notable features like an 18:9 display and rear-facing fingerprint reader. Since then, OnePlus has dropped the limited edition Star Wars 5T in India, and now a similar device is coming to the rest of us. The new Sandstone White OnePlus 5T doesn't have Star Wars branding, but it seems otherwise identical right down to the bright red alert slider.
The Nokia 6 is a pretty solid deal under normal circumstances, but today it can be better still. This phone usually retails for $230 unlocked, but Daily Steals has this phone for $30 less with our coupon code. In addition, you get an external battery for more juice on the go.
Having a single router in your home is so 2015. Everyone is doing this mesh router thing now, which means you have two or more access points in order to provide better coverage. Netgear is looking to take its mesh router beyond the confines of your indoor space with the new Orbi outdoor satellite. While it's not supposed to be "official" until CES next week, Netgear has made all the details available.The outdoor satellite (RBS50Y) pairs with your existing Orbi system, which includes between two and four individual APs. It's IP56 rated, so it can be left outside in the pouring rain. Taking it for a quick dip in the pool would be a bad idea, though. It can also operate in "subzero" temperatures, but Netgear doesn't offer specifics here.
The Android TV ecosystem currently consists of the SHIELD and some other things no one buys. There may soon be another Android TV device worth picking up. The Stream+ from Channel Master is up for pre-order, and it ships later this month. This is an Android TV box, but it also has built-in dual TV tuners and DVR functionality.
Google is getting an early start in 2018 by rolling out the monthly patches for Nexus and Pixel devices. The OTA files and full system images are available a few days earlier than usual, and devices should begin seeing updates in the not too distant future. It looks like several devices have two different builds available this month, so you'll have to grab the right one if you just can't wait.
Storage space is getting cheaper, whether you're talking about phones or computers. It used to cost astronomical amounts of money to get even 1GB of storage. As storage has become cheaper, files sizes are increasing. A photo taken with the Pixel 2 might be nearly 10MB, and that adds up over time. 4K video? We're talking many gigabytes.That's why many of us have gotten serious about backing up data, and the cloud is only half the equation. You should also have local copies of all your important files, and a network attached storage (NAS) machine is a good way to do it. We've talked about Synology's NAS devices a few times on AP and Rita already reviewed the DS416play. This is a company that takes mobile integration seriously with more than a dozen Android apps that work with its line of DiskStation NAS boxes. That's why we (Ryan, Cody, and Jordan) have been testing the latest generation of DiskStation models to see how they fit into our digital lifestyles. We're overall pretty impressed.
Google started selling the Pixel C about two years ago as its flagship tablet. The price was high, but it was a good Android tablet. Well, as good as Android tablets could be. Google's commitment to Android on tablets wasn't strong even then, and now the Pixel C is gone from the Google Store—the listing page redirects you to the Pixelbook. A moment of silence, please.
Just having things around that make sound isn't good enough anymore. If your speakers can't stream from the internet or tell you the answer to "life, the universe, and everything" then why even have them? LG has announced two new speakers that check all the boxes. The SK10Y soundbar has Chromecast support, and the LG ThinQ Speaker is powered by Assistant.
Garmin has long been associated with GPS navigation, but most people aren't buying standalone GPS units anymore. The company has, however, been branching out to other product categories like wearables. Garmin's Vivofit fitness trackers have been reasonably popular, and there's a new version available today. The Vivofit 4 launches at $79.99. It's a bit more expensive, but the screen is color and it still gets a year of battery life.Most fitness trackers have a rechargeable battery inside, so you need to charge them up every few days. However, the Vivofit 4, like past devices in this line, has a coin cell battery. It runs for a year or so, and then you need to swap in a new battery. It connects to your phone over Bluetooth to sync your fitness data, and it can display basic data like call notifications and the weather.The biggest change in the Vivofit 4 is the move to a color display. The sunlight-readable screen is small, but it's always-on. There's also support for Garmin's Toe-to-Toe feature, which lets you have step competitions with your kids wearing a Viviofit Jr. tracker. It seems odd that you can't do that with another Vivofit 4, but Garmin is pretty explicit it's for pairing with the kids' tracker.The Vivofit 4 comes in several colors, including some funky speckled patterns (see above). However, just the plain black and white are on Amazon right now. That's apparently the exclusive retailer for the Vivofit 4, so keep an eye out there for the others.
Wireless charging was the hot new thing a few years back, then it faded away a bit. Now, it's coming back with Apple's decision to finally adopt one of the existing wireless charging standards. Every phone with wireless charging still needs to be sitting on the charging pad, but that could change soon. Wireless charging startup Energous has announced that its WattUp system has been approved by the FCC, making it the first "at-a-distance" wireless charging tech ready for consumers.
Nest has made its name by adding smart features to things that you might already have around the house. It's worked pretty well in the past with devices like the Nest Thermostat, but home security is a more serious business. It's different than a thermostat—people rely on a security system to control access to their homes. The new Nest Secure is trying to take the place of an existing product with an important function. It's a balancing act between convenience and safety, and Nest mostly gets it right. The hardware is capable and innovative, and setup was a breeze for me. However, it's missing a few features, and the price is high at $500. That's just the starter pack, too. If you want to outfit all your doors and windows, get ready to spend a whole lot more.
The age of streaming music services is upon us, but not everyone has moved to the cloud for their listening needs. Those who still rely on local music files might be interested to know that Shuttle Music Player just got a big, big update. In the v2.0 release, the developer has added a new theme engine, a myriad UI changes, album shuffle, and much more.
I spend my days writing about technology, and I spend much of my remaining time playing with it for fun. Consequently, I have a lot of nerdy stuff that's become integral to my life, and maybe you're interested in what it all is. It's been almost two years since I did a "what we use" post, and a lot has changed. My preferred phones are different, of course, but I've fallen deep down the mechanical keyboard rabbit hole, too. Events have also conspired against me to require that I build a new desktop computer. Here are all the things (mostly keyboards) that I can't live without.
Apps are not forever, and it seemed like the end of the road for Zooper Widget last week when it vanished from the Play Store. However, in something of a Christmas miracle, the apps have returned. Well, I guess a miracle would have been an update to Zooper, but this appears to be the same outdated version we had before. Hey, at least it's back.