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There's a wide variety of Bluetooth speakers available on the market, but only a few of them offer 360º sound. The list gets even smaller if you're on a budget, but Anker's Soundcore Flare and Flare+ speakers meet these criteria and are even cheaper now that they're on sale, down to $51 and $80, respectively.Both speakers come with an LED light strip at the bottom that reacts to the rhythm of the music. They also feature IPX7 water-resistance, so you'll be able to take them by the pool safely. Lastly, they can be paired with a second speaker for true stereo sound.
If you're looking for an affordable and reliable phone that offers an unaltered Android experience, the Moto Z3 Play is an option worth considering. The device was selling for $500 when it launched last year, which was quite expensive for a mid-range device. However, the handset is now a lot more interesting as its price has hit an all-time low of just $290.The Z3 Play features a 6" HD screen, a Snapdragon 636 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal storage, which is expandable thanks to the MicroSD slot. It also has a dual 12MP+5MP camera setup on the back and an 8MP selfie sensor on the front. Most importantly, the handset can be expanded with Moto Mods, letting you snap a gamepad, 360 camera, or additional battery on the back of your phone. The latter is actually included in the box and adds an extra 2200mAh to the main battery's capacity.
Phones are usually discounted several months after they're released, but the LG G7's price started dropping only two months after it hit the market and continued on the same trend over the past year. The company's 2018 flagship has now hit a new low, as it's now selling for almost half is original MSRP.The handset features a 6.1" 1440p IPS display, a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, dual 16MP rear cameras, an 8MP selfie sensor, and a 3,000mAh battery. It's also water-resistant and has wireless charging, but didn't have any singular features versus the competition to justify its high price when it came out.
Fossil is one of the leading Wear OS smartwatch manufacturers, and I personally like the brand's timepieces for their stylish design and overall features. Among the company's top products is the fourth-generation Venture, which came out a year ago but still features decent specs and great looks. Four of the timepiece's variants have just gone one sale for $175, which is $100 off their original retail price.The Venture HR resembles a traditional watch and looks premium. That won't prevent it from tracking your workouts, though, as it has built-in GPS and hear-rate sensors, on top of being swimproof. It also has an NFC chip so you can pay without having to take your phone out of your pocket. Unfortunately, it's still powered by the aging Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, which means performance may be a bit slow.
Smart Displays are a convenient way to place video calls while you're busy doing other things. Unfortunately, they often require people to have a compatible device or use specific software, making it less convenient to reach loved ones. Most people have a Messenger account, though, and Facebook is using this as a selling point for its Portal smart displays against Amazon's Echo Show. If you were thinking of getting an intelligent screen in your household, now is the right time to do so, as both the Portal and the larger Portal+ are currently $120 off at Best Buy.
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IFTTT is one of my favorite services around, and what's great about it is that once you've set up everything, you even forget it exists. For instance, I'm a big Wunderlist fan, and I don't want to switch to another provider to manage my to-do lists. Thanks to IFTTT, I've connected it to my Google Assistant so that my smart speaker can add my grocery items directly into my list. In fact, IFTTT is so transparent that you rarely need to use the app, unless you're setting up a new applet or checking your activity log. Nevertheless, the company isn't neglecting its users and is working on completely revamping its Android app with an interface that looks much smoother, but that's also a lot less functional.
Anker products are known for their build quality and technology, including its Soundcore lineup of headphones, earbuds, and speakers. Among them is the Soundcore Motion+ Bluetooth speaker, which has dropped to $80 instead of its original $100 price tag.
Facebook's Messenger has grown from being a simple texting solution to an independent messaging and video chatting software. Because of its numerous features, the company separated Messenger into a dedicated app, which ended up being quite heavy. However, Facebook released Messenger Lite in 2016 to offer a less resource-hungry alternative for more limited devices. The lighter app has become so successful that it just passed 500 million downloads on the Play Store.
With its Smart Clock, Lenovo introduced a new type of Asssitant-enabled smart display. Unfortunately, it could only speak English when it came out, as it runs off a custom Android Things platform, which is different from the one used by Lenovo Smart Displays and Nest Hubs. However, Google just updated its official Assistant support pages to indicate the device now supports French and German.
If you're looking to extend your device's storage space, here's an exciting deal for you: Samsung's 512GB EVO Select microSD card just dropped to $90, down from the initial $199 MSRP. The card had already been as low as $100 back in May, but it's now available for $10 less.The EVO Select can read data at speeds as high as 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s. It also features U3 certification and Speed Class 10, which make it one of the fastest products on the market. Plus, it's designed to resist water, shocks, and extreme temperatures to keep your data safe. Lastly, it comes with a ten-year warranty in case it was to malfunction.
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- Screamin' deals don't last long. This has already sold out over at Amazon, though there are still a couple (read: exactly two) Amazon Warehouse return units selling for around $110 if you're alright with open-box potentially used items. However, if you're alright with buying it at another retailer, it's still $123 from Skagen directly, so you can still pick one up.
If you're looking for a smartwatch with a sleek design, the Skagen Falster 2 could be the one for you. Indeed, the timepiece resembles a traditional watch thanks to its stylish look, and its price just dropped to $123, 58% off its original MSRP.The Falster 2 offers a complete set of internals, including heart-rate and GPS sensors, as well as an NFC chip. It's also swimproof, so you won't have to take it off when going to the pool or showering. Unfortunately, it's powered by the aging Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, but the price drop makes the deal quite interesting.
Even though our phones are very capable, many of us spend the day staring at a computer screen. Whether you're working or in a meeting, it's usually more convenient to text from your desktop, rather than taking your phone out of your pocket. Skype made this quite convenient, as the app's SMS Connect feature allowed you to chat with other users, as well as send and sync your phone's SMS messages with your computer. Unfortunately, Microsoft has just announced the functionality is going away, prompting users to switch to another solution.
Google Pay is continuously growing, with support for more banks and transit passes. The service is expanding again, with 13 new American banks and credit unions making their way to the already long list of partners. The below institutions have been added recently, as we didn't spot them in our most recent coverage.
Even though Bose and Sony lead the noise-canceling headphone market, there are a bunch of great options out there you can consider. One of them is Jabra's Elite 85h bluetooth headset, which features active noise cancelation, USB-C connectivity, and a 3.5mm port. The device was released back in January for $300, but is now available for just $237 for Prime Day.The Elite 85h are comfortable to wear, offer up to 36 hours of playback time, and automatically pause your music when you take them off. In his review, our very own David found them to offer better value than Bose or Sony's products and praised their audio quality, noise cancelation, and battery life.
Summer is here, so you might want to enjoy the sunny outdoors by walking, running, or swimming. If you're looking for a companion to track your workouts, you're in luck, as various Fitbit trackers are currently on sale on Amazon, with discounts reaching up to $80 off.
Last month, Nokia unveiled the 2.2, a strong contender in the budget smartphone market, thanks to its removable battery, 5.7" display, and Google Assistant button. Unfortunately, the device was only announced for the European and Indian markets, with no expected availability in North America. However, the brand just introduced the phone to the US, where it's selling for $139 starting today.The North American variant retains the same specs as the original version, including its quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, 5.7" 720p display, 3,000mAh removable battery, and 13MP camera. Nokia says the latter uses AI to improve low-light and HDR shots by snapping several pictures and merging them together. Also, although the device doesn't feature a fingerprint sensor, it's one of the rare smartphones in the budget category that has face unlock, thanks to the 5MP front sensor. As with all recent Nokia phones, the handset will ship with Android 9 Pie and receive OS updates for two years.The Nokia 2.2 can be ordered online starting today and will be available in select Best Buy stores beginning August 4. You'll also be able to purchase additional Xpress-on covers in Pink Sand, Ice Blue, and Forest Green colors to customize your device.Buy: Amazon, Best Buy
Waze helps many commuters avoid traffic and report hazards to other users. Thanks to its community, the service is able to crowdsource a wide array of information, ranging from road conditions to gas prices. Waze is now leveraging its user base to provide more details to drivers, as it's starting to show toll prices along your route.
Smart speakers add a layer of convenience to a household, but have you ever thought of them as planting a mole into your own living room? Back in April, Amazon admitted its employees reviewed anonymized recordings in order to improve its speech recognition system. Now a fresh controversy has emerged around Google and its Assistant, where the company confirms doing the very same — but there's still no need to worry.