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Microsoft's Android launcher now tracks your digital health https://ift.tt/2PJbLxn Microsoft doesn't really have a mobile operating system these days, but that isn't stopping it from providing some digital health features to keep your usage habits in check. Install the Microsoft Launcher 5.1 beta release and you'll see a "digital health" section that tracks aspects like your total screen time, number of unlocks and session lengths. So long as you're paying attention to these stats in the first place, you'll have an idea of when it's time to put your phone down. The 5.1 beta also adds "hey Cortana" voice control right from the launcher, and can sync both your Sticky Notes and To-Do entries across devices. It's hard not to see Microsoft shadowing Google's just-released Digital Wellbeing tools to some extent. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. As The Verge notes, the Microsoft Launcher runs on devices running Android 4.2 and later. This gives people with older devices a major digital health option without having to buy new hardware. To put it another way, you can decide whether or not you're addicted to your phone before you buy a new model that might exacerbate the problem.
Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com November 21, 2018 at 03:06PM
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18 must-have deals on kitchen gadgets and home goods https://ift.tt/2A9s1gP Gadget News via gadgets - Google News https://ift.tt/2ApbOFB November 21, 2018 at 03:01PM
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What is MrMobile's Phone of the Year? The results are in - find out here! https://ift.tt/2PKBcyD Hundreds of products, lots of them phones, and one of the most insane autumns in tech history. 2018 has had it all, from the quirky and downright ludicrous to the fabulous and outrageous, but which products stood out? This is MrMobile's Best of 2018! Best smartphone: Huawei Mate 20 ProThe Mate 20 Pro is the reason my reviews of five other products have been delayed – because the second I saw it at that first New York City briefing I decided it was so compelling I needed to spend a week with it in London. And I don't regret it for a second. The Mate 20 Pro is just the kick in the pants the smartphone world needed in 2018. The Disruptor: OnePlus 6TIt brings everything great about the OnePlus 6 (well, almost everything … RIP, headphone jack) and preserves the price tag that's kept OnePlus in the headlines for five years running. Overseas you've had your Pocophone fun, but here in the States, no smartphone has been more disruptive in 2018. Captain2Phones:BlackBerry KEY2This one is reserved for the phone so distinctive, unparalleled or just … weird that it forces you to adopt the lifestyle that earned me the "Captain2Phones" moniker over a decade ago. The phone that insists upon itself strongly enough that you'll carry an extra one rather than ditching it. This year's selection: the BlackBerry KEY2. Stay Mobile Award: Nintendo Switch, Motiv Smart Ring, Sony WH1000-XM3This award goes to three gadgets beyond the smartphone world, since (as longtime followers will recognize) MrMobile has covered the full gamut of mobile tech, from smartwatches to electric cars, right from the beginning. This year the winners are three – and to get the full story on 'em, you'll need to watch the video above! Viewer's Choice: Win the best tech of 2018!You've probably got your own opinions and you might have voted differently. Well, you've still got the chance! There's also a fifth award, which is where YOU can get involved. Five lucky viewers will receive one of the winning products (one winner per category), delivered in time for the holidays! A shortlist of 22 devices including many of the hottest phones of the year and there can only be one winner! Head over to MrMobile's Best of 2018 page to vote for your favorite and enter the giveaway! Entries close at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday November 30, 201. Gadget News via iMore - Learn more. Be more. https://www.imore.com/ November 21, 2018 at 02:57PM
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Black Friday pricing on the Fitbit Ionic, Charge 3, and more is live now https://ift.tt/2OOoidK Smash those goals. Update! The Fitbit Versa has finally reached its Black Friday price of $149.99. Right now you can get Black Friday prices early on select Fitbit models! We fully expect to see more deals go live tomorrow, so if your coveted model isn't listed below, be sure to keep your eyes locked to Thrifter's Twitter account to be alerted on future discounts. You'll also want to check out this article all about how to measure your wrist before buying a Fitbit beforehand to ensure you pick the best size. Your options include:
Fitbits are amazing. Seriously. If you know someone who has the extremely common goal of losing weight for their 2019 New Year's Resolutions, then a fitness tracker would make very thoughtful and functional gift. Fitness trackers aren't just for people who could use some gentle activity reminders, though. Depending on the model you go for, a Fitbit could be your new best hiking companion, an accurate way to track your workouts, or a method to stay connected in no-phones meetings. Some of these even let you use NFC to pay with your wrist at the cash register. More than just a step counter, indeed. You can even purchase alternative bands for your new Fitbit. These allow you to switch up the look of your fitness tracker, and some are designed to withstand workout sweat while others give it a stylish flair. There are plenty of affordable alternative bands to be found on Amazon, but here are some of our favorites for the discounted options above:
Sign up for the Thrifter Black Friday newsletter below to stay updated on more Fitbit discounts and tons of other great deals. Gadget News via iMore - Learn more. Be more. https://www.imore.com/ November 21, 2018 at 02:57PM
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Scientists fly through plumes of wildfire smoke to unravel its mysteries https://ift.tt/2OWTFTm Wildfire smoke hung in a hazy heavy cloud over parts of California this month, but it won’t stay for much longer. Rain is in the forecast, which could bring some relief from the poor air quality that’s blanketed parts of the state. But what happens to smoke after it is lofted into the air and starts interacting with air currents and weather is far more complicated than it might appear. The smoke that billows out from a wildfire is incredibly complex. In addition to solid particles like ash, there are gases and droplets of liquids, all loosely roiling up into the atmosphere. “Smoke is made up of lots of different things, and every single piece of smoke evolves differently.” Emily Fischer, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University says. She explains that what we think of as smoke is really comprised of thousands of chemical species. Those thousands of different kinds of compounds all have different interactions with the atmosphere, clouds, and each other, changing over time. While carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen are common components of smoke, many of the compounds found in wildfire smoke haven’t even been identified yet — but researchers are working on that. “We do have an idea of what compounds are in the smoke from previous scientific studies,” Megan Bela says. “What we’re hoping to add is to measure a lot more compounds, in a lot more detail than we’ve had in the past.” Bela is a researcher at the University of Colorado and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who is leading the computer modeling effort for the FIREX-AQ project. FIREX-AQ is supported by both NOAA and NASA, and will start gathering data by plane next year, flying directly into the plumes of wildfire smoke. Inside billows of wildfire smoke is not usually a place that people would choose to be. Breathing in smoke from wildfires can have severe negative health consequences for people, especially those with existing respiratory conditions, like asthma. And it could get worse. A study published in July found that deaths attributable to wildfire smoke could double by 2100. But even as wildfire smoke becomes more ubiquitous, there’s still a lot we don’t know about wildfire smoke. “Smoke is basically everywhere now in the summertime atmosphere over the western US,” Fischer says. Fischer leads the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN), a National Science Foundation-funded study that’s also taking a much closer look at the composition of wildfire smoke. This past summer she flew directly through the smoke of 23 wildfires on a heavily instrumented plane, collecting data on what was in the smoke from each fire, and how those compounds changed as they spent more time in the atmosphere, mixing with clouds and air. “Smoke and clouds mix,” Fisher says. “That changes the smoke, and it changes the clouds.” “We were basically sucking the clouds out of the atmosphere into these vials, then we were doing chemistry on the cloud water,” Fisher says “that’s why we were flying around in a plane. You cannot do that from the ground.” One of the things that the researchers hope to understand is how smoke evolves over time as it travels through the atmosphere. It isn’t an easy problem to solve — how long smoke stays aloft is also incredibly complex. Depending on how hot the fire is below, smoke can either hang low near the ground or be lofted high into the sky, traveling across entire continents. Weather patterns play a huge role in smoke’s longevity. In some cases, winds or rain can clear away smoke in hours or days. In California last week, a high-pressure system kept the air in the region relatively stagnant, and smoke from the fire stuck around, sending the air quality plummeting. But smoke can’t hang around forever. “Air is always turbulent, [the smoke] will dilute and disperse over time and eventually fall out,” Bela says. When rain, like the rain that California is getting now, enters the picture, things can happen much more quickly. “Rain as its falling will smash into particles and pick them up,” Bela says, even water vapor in clouds can get in on the act. Gases from the smoke can dissolve in the clouds, evolving into different chemical compounds and eventually falling out of the sky with the rain. Fischer, Bela, and the many researchers working with them all hope that their data will lead to a more nuanced view of wildfires and the smoke that billows out of them. To most of us, it might all look like a monotone apocalyptic smudge on the horizon. But as Bela points out: “There’s a lot going on up there.” Gadget News via The Verge https://ift.tt/1jLudMg November 21, 2018 at 02:53PM
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Grab the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One for $45 https://ift.tt/2R3gBT4 The standard edition of the new video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is down to $45 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 via Amazon today. It's a $60 game which still sells for full price otherwise. About a week ago Amazon had a special that dropped the game down to $40, but that promotion has since expired. This one is just a few bucks above that. This is the newest Call of Duty game, which just released last week. It has been met with a lot of praise for the variety in its multiplayer, including the new Battle Royale mode Blackout. Read more about it in our Windows Central review. It currently has a score of 88 at Metacritic, but Call of Duty is one of those games where it really doesn't matter what critics have to say. If you love this sort of shooter, then go for it. It's going to be a big game for a long time. We expect to see a lot of video games and gaming consoles on sale for Black Friday, so check out all the deals live right now. This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details. Gadget News via iMore - Learn more. Be more. https://www.imore.com/ November 21, 2018 at 02:45PM
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Amazon's Running Huge Black Friday Discounts on the Best Toothbrushes You Can Buy https://ift.tt/2QbaJJZ Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9300 [Black] | $165 | Amazon | After $25 coupon The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean attempts to fix the biggest problem with every other electric toothbrush: The person operating it. I know people are skeptical about Bluetooth-connected apps for devices that have existed without them for decades, but the Sonicare app is actually really cool. From our Inventory review:
In terms of the brush itself, you get basically every feature under the sun—this is the top-of-the-line in the Sonicare family, after all—including that awesome wireless charging cup. Advertisement You have two options for this deal. The 9300 series, which includes three brush heads, a travel case, and a wireless glass charger is down to $165 after clipping the $25 coupon. That’s the best price we’ve seen outside of Prime Day. Or, go all out for the 9700 series for $230, the best price we’ve ever seen. That adds an extra tongue cleaning mode, eight brush heads in the box, and a travel case that runs off of USB. Gadget News via Lifehacker https://lifehacker.com November 21, 2018 at 02:30PM
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Razer offers three-year protection plans for PCs and phones https://ift.tt/2QbacaZ Razer's gaming-oriented laptops and smartphones are expensive, and the last thing you likely want is to pay directly for a repair if one of them breaks. If you live in the US, you might not have to. The brand has launched a RazerCare Essential protection plan in the country that extends the usual warranty from one to three years for PCs (two years for phones), providing around-the-clock phone help, repairs from authorized dealers and free shipping for any repairs. The company won't ask for a deductible on PC repairs, although it will ask for $25 for phone repairs and $150 for phone replacements. How much it costs depends on your device. It starts at $100 for either generation of Razer Phone, but climbs to $200 for the Blade Stealth, $250 for the standard Blade and $300 for the Blade Pro. That's not trivial, but it's in line with other brands (Dell charges $249 for three years of Premium support on an XPS 13, for instance) and makes sense given its typically higher device prices. The question is whether or not RazerCare Essential compares well to others. The most obvious comparison is AppleCare (due to both naming and Razer's reputation as the "Apple for gamers"), and there it fares well. While Razer doesn't have a large retail network or options for accidental damage and theft, it does have much better PC deductibles (Apple charges a minimum $99 service fee) and better rates for non-screen issues. It's when you get to other Windows PC makers that it gets tricky. Dell's Premium support includes on-site support you just won't get from Razer, for example, while an HP Care Pack covers accidents and avoids deductibles. You may not buy a PC primarily with its after-sales support in mind, but it's worth checking if you're not completely committed to buying Razer hardware. Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com November 21, 2018 at 02:30PM
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Instagram’s new profile designs emphasize users instead of their follower count https://ift.tt/2FBDhIG Instagram announced on its press site today that the company is testing out new user profile layouts. “Over the next several weeks, you may see features re-arranged at the top of your profile including changes to icons, buttons and the way you navigate between tabs,” the blog post explains. Your photo grids will be safe, though, so you can breathe easy. Examples of potential changes can be seen above. The most notable part of the redesign is that follower counts appear to be de-emphasized, as they’re no longer at the top of your profile and are in a much smaller font. Twitter recently made a similar change to its iOS app, as the company thinks about how to prioritize “meaningful” conversation on the platform rather than focusing on numbers. Instagram is no doubt thinking about authenticity on its platform as well, as the company also recently started cracking down on fake followers, comments, and likes. The “Follow” and “Message” buttons sit next to each other, and you would be able to see your mutual followers when you tap on a user’s Following tab. The grid, posts, and tagged photos icons are now written out, and it appears IGTV might be getting its own tab. For business accounts, there’s a Shop tab, in addition to buttons like “Directions,” “Call,” and “Start Order.” Instagram says it’s working on these changes, and will be testing out different combinations in phases over the next few weeks. The company says it’ll keep experimenting with profiles based on feedback, so if you’re absolutely opposed to having an IGTV tab, better let them know. Gadget News via The Verge https://ift.tt/1jLudMg November 21, 2018 at 02:24PM
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After delay, Verizon is reportedly getting eSIM support by early December https://ift.tt/2OWG7r4 Verizon is close to adding dual SIM and eSIM support after an initial delay meant its network wouldn’t be able to work with the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR’s touted dual SIM capabilities. In an internal memo that was leaked to 9to5Mac, Verizon tells employees it’s now expecting to launch dual SIM support with an eSIM and a physical SIM paired together in early December. Apple initially announced that Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T would all support dual SIMs. But Verizon customers ran into a snag: you can only use Verizon’s physical SIM card for your primary line, and if you swap it over to your secondary line, the service gets downgraded to a 2G legacy network instead of LTE. As the carrier realized the secondary line won’t be able to support high-speed data and voice services, it held off on offering eSIM support, too. As a result, you’re unable to get full dual SIM capabilities with Verizon alone, and will need a second carrier. In a statement to The Verge at the time, Verizon said: “Based on our discussions with Apple, we believe these concerns will be resolved quickly and you should be able to add our great Verizon service on your secondary line before the end of the year.” Other US carriers were also obstructed by similar issues, suggesting that nobody in America is ready for dual SIM just yet. AT&T ended its dual SIM support when it found a bug with the iPhone Visual Voicemail feature not working on phones with two active lines. It’s working to resolve the issue. T-Mobile has similarly said that eSIM will be available once the software is ready. The timeline for Verizon’s dual SIM and eSIM adoption now seems narrowed down to early December, while the other carriers are more vague on when we can expect full dual SIM support. But so far, in the US, Apple is batting zero for three. Gadget News via The Verge https://ift.tt/1jLudMg November 21, 2018 at 02:17PM |
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