The Wirecutter’s best deals: the Pebble Steel, Fitbit Charge HR and more
This post was created in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
KEF Q100 Bookshelf Speakers
Street Price: $550; MSRP: $550; Deal Price: $300
This phenomenal deal on these speakers comes straight from KEF’s online store. This is by far the lowest price we’ve seen on this product. The deal has changed a little bit because the White version is now on backorder, but the other colors are fine and it still comes with free shipping.
The KEF Q100s are our step-up pick in our guide on the best bookshelf speakers. Chris Heinonen said, “The $550 KEF Q100 set is better than our pick in all regards. These speakers offer a clearer, more detailed sound, plus better bass and a full home theater lineup. Although this set is more expensive, it produces a difference you can hear.”
He added, “During complex test tracks like Beck’s ‘Lost Cause,’ on the Q100 pair the individual instruments were easier for us to pick out, while on other speakers they were more jumbled together.”
Nest 2.0 Smart Thermostat
Street Price: $249; MSRP: $249; Deal Price: $199
This matches the best price we’ve seen on this smart thermostat, which it briefly hit around Black Friday last year. The price drop is almost certainly due to the 3rd generation being announced; however, the improvements seem to be a more refined look and easier to read screen with the same performance.
The Nest 2.0 is our pick for best smart thermostat. Jason Snell said, “The $250 second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat (introduced in 2012) is the leader of this category for a reason. Its learning mode automatically programs the thermostat based on your home and usage, its industrial design is the best, and it works with many other smart-home devices. The Nest offers the best combination of style and substance, its software and apps are solid and elegant, and it integrates with more smart devices than any of its competitors—for now.”
Pebble Steel Smartwatch
Street Price: $150; MSRP: $220; Deal Price: $130
Amazon is currently offering the lowest price we’ve seen on this smartwatch. The deal is available on both the brushed stainless and the black matte models. One thing to note: Our smartwatch guide is currently on Wait! status while we test some new options, and the Pebble Steel is getting up there in age. However, while there are newer models of smartwatches available, including the Pebble Time, the Pebble Steel is still our pick for its better visibility, feel and style than every other watch we’ve tested.
The Pebble Steel is our top pick for the best smartwatch for Android phones. Kevin Purdy writes, “It’s an especially appealing introduction to smartwatches, it feels the least awkward, and it works remarkably well with an Android phone, offering many value-adding apps and phone controls.”
Fitbit Charge HR Wireless Activity Wristband
Street Price: $150; MSRP: $150; Deal Price: $120
If you’re planning to get out and exercise in the fall weather, this is a great price on this fitness tracker. We’ve seen lower in the past, but only by a few bucks (including a $117 deal on Prime Day). This deal from Buydig through their eBay store is available on the black and plum models.
The Fitbit Charge HR is our top pick for the best fitness tracker. Jim McDannald said, “The $150 wrist-mounted fitness tracker counts daily steps more accurately than the competition, features continuous heart rate monitoring, performs automatic sleep tracking, and is complemented by a mature and motivating app with support for third-party software.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Tags: deals, fitbit, fitbitchargehr, KEF, KEFQ100, nest, NestThermostat, partner, pebble, pebblesteel, syndicated, thewirecutter, wirecutter
Netflix teases second season of ‘Narcos’ a week after its debut
Netflix’s newest original series, Narcos, just hit the streaming service last week, and the early reviews have been positive. The company seems to think pretty highly of the show, too. In fact, it’s already teasing us with word of a second season. There’s no info on a premiere date or additional details right now, but we’d expect it to ship sometime next year. Until then, get to watching if you haven’t. It’s really quite good.
Coming soon. #Narcos https://t.co/elFgwjvsnj
— Narcos (@NarcosNetflix) September 3, 2015
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, HD
Tags: hdpostcross, narcos, netflix, streaming, television, tv
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and tab S2 Nook now available in the US
Back in mid-July, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S2, a higher-tier tablet that went on sale in the Asian market almost immediately thereafter. As expected, the tablet has now finally arrived in the US market as well.
The Tab S2 is offered in 8.0 and 9.7-inch configurations, both packing 4:3 ratios and the same octa-core Exynos 5433 processor with 3GB RAM, and other specs include either an 8 or 9.7-inch 2048×1536 SAMOLED display, 32 or 64GB storage, microSD, an 8MP rear, 2.1MP front, and a fingerprint scanner. The 8-inch version packs a 4000 mAh battery, while the larger model has a 5870 mAh battery. Both run on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with TouchWiz on top.
Read also: Tab S2 first impressions
As you can tell by the specs, this tablet isn’t quite as flagship or premium as you’d find on a high-end Samsung smartphone, though the specs are still fairly reasonable. That said, pricing might be a little too high for some, with the WiFi only version of the tablet costing around $399 for the 8-inch model and $499 for the 9.7-inch. The LTE versions are about $100 more.
For those interested in picking up the tablet, you’ll find the LTE model through T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. You can pick up the WiFi only 8.0 and 9.7 via Amazon. For those that are fans of the Nook series, the 8-inch version of the tablet is also now available as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Nook. Pricing and features are the same as the standard Tab S2 8.0, though the Nook edition includes three free ebook from Nook, three free electronic magazines, a $5 starter credit to the Nook store, and a few other Nook-focused goodies.
New LG smartphone shown off in TENAA images, LG’s next flagship?
Samsung’s 2015 strategy has been focused on moving away from past design decisions and aimed instead on a more premium image with toned down software. In contrast, LG’s strategy has largely been the opposite.
While the Galaxy S6 ditched removable backs, batteries, and plastic, the LG G4 offered all those things alongside a more premium leather backed variant for those that weren’t keen on plastic. Now that the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ have arrived with the same design choices, how will LG respond? As it turns out, LG looks to be gearing up for its own phablet-sized flagship, at least if new evidence from TENAA (China’s FCC equivalent) proves accurate.
As you can see, the filing delivers a number of images showing off a previously unknown handset, dubbed the LG LG-H968. The images don’t tell us anything specific about the specs, but the design appears to be made of plastic with a metal frame, and likely packs all the usual things you’d expect from such a device like microSD and a removable battery. You’ll also notice that LG’s iconic rear buttons make a reappearance here. Even more intriguing is the front facing camera, which has the sensors moved behind the glass protecting the display. There also seems to be what might be laser autofocus on the front.
So what exactly is this phone? We already knew LG was working on a “super premium” phone, though they later denied using such language to describe it. There have also been rumors of an LG G Note, suggesting that LG’s next flagship might go directly after the Note 5. That said, the filing here doesn’t mention or show a stylus, and so we can’t say for sure that this device really does pack an S-Pen rival.
Either way, we do believe it is a safe bet to assume that this is a phablet-sized phone and is intended to combat Samsung’s latest, though whether it has a stylus or will actually be called the “G Note” remains unclear. What do you think, do you hope that LG really does offer a Note competitor, is a high-end larger-sized flagship enough to interest you?
Samsung Gear S2 hands-on
Round smartwatches are not too common but with the Gear S2, Samsung is aiming to reinvent the wheel and take us back to a time when round was the norm. Its latest smartwatch is the company’s first attempt at making a round wearable, but has it been successful or has it succumbed to the same challenges that other OEMs have faced?
It’s time to find out in our first look and hands-on with Samsung’s new Gear S2.
Samsung has always tried to make its wearables different but with the Gear S2, the company is trying to really make an impact in the wearables arena by changing the way we interact and use a smartwatch. The Gear S2 is a round wearable but where others have struggled, predominantly thanks to the use of the square-focused Android Wear OS, Samsung has opted to create an entire experience built around the round device.
The Gear S2 comes in two versions to appeal to different markets; the regular Gear S2 is designed for active use and comes with a silicon band that’s actually quite nice and soft, while the Gear S2 Classic aims to appeal to the traditional quartz-watch lover with a leather strap that’s quite luxurious. To some degree, Samsung is taking inspiration from Apple by including two different band sizes (small and large) so the watch can be worn by people with both, big and small wrists.
The Gear S2 also comes with two buttons on the right of the watch; the top button lets you go back a step while the bottom button brings you straight back to the homescreen and from the homescreen, can be used to enter the apps drawer. On the back, you’ll find a heart rate monitor and while the watch itself is IP68 rated, this only applies to the watch face itself so if you get the classic version, don’t expect the leather to hold up well under water.
The real unique thing about the Gear S2’s design is Samsung’s innovative rotating bezel, which is no doubt the best part of this smartwatch. The bezel is used for navigation through the various parts of the interface – such as the watch faces, widgets, notifications, apps – and whenever you turn it, there’s an extremely satisfying click. This makes it not only very useful but also fun to use, and you’ll find yourself fiddling with it when you feel like procrastinating. With Samsung deploying the bezel to great effect, it does make you question why no one has thought of it until now.
On the front, the Gear S2 sports a round 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 360×360 pixels resolution that definitely stands out and looks impressive. The resolution is slightly higher than that used by rival devices and combined with the Super AMOLED technology, it certainly provides vibrant colors, deep blacks and great viewing angles.
Under the hood, the Gear S2 is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage, which should be more than enough for a smooth and seamless experience. It also comes with all of the usual connectivity you’d expect including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC, with the latter being used for Samsung Pay. The company is also looking to expand the use of NFC in a variety of ways including smart car keys, residential room keys or remotely controlling your home.
The Gear S2 is powered by a 250mAh battery, which Samsung says will deliver 2 to 3 days worth of battery life and this sounds more than reasonable for a smartwatch, especially considering some rival devices can barely last a day. Unlike past Gear devices, the Gear S2 is charged using a magnetic wireless charger that looks eerily similar to the Moto 360 charger and the watch snaps into place, making it quick and easy to dock it when you need to give it some juice.
Samsung has stuck to its own Tizen OS for the Gear S2 and to good effect; while other round wearables running Android Wear are square displays masquerading in a round body, Samsung has developed an entire interface specifically for its round wearable and it’s certainly impressive.
To the left of the watchface are all your notifications like messages and emails, while to the right side are all of your widgets and the Tizen OS lets you add a widget for almost anything. Some of the widget options include health and fitness, news, weather, social media and even music controls. The watch faces are also customizable using the Stylize option on the watch itself and not only can you change the watch face, you can change the way they look and the information displayed on the face itself.
Just like any typical OS, Tizen lets you receive notifications (such as emails and text messages) and reply to them from the watch but a key difference is in the reply methods available; like other smartwatches, you can send a predetermined response, enter text through voice input or send an emoji response but Samsung has also added a T9 keyboard to let you send a normal text response. The T9 keyboard uses the company’s predictive texting and for the most part, seems to work rather well (although we’ll test this in the full review).
The Gear S2 also comes with a really handy feature that lets you sync notifications through WiFi even if your watch isn’t directly connected to your phone via Bluetooth. The feature works similarly to Android Wear and as long as your watch is connected to a Wi-Fi network, your notifications will still sync through Samsung’s cloud servers.
A key part of any smartwatch experience is the ability to install apps to further enhance the feature set and this is something that has hurt the Tizen effort in the past. In order to make the Tizen platform as robust as possible, Samsung has partnered with a range of different companies like Ebay and Groupon for commerce, Twitter and Line for social, and CNN and Bloomberg for news. The list of partners is vast and Samsung says there are going to be around 1000 apps when the Gear S2 launches. If you’re big on fitness, Samsung has their own S Health app and has also partnered with companies like Nike and Lifesum to help you keep track of your goals.
One of the biggest changes with the Gear S2 is one that will impact on the device’s appeal; previous Tizen based Gear watches were only compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices but with the Gear S2, it will now work with any Android smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat or higher with at least 1.5GB RAM, which covers most current smartphones. This is a big change as it now means Samsung’s Tizen platform finally has the potential to succeed.
Samsung is yet to announce any pricing details for the Gear S2 but we have learned it will be heading our way starting in October. What do you think of Samsung’s Gear S2, which aims to put the art into smartwatch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Madfinger brings its new first-person zombie shooter UNKILLED to the Play Store
Madfinger Games, the developers behind the immensely popular Shadowgun and Dead Trigger series, have brought a new first-person zombie shooter to the Play Store. The new title is called UNKILLED, and like Dead Trigger, it’s completely over-the-top and features some killer graphics.
Here’s how the game works: you play as Joe, a member of an anti-zombie unit called WOLFPACK, which is a private military unit in New York that’s designed to track and kill zombies before the outbreak becomes global. On the surface, UNKILLED seems like any other zombie-slaying title, but since this is a Madfinger game, you can expect plenty of missions, in-game unlockables, various weapons and beautiful graphics. Specifically, there are 300 different missions in the game, a number of unique enemies and bosses, and there are even 50+ different weapons to choose from. Missions are pretty short for the most part, which will make it easy for playing on-the-go or if you’re in a time constraint.
We went hands-on with the new game at E3 2015 earlier this year, and you can see our video walkthrough below!
Don’t miss: Here are our impressions of Unkilled from Madfinger Games at E3 2015
UNKILLED is free-to-play with various in-app purchases ranging from $4.99 to $99.99 per item. You don’t necessarily need to purchase anything if you don’t want to, but the option is there if you’re interested. This title is also compatible with external controllers. While there’s no Android TV support at the moment, Madfinger says UNKILLED will expand to set-top boxes in the future. Be sure to head to the link below if you’re interested.
Download UNKILLED from Google Play
Developed by the legendary creators of acclaimed mobile games, this latest thrilling adventure is set in the zombie infested streets of New York. Hundreds of missions with an extensive weapon arsenal, unique bosses, and a story line with a conspiracy theme provide the players with long hours of perfect gaming fun.
September 3rd, 2015 Brno, Czech Republic MADFINGER Games continues to maintain its legendary status through consistent praise and the high rankings of its games in app communities.
The main plot takes place in NYC, the center of the world’s latest zombie outbreak. The gamers start out as Joe, a member of the antizombie unit WOLFPACK, a private military organization designed to find, track, and eliminate the zombie menace before it goes global.
“We’ve been inspired by the success of our previous game and decided to bring our players another perfect action shooter that would blur the line between console and mobile gameplay,” explains Pavel Cizek, the project leader of UNKILLED. “Fantastic feedback from the global community allowed us to focus on exactly those aspects that the players have the highest expectations for,” adds Cizek.
UNKILLED is mainly a beautiful, smooth, 1stpersonshooter action with a unique MFG control scheme for mobile devices triedandtested by millions of players. The Autofire shooting system lets player concentrate on the action. In addition, the game supports multiple gamepads.
Like before, gamers will enjoy an insane visual quality never before seen in mobile gaming. In the grand scheme of things, it means stunning graphics with many advanced effects like high resolution soft shadows, GPUsimulated particle effects numbering in the tens of thousands of textures, reflective surfaces, and post processing effects for a cinematic feel.
In whole, gameplay provides an amazingly long storyline with more than 100 missions, many unique enemies supported by special bosses, a diverse and huge arsenal of weapons, and unique allies to help player to survive and succeed in mission quests.
Apart from the story campaign missions, the players can look forward to many side missions where they complete quests in order to gain useful resources that allow them to buy new gadgets, weapons, and upgrades. Based on a similar principle, there are also special timed campaigns, each consisting of three missions.
Among the gadgets with the most entertaining potential are homing rockets that never miss their target, causing explosions that are one of the gameplay’s visual high points. Adrenaline, which slows down the zombies and thus provides more time for headshots, is equally interesting. Regularly spawning treasure chests contain other valuable resources needed for the progress in the game. Apart from gold, these can include special gadgets with temporary effects and unique singleuse weapons.
MADFINGER Games is a steady and dominant player in multimedia entertainment focusing on mobile platforms. Founded in 2009, Madfinger’s apps shot to the top of the charts in sales. Shortly thereafter, MADFINGER Games began cooperation with a number of significant companies from the gaming industry and has been regularly recognized with series of prestigious awards. A majority of recognition comes from Madfinger’s signature stunning visuals and excellent gameplay experiences. Today, MADFINGER Games continues to expand its portfolio with an inhouse staff of over 70 employees and games that have been downloaded by more than 100 million players.
International travelers need the Twist Plus+ World Charging Station
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Traveling abroad for work or play is always exciting, but it can also be a bit stressful. Among the many things to consider, like monetary conversion, is how you will charge up your phones, tablets and other gadgets. Often times you will need to pack at least one adapter kit for the location you are traveling too. Some just pack them all just in case. No one wants to add bulk to their travels unnecessarily. That is where the Twist Plus+ World Charging Station can make your traveling life a bit easier.
This nifty little gadget is an international travel charger that can power up 4 devices, plus a Macbook anywhere in over 150 countries. The unit measures in at 2.28 x 2.28 x 3.41 inches and weighs in at 0.39 lbs. It also offers up a built-in fuse for surge protection. Check out the video to get a better look.
The Twist Plus+ World Charging Station is currently on sale through StackSocial for $34.99 in US. If you are in Europe or Australia you are looking at $37.99 and $41.99 in South America, the Middle East or Africa. Hit the appropriate link for your country below.
Twist Plus+ World Charging Station (Europe/Australia)
Twist Plus+ World Charging Station (South America/Middle East/Africa)
Twist Plus+ World Charging Station
The post International travelers need the Twist Plus+ World Charging Station appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung keeps partnership with Barnes & Noble, launches Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK
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Barnes & Noble once had their own branded tablet, the NOOK
Basically you are getting all the goods that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
One would think that a B&N branded variant would come in with a slightly different cost than a stock one online, but it doesn’t. The Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK will retail for the same $399.99 that Samsung sells the device for. However, your purchase does garner you some additional perks that you won’t get else where like three free books, three magazines and a $5 credit towards their first purchase from the online store that is pre-installed. All of which are great if you a big reader.
Direct your browser over to NOOK.com to take a closer look and get your order placed if your do so desire.
Source: Barnes&Noble
The post Samsung keeps partnership with Barnes & Noble, launches Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
iPhone Continues to Increase Lead in U.S. Smartphone Market Share Ahead of ‘iPhone 6s’ Debut
The latest data from digital media analytics firm comScore shows that Apple continues to increase its lead over Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC and other handset makers in U.S. smartphone market share, less than one week before the launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
iPhones captured 44.2% market share among U.S. smartphone subscribers aged 13 and older based on a three-month average ending July 2015, an increase of 1.1 percentage points over the preceding three month average.
Samsung’s smartphone share in the U.S. dropped to 27.3% in July 2015, a decline of 1.3 percentage points over April 2015. LG, Motorola and HTC rounded off the top five smartphone makers with 8.7%, 4.9% and 3.5% smartphone market share in the U.S. respectively.
Android remained the most widely adopted smartphone platform in the U.S. with 51.4% market share based on the July 2015 data, trailed by iOS with 44.2% market share. Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Symbian accounted for 2.9%, 1.3% and 0.1% market share in the U.S. respectively.
Facebook ranked as the most popular smartphone app in the U.S. with 73.3% reach, according to comScore’s Mobile Metrix. Facebook Messenger, YouTube, Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, Pandora Radio, Gmail, Instagram and Yahoo Stocks rounded off the top ten apps.
Apple is set to announce the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus at its September 9th media event in San Francisco.
Movie studios going after Popcorn Time users in new lawsuit
Popcorn Time made a name for itself as the “Netflix for Torrents,” which is obviously a pretty legally ambiguous area in many countries. Needless to say, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that a new round of lawsuits is being handed out to Popcorn Time users.
The lawsuits are coming from the movie studio behind The Expendables movies, and they’re going after users that streamed Pierce Brosnan’s Survivor. The studio tracked IP addresses that downloaded or shared the movie, and they’re planning on subpoenaing ISPs for real names. Not good news for anyone on the service.
This is unique case in that the movie studio is going after individual users, not just distributors or the site itself. Technically, though, streaming movies like this is illegal in the US, so the studio will probably have a case. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
source: Wall Street Journal
via: Engadget
Come comment on this article: Movie studios going after Popcorn Time users in new lawsuit
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