These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.

Wondering where to go to save a couple of bucks on a data package? We can help.

There are so many different data plans offered by both the “Big Four” major carriers, but usually, the cheapest tier is not even worth its price when you factor in things like taxes and monthly device activation fees. To that end, you might consider a smaller carrier or an MVNO — known to some as “alternative carriers” — which typically piggyback on those larger networks. You can get enough data coverage for a reasonable price if you shop around long enough. We can help you get started with this list of the cheapest data plans you’ll find.

March 6, 2017: This is an active list of cheap data plans and will continually be updated when new ones are discovered or announced.

US Mobile

US Mobile uses T-Mobile’s available spectrum where it’s available and you can build your own monthly cell phone plan. You could theoretically pay as little as $10 for 100 minutes of talk, 100 text messages, and 100MB of data, if you wanted. But for a more reasonable monthly data plan, it’s about $16 a month for 1GB of data.

See at US Mobile

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Tracfone

Tracfone primarily piggybacks on AT&T’s network. The cheapest plan is $15 a month for 200MB of data, though you can add more as you please. You can get 1GB of data per month for $20.

See at TracFone

Republic Wireless

For $20 a month, you can get 1GB of data on Republic Wireless, which leases its capacity from Sprint and uses T-Mobile’s network for data. If you don’t find a need for a whole gigabyte, however, you can pay $15 for talk and text, though you’ll have to add on data as you go. You can also bring over your own phone as you please.

See at Republic Wireless

FreedomPop

In this too-good-to-be-true saga, FreedomPop offers 500MB of data, 500 texts, and 200 minutes for free. All you have to do is check to see if it’s available in your area —It’s based in Los Angeles, so coverage may be limited —and then buy a smartphone. If you just want a SIM kit, Freedom Pop also offers unlimited data for $20 a month, though the first month is free.

See at FreedomPop

Total Wireless

This is the Tracfone-tangent brand that’s offered at WalMart. For $35 a month, you can get 5GB of data and unlimited talk and text. This particular branch leases its capacity from Verizon.

See at Total Wireless

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Mint SIM

Get 2GB of data and unlimited talk and text for $35 a month. If you pay for more than a few months at a time, Mint SIM offers hefty discounts. This particular carrier runs off of T-Mobile’s network.

See at Mint SIM

Your turn

What are your favorite cheap data plans in the U.S.? Let us know in the comments below!

Galaxy S8 release could land as late as April 28, opening door for LG G6 sales

Timing is everything in the high-end smartphone world.

We now have a set-in-stone announce date of March 29 for the Galaxy S8, but the actual release date for the phone hitting retailers is still in flux. A report from VentureBeat claims Samsung may wait just shy of a full month after announcement to release the Galaxy S8 on April 29.

That’s a week later than the first expected release of April 21, which in itself is about a week longer than Samsung traditionally takes to get a phone out into the market after announcement. In the past few years, Samsung has done an incredible job of having pre-orders within a week of the launch event, with in-store availability a week after that.

While an extra week in the grand scheme of a 12-18 month phone lifecycle isn’t detrimental, it does give LG some hope of piling up G6 sales for just that bit longer without any competition. LG is expected to widely release the new G6 at the start of April, with initial leaks pointing to a U.S. release date of April 7.

Samsung will surely make up the difference in sales in short order, but in either case it means fans of the Galaxy S8 will have to wait just a little bit longer to get their hands on one.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

• Latest Galaxy S8 rumors!
• Galaxy S8 announcement coming March 29 in NYC
• Galaxy S8 release date set for April 28
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Lightroom Mobile adds RAW HDR capture for Pixels, Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

There’s something wonderful about being able to use professional-level processing on your phone.

Lightroom Mobile is taking another awesome step to get people using its built-in camera app rather than simply processing photos taken in the phone’s default app, adding RAW HDR capture for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

In typical HDR fashion, Lightroom captures three photos at once and merges them together to create an image with a higher range of light and colors. The difference here is when capturing in RAW, each of those three photos itself has more image data, giving Lightroom more to process in the end — and giving you more room to tweak it after the fact.

Adobe says the limitation to just these four phones is “in keeping with stringent Adobe requirements around product quality and stability,” which is frustrating but makes complete sense when you think about it. Very few phones have the processing power to pull off RAW HDR capture smoothly, and of those that have the power Adobe has only tested this handful. There’s a good chance more phones can be added here as testing is done.

But if you have one of the aforementioned phones, and are a bit of a photography buff that understands the greatness of combining RAW capture with HDR, you’ll want to check out the latest update to Lightroom Mobile. You may not switch to using Lightroom as your main camera app, but it’s just another tool to have around for when you need a little extra help capturing a scene.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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Verizon

The LG V20 is really popular in Canada, expanding to three new carriers

The V20 is coming to more carriers in Canada because LG says customers demanded it.

LG Canada appears to be on a high. The company announced during MWC that its flagship G6 would be available across multiple carriers — a given in this highly-subsidized market — and now it has revealed that its fall hero phone, the V20, would be expanding to two of the country’s biggest providers.

The V20 was, until now, only available on smaller regional carriers Freedom Mobile and Videotron, but will be sold at Rogers and sub-brand Fido, along with rival Bell, after the company says intense consumer demand forced its hand.

“Announcing additional carrier partners for the LG V20 means supporting our consumer demands, which LG strives to achieve in every strategic decision,” said Shelly Walia, Brand Manager, Mobile Communications at LG Electronics Canada. “The positive reaction post-launch in October drove us to secure additional Canadian partners. We’re proud to partner with Bell, FIDO, Freedom Mobile, Rogers and Videotron to ensure people have options.”

Freedom Mobile LTE: Should you switch?

The V20 is still the only flagship handset in the Canadian market to support Band 66, which combines AWS-1 and AWS-3 spectrum into a single unified band. While the V20 on its own is a great handset, it has proven essential for Freedom Mobile’s nascent LTE network, which is live in several cities across Canada, with plans to expand even further in mid-2017.

LG V20

• LG V20 review: Built for power users
• LG V20 specs
• All LG V20 news
• LG V20 vs. Galaxy Note 7
• Discuss the V20 in the forums!

AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
B&H

Leaked: This is the Samsung Galaxy S8

We’re rapidly heading into Samsung Galaxy S8 launch season, and thanks to a steady stream of leaked information, we’ve got a pretty good idea what’s coming. So let’s take a look at some late-breaking GS8 leaks!

Our clearest look at the GS8 to date comes from a pair of legitimate-looking sources, one render released by veteran leaker Evan Blass, and another series of live photos from BGR. In the meantime, peppered into the mix, are a series of blurry-cam images from Chinese social network Weibo, offering fleeting glimpses of the next Samsung flagships.

Major tentpole features include enormous 5.7- and 6.2-inch “Infinity Display” panels with super-slim bezels, the latest processor from either Qualcomm or Samsung, depending on where you live, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner that might be a little tricky to reach, and a (possibly) upgraded 12-megapixel rear shooter. We’ve broken down the latest GS8 leaks in the video above, because what else are you going to do while you wait for the March 29 announcement?

• Android Central on YouTube
• More Samsung Galaxy S8 leaks + rumors
• Top Galaxy S7 Nougat features
• LG G6 review: GS8-beater?

Jay Z launches a venture capital firm to back startups

Jay Z was rumored to be launching a venture capital firm, and it looks like the scuttlebutt was true. His company Roc Nation has formed Arrive, a VC “platform” that will help younger startups build their brands and businesses. Roc is betting that its experience in fostering artists and athletes will translate to the corporate world. Arrive doesn’t have a fund of its own just yet, but one is in the works.

A VC firm by itself isn’t anything novel. However, Jay Z clearly has a deep stake in the technology world. He owns Tidal, of course, but he also has investments (whether directly or through Roc) in Uber, Stance and other relevant startups. Arrive could help Jay Z shape the tech he likes in its earliest stages, rather than forcing him to wait until a company is more mature. This would also help him acquire the more promising companies before someone else can swoop in.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: PRNewswire (Yahoo)

Apple to Accept WWDC Scholarship Applications March 27, Lodging Now Included

Each year, Apple offers free WWDC scholarships to students and STEM organization members who don’t have the funds to attend the company’s developer conference.

For 2017, Apple will begin accepting scholarship submissions on March 27, as is outlined on an updated scholarship website Apple shared today. Submissions will be accepted from March 27 at 10:00 a.m. until April 2 at 5:00 p.m. Winning applicants will be notified of their status on Friday, April 21.

Scholarships traditionally offer free tickets to WWDC, a huge benefit as a ticket is normally priced at $1,599. Flights and accommodations are not typically included, but starting this year, Apple is providing free lodging.

WWDC scholarship applicants must be at least 13 years old, registered as an Apple developer, and enrolled in a part-time or full-time course of study. Members and alumni of a STEM organization are also eligible.

Apple instructs prospective scholarship attendees to share a visually interactive scene created in Swift Playgrounds that can be experienced in three minutes. Swift Playgrounds for iPad or Xcode on macOS must be used, and Apple will judge applications on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and the content of written responses.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from June 5 to June 9 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. It is the first WWDC that hasn’t been held in San Francisco since 2003.

While the conference is designed to allow developers to interact with Apple engineers and employees, Apple will hold a keynote event on June 5 to announce new software updates, including iOS 11 and macOS 10.13.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
Discuss this article in our forums

Adobe Lightroom mobile now captures RAW images in HDR mode

If you enjoy capturing high dynamic range (HDR) images with your phone, Adobe just added a new feature to Lightroom mobile that might come in handy. Starting today on both Android and iOS versions of the app, you can capture those HDR scenes as RAW files. The software automatically scans your subject to determine the ideal exposure range before snapping three photos in Adobe’s DNG RAW format. Lightroom mobile will then employ algorithms to do all the aligning, merging, tone mapping and more to build the final 32-bit RAW image.

Adobe says the tech at work in Lightroom mobile is the same quality as what you’d encounter when using Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom on the desktop. HDR photography has certainly come along way from the days of manually editing together a few photos taken at different exposures to produced the desired effect. The company isn’t the first to offer an HDR tool on a mobile device, but it does offer the convenience of being able to sync those RAW snapshots across devices if you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber.

Unfortunately, there are some device restrictions on the new RAW HDR capture tool. On iOS, you’ll need to have an iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6s/6S Plus, iPhone SE or iPad Pro 9.7. Those are the Apple mobile devices capable of capturing DNG photos. For Android users, the update only supports Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge, Google Pixel and Pixel XL. Adobe says the reason for this is that it needed to ensure stability and high quality output from those algorithms. Galaxy S7/S7 Edge and Pixel handsets have the processing power under the hood to make that happen. The company is working on adding more devices to the fold “as soon as possible.”

In terms of other updates to Lightroom mobile, iOS users can now export original files imported through Lightroom mobile and Lightroom on the web. Yes, that includes those DNG RAW images. You can also now use swipe gestures to rate and review photos and there’s a new Notification Center widget that offers quick access to in-app camera. On Android, Lightroom mobile’s linear and radial selection tools that debuted on the iOS version last year are now available.

Source: Adobe

Google Home spouts fake news in response to questions

Google is once again showing the benefits of human curation when it comes to fake news. Several sources have noticed that Google Home is reading back very bad information in response to questions like “is Obama planning a coup?” Citing the very dubious “Secrets of the Fed” site, it replies that “not only could Obama be in bed with the Communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a Communist coup d’etat at the end of his term in 2016!”

So why is Google giving you this right-wing conspiracy acid-trip? Basically, it’s quoting Google’s own “featured snippets,” results that show up at the top of the page for certain search terms. Unlike the “Knowledge Graph,” which shows reliable, well-sourced replies, featured snippets “provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query,” Google told Recode.

In other words, the information is first surfaced by a bot from not-necessarily-reliable sources, then read back to you by Google Home (powered by Google Assistant AI). The device focuses on featured snippets because it would be impractical to read a list of search results. By contrast, Amazon’s Alexa also tries to answer queries, but according to Recode, it simply says that “I can’t find the answer to the question I heard” in response to the same Obama question.

Google definitely knows about the issue, saying “unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content.” For now, it’s fixing bad results on a case-by-case basis when they’re reported.

So, why doesn’t it just scrub the featured snippets program until it can be sure the results are reliable? Apparently, people love the easy-to-digest results, and “it’s having a very good impact on the search results,” a consultant told The Outline last year. In other words, it’s too good for Google’s bottom line, so it probably won’t change things unless it turns into a full-on PR nightmare.

Via: Recode

Source: Rory Cellan-Jones (Twitter)

Parking ticket chat bot now helps refugees claim asylum

Joshua Browder’s chat bot lawyer, DoNotPay, is clearly multi-talented — after getting people out of parking fines, it’s now helping refugees find a home in a new country. Browder has adapted the AI to offer aid to asylum seekers in the US and Canada, and asylum support in the UK. The Facebook Messenger bot turns the asylum application process into a series of simple questions. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have a filled form ready to go. Refugees in the UK still have to apply in person, but those in the US and Canada are largely set once they’ve finished the conversation.

DoNotPay will automatically delete information within 10 minutes of completing a transaction, so it won’t store sensitive data after the fact.

This isn’t a complete solution. Browder still wants to translate the bot into other languages (Arabic is next in line), and it’s not going to help much if there are problems with an asylum case. The developer would also like to support WhatsApp in the future. Even so, this could be a big help for refugees who might have trouble deciphering a form, or can’t easily make it to a location where they’ll get assistance. And Browder believes that even this initial version is particularly useful in the current political climate, where refugees might have to make a sudden change of plans.

Source: The Guardian, Facebook Messenger