Hold your sides and check out these April Fools’ Day tech jokes
April 1 is a day when you shouldn’t believe any product announcement being made, as there’s an excellent chance it’ll be utter nonsense. And if it turns out to be real, then either the marketing folk need to be fired for launching on on that day, or your product needs a rethink, as the world clearly thought it was a joke.
We’re here to guide you through the nightmare of what’s real and isn’t with our favorite April Fools’ Day gags for 2017. Keep checking back, as we’ll update with new ones that tickle our funny bone.
Lyft Mono
Ride-hailing app Lyft has gone all out with this one. The Mono is a piece of wearable tech for grabbing a Lyft ride with just a flick of the thumb. The LED lighting array — in magenta, naturally — pulsates at different speeds, depending on how close your Lyft car is. There’s a glitzy website devoted to the Mono, and even a pop-up shop in San Francisco where you can try it out, according to The Verge. But don’t fall for it — the Mono is very much an April Fools’ Day joke.
However, that’s not going to stop Lyft giving a few of the versions it built for the promotion away, and you can enter here.
Man Crates Man Freights
Gift service Man Crates now lets you do more than send a crate as a gift. The Man Freights service enables you to deliver it yourself, inside a crate of your own. Provided you’re a “medium-sized person” and can get to a delivery center, you’ll get nailed inside the crate, ready to be handed over to the recipient after only two or three business days.
OnePlus Dash Energy
Dash Charge is OnePlus’s own fast charging system for its smartphones, and now it’s introducing Dash Energy, which brings power-boosting goodness to you personally. Apparently, it’s a “Neural performance enhancer instilled into a caffeinated beverage suitable for human consumption,” which sounds an awful lot like an energy drink to us. Check out the video above to see the effects, which include instant alertness, energy, and concentration.
The great thing is you can actually try it out, because OnePlus will be distributing Dash Energy at a few special locations in London, plus through online through promotions in Europe, Finland, and India on April 1. You can find a list of them here.
Lexus Lane Valet
Lexus feels our pain. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck behind a slow lane hog, but with its new Lane Valet feature, we can shift them out of the way safely and easily. It’s autonomous driving technology, but for the car in front of you.
Kik Storyz
We love subtle April Fools’ Day gags, and this is definitely one of them. Kik Messenger has introduced Storyz, a way to share tiny video clips through the platform that friends can subscribe to and watch. The videos then expire after 23 hours and 57 minutes. Wait. That’s almost exactly what Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp copied from Snapchat, right? Kik’s not falling for it, and neither should you. The only thing is if Kik does add a Story-style feature in the future, this may come back to haunt it.
World of Tanks — Next Stop: Mars
Another April Fools’ gag you can actually try out for yourself. World of Tanks heads to Mars for a limited time, where you battle against each other and the alien hordes in a spectacular low-gravity environment, complete with teleportation units for the ultimate in surprise attacks. The game mode, called Next Stop: Mars, is only available between March 31 and April 2.
SkunkLock Organic
Want an environmentally friendly way of protecting your bike, that also looks a tiny bit cute? Then you want the SkunkLock Organic, a follow-up to the company’s unusual bike lock that’s filled with a vomit-inducing gas. That’s right, the SkunkLock isn’t the April Fools’ gag. The SkunkLock Organic attaches a real skunk to your bike.
Roku SnackSuggest
It’s sometimes difficult to satisfy food cravings when you’re watching Game of Thrones. Roku’s new SnackSuggest feature says you need chicken wings, mutton, and ale to complete the experience. For Vampire Diaries, how about some garlic fries and red velvet cupcakes? It’s scientific too, basing snack recommendations on your BMI, dietary requirements, and taste preferences. Watching The Walking Dead may never be the same again …
Honda H-Swipe
Why restrict Tinder’s popular swipe-based method of finding a date to an app? Honda realized the windscreen wipers on its cars could perform a similar function, and so the automaker is introducing s-wipers, the H-Swipe app, and geo-location tech on future vehicles. Location data finds a potential date, and the wipers are used to signal your interest — left for “phwoor!” and right for “nahhh” presumably.
Hold your sides and check out these April Fools’ Day tech jokes
April 1 is a day when you shouldn’t believe any product announcement being made, as there’s an excellent chance it’ll be utter nonsense. And if it turns out to be real, then either the marketing folk need to be fired for launching on on that day, or your product needs a rethink, as the world clearly thought it was a joke.
We’re here to guide you through the nightmare of what’s real and isn’t with our favorite April Fools’ Day gags for 2017. Keep checking back, as we’ll update with new ones that tickle our funny bone.
Lyft Mono
Ride-hailing app Lyft has gone all out with this one. The Mono is a piece of wearable tech for grabbing a Lyft ride with just a flick of the thumb. The LED lighting array — in magenta, naturally — pulsates at different speeds, depending on how close your Lyft car is. There’s a glitzy website devoted to the Mono, and even a pop-up shop in San Francisco where you can try it out, according to The Verge. But don’t fall for it — the Mono is very much an April Fools’ Day joke.
However, that’s not going to stop Lyft giving a few of the versions it built for the promotion away, and you can enter here.
Man Crates Man Freights
Gift service Man Crates now lets you do more than send a crate as a gift. The Man Freights service enables you to deliver it yourself, inside a crate of your own. Provided you’re a “medium-sized person” and can get to a delivery center, you’ll get nailed inside the crate, ready to be handed over to the recipient after only two or three business days.
OnePlus Dash Energy
Dash Charge is OnePlus’s own fast charging system for its smartphones, and now it’s introducing Dash Energy, which brings power-boosting goodness to you personally. Apparently, it’s a “Neural performance enhancer instilled into a caffeinated beverage suitable for human consumption,” which sounds an awful lot like an energy drink to us. Check out the video above to see the effects, which include instant alertness, energy, and concentration.
The great thing is you can actually try it out, because OnePlus will be distributing Dash Energy at a few special locations in London, plus through online through promotions in Europe, Finland, and India on April 1. You can find a list of them here.
Lexus Lane Valet
Lexus feels our pain. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck behind a slow lane hog, but with its new Lane Valet feature, we can shift them out of the way safely and easily. It’s autonomous driving technology, but for the car in front of you.
Kik Storyz
We love subtle April Fools’ Day gags, and this is definitely one of them. Kik Messenger has introduced Storyz, a way to share tiny video clips through the platform that friends can subscribe to and watch. The videos then expire after 23 hours and 57 minutes. Wait. That’s almost exactly what Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp copied from Snapchat, right? Kik’s not falling for it, and neither should you. The only thing is if Kik does add a Story-style feature in the future, this may come back to haunt it.
World of Tanks — Next Stop: Mars
Another April Fools’ gag you can actually try out for yourself. World of Tanks heads to Mars for a limited time, where you battle against each other and the alien hordes in a spectacular low-gravity environment, complete with teleportation units for the ultimate in surprise attacks. The game mode, called Next Stop: Mars, is only available between March 31 and April 2.
SkunkLock Organic
Want an environmentally friendly way of protecting your bike, that also looks a tiny bit cute? Then you want the SkunkLock Organic, a follow-up to the company’s unusual bike lock that’s filled with a vomit-inducing gas. That’s right, the SkunkLock isn’t the April Fools’ gag. The SkunkLock Organic attaches a real skunk to your bike.
Roku SnackSuggest
It’s sometimes difficult to satisfy food cravings when you’re watching Game of Thrones. Roku’s new SnackSuggest feature says you need chicken wings, mutton, and ale to complete the experience. For Vampire Diaries, how about some garlic fries and red velvet cupcakes? It’s scientific too, basing snack recommendations on your BMI, dietary requirements, and taste preferences. Watching The Walking Dead may never be the same again …
Honda H-Swipe
Why restrict Tinder’s popular swipe-based method of finding a date to an app? Honda realized the windscreen wipers on its cars could perform a similar function, and so the automaker is introducing s-wipers, the H-Swipe app, and geo-location tech on future vehicles. Location data finds a potential date, and the wipers are used to signal your interest — left for “phwoor!” and right for “nahhh” presumably.
Hold your sides and check out these April Fools’ Day tech jokes
April 1 is a day when you shouldn’t believe any product announcement being made, as there’s an excellent chance it’ll be utter nonsense. And if it turns out to be real, then either the marketing folk need to be fired for launching on on that day, or your product needs a rethink, as the world clearly thought it was a joke.
We’re here to guide you through the nightmare of what’s real and isn’t with our favorite April Fools’ Day gags for 2017. Keep checking back, as we’ll update with new ones that tickle our funny bone.
Lyft Mono
Ride-hailing app Lyft has gone all out with this one. The Mono is a piece of wearable tech for grabbing a Lyft ride with just a flick of the thumb. The LED lighting array — in magenta, naturally — pulsates at different speeds, depending on how close your Lyft car is. There’s a glitzy website devoted to the Mono, and even a pop-up shop in San Francisco where you can try it out, according to The Verge. But don’t fall for it — the Mono is very much an April Fools’ Day joke.
However, that’s not going to stop Lyft giving a few of the versions it built for the promotion away, and you can enter here.
Man Crates Man Freights
Gift service Man Crates now lets you do more than send a crate as a gift. The Man Freights service enables you to deliver it yourself, inside a crate of your own. Provided you’re a “medium-sized person” and can get to a delivery center, you’ll get nailed inside the crate, ready to be handed over to the recipient after only two or three business days.
OnePlus Dash Energy
Dash Charge is OnePlus’s own fast charging system for its smartphones, and now it’s introducing Dash Energy, which brings power-boosting goodness to you personally. Apparently, it’s a “Neural performance enhancer instilled into a caffeinated beverage suitable for human consumption,” which sounds an awful lot like an energy drink to us. Check out the video above to see the effects, which include instant alertness, energy, and concentration.
The great thing is you can actually try it out, because OnePlus will be distributing Dash Energy at a few special locations in London, plus through online through promotions in Europe, Finland, and India on April 1. You can find a list of them here.
Lexus Lane Valet
Lexus feels our pain. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck behind a slow lane hog, but with its new Lane Valet feature, we can shift them out of the way safely and easily. It’s autonomous driving technology, but for the car in front of you.
Kik Storyz
We love subtle April Fools’ Day gags, and this is definitely one of them. Kik Messenger has introduced Storyz, a way to share tiny video clips through the platform that friends can subscribe to and watch. The videos then expire after 23 hours and 57 minutes. Wait. That’s almost exactly what Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp copied from Snapchat, right? Kik’s not falling for it, and neither should you. The only thing is if Kik does add a Story-style feature in the future, this may come back to haunt it.
World of Tanks — Next Stop: Mars
Another April Fools’ gag you can actually try out for yourself. World of Tanks heads to Mars for a limited time, where you battle against each other and the alien hordes in a spectacular low-gravity environment, complete with teleportation units for the ultimate in surprise attacks. The game mode, called Next Stop: Mars, is only available between March 31 and April 2.
SkunkLock Organic
Want an environmentally friendly way of protecting your bike, that also looks a tiny bit cute? Then you want the SkunkLock Organic, a follow-up to the company’s unusual bike lock that’s filled with a vomit-inducing gas. That’s right, the SkunkLock isn’t the April Fools’ gag. The SkunkLock Organic attaches a real skunk to your bike.
Roku SnackSuggest
It’s sometimes difficult to satisfy food cravings when you’re watching Game of Thrones. Roku’s new SnackSuggest feature says you need chicken wings, mutton, and ale to complete the experience. For Vampire Diaries, how about some garlic fries and red velvet cupcakes? It’s scientific too, basing snack recommendations on your BMI, dietary requirements, and taste preferences. Watching The Walking Dead may never be the same again …
Honda H-Swipe
Why restrict Tinder’s popular swipe-based method of finding a date to an app? Honda realized the windscreen wipers on its cars could perform a similar function, and so the automaker is introducing s-wipers, the H-Swipe app, and geo-location tech on future vehicles. Location data finds a potential date, and the wipers are used to signal your interest — left for “phwoor!” and right for “nahhh” presumably.
Innovative ‘microwave helmet’ isn’t for cooking brains — it’s for saving them
Why it matters to you
Diagnosing possible brain bleeds at the site of an accident is difficult. A portable stroke-detection microwave helmet may help.
When it comes to traumatic brain injuries, time is of the essence. According to one famous study, the survival rate for patients with bleeding in the brain falls from 70 percent to 10 percent if the skull isn’t opened up and the accumulated blood (hematoma) drained or removed inside of four hours.
The trouble is that diagnosing whether or not a person has a hematoma requires a CT scan, which can often involve waiting in a long queue. A new study carried out by researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden offers one possible solution: using a portable stroke-detection helmet to diagnose intracranial bleeding at the scene of the accident.
More: This smart anti-concussion football helmet was created by a 19-year-old student
“If there’s a road traffic accident and a person is left unconscious, there’s really no commonly used way of knowing whether they’re suffering from a concussion, or whether the patient has an intracranial hematoma,” lead researcher Johan Ljungqvist, a neurosurgeon at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, told Digital Trends. “They have to be taken to hospital first, and given a CT scan of the head to see if there’s any bleeding. This device, on the other hand, could be used on the scene. This could allow the patients to be triaged, so that those with hematomas go straight to trauma centers or into surgery, while those who don’t can go to other hospitals.”
The Strokefinder device is the product of a medical device company called Medfield Diagnostics. It’s a padded helmet featuring eight microwave antennas, which use tiny amounts of microwave radiation to tell the difference between strokes involving clots that block the flow of blood and ones that involve bleeding.
Medfield Diagnostics
While sticking your head in a microwave helmet sounds slightly alarming, the antennas are actually very similar to the ones used in your regular cellphones — although the amount of radiation users receive is between just 1/100th and 1/10th of what you’d absorb over the course of an average phone conversation. The whole process takes just 45 seconds.
Despite being designed to help with strokes, the technology also works well for diagnosing traumatic brain injuries. The hematomas the researchers looked at were not the kind that would be suffered in the course of a road accident, but Ljungqvist is cautiously optimistic that they could be used to detect these as well. “It’s too early to start using this device in clinical practice, but it shows that it has great potential for that,” he said.
Going forward, Ljungqvist said additional studies will have to be done — particularly if the technology might one day be used to rule out a patient receiving a CT scan.
That was quick! Verizon to install adware on phones after privacy rules repealed
Why it matters to you
Verizon’s new AppFlash app has seriously negative implications for privacy.
Update: The Electronic Frontier Foundation has withdrawn its post in light of additional information from Verizon. “As we said earlier this week, we are testing AppFlash to make app discovery better for consumers,” Kelly Crummey, Director of Verizon Corporate Communications, told the EFF. “The test is on a single phone – LG K20 V – and you have to opt-in to use the app. Or, you can easily disable the app. Nobody is required to use it.”
How’s that for timing? Just days after Congress voted to repeal online privacy protections that would effectively give internet service providers (ISPs) the power to harvest your browsing data and sell it to the highest bidder, Verizon announced plans to install a service — AppFlash — on subscribers’ devices that will track what apps they’ve downloaded.
AppFlash emerged from startup Evie’s existing app launcher and web search tool, which is also named Evie. After Evie debuted its eponymous launcher a few months back, it teamed up with Verizon for AppFlash. It pops up whenever you swipe to the left of the home screen, and provides a search bar that parses preinstalled apps for restaurants, movies, music, and apps.
More: Verizon fined $1.35 million for tracking customers without them knowing
AppFlash searches the content within those apps, too — if you search for a TV show, you’ll see a list of services currently offering it. And it recommends apps using virtualization technology: You can stream up to a minute of an app from Evie’s servers free of charge.
But according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Evie’s true purpose is far more nefarious. When it begins to roll out to Android Devices on Verizon’s network in the coming weeks, it will have the power to collect such information as your phone number, your phone’s serial number and operating system, the list of apps you’ve installed, your location, and your contact information. And it will use that information to target advertising on third-party websites.
TechCrunch
“AppFlash information may be shared within the Verizon family of companies,” AppFlash’s privacy policy reads, “including companies like AOL, who may use it to help provide more relevant advertising within the AppFlash experiences and in other places.”
More: Verizon Wireless starts tracking and sharing sites that users visit
That means AppFlash could, in theory, target ads for formula feeding and diapers to subscribers who’ve downloaded a fertility app. Folks who use the Narcotics Anonymous app could get pop-ups for pharmaceutical treatments. And there’s no end to the slippery slope from there.
AppFlash’s privacy policy implies the data collection is necessary for the app’s on-demand services to work — it can’t serve up local movie times, for example, without knowing your current location. But the EFF points out that it will provide a common target for hackers — it will be installed on most Android devices on Verizon’s network.
This is not the first time Verizon has drawn fire for its ad-tracking practices.
TechCrunch
In 2012, under an initiative called Precision Market Insights, Verizon began selling information about subscribers’ geographical locations, app usage, and Web-browsing activities. It reserved the right to link that data to third-party databases with information about customers’ gender, age, and details such as “sports enthusiast, frequent diner, or pet owner.”
More: Verizon customers can now opt out of privacy-invading tracking cookies
And in 2014, Verizon rolled out “supercookie” tracking technology that followed users’ browsing histories. It created a permanent profile of habits, likes, and interests that couldn’t be deleted, even if subscribers used a private browsing mode or selected “Do Not Track” in their settings.
“We’re able to view just everything that they do,” Bill Diggins, U.S. chief for Verizon Wireless marketing, said at an industry conference. “And that’s really where data is going today. Data is the new oil.”
FlashApp has yet to roll out. But when it does, you can bet on a long, protracted battle between Verizon, its subscribers, and privacy advocates.
Updated on 03-31-2017: Added statement from Verizon.
Don’t forget, pick up those Apple dongles today or lose out on some savings
Why it matters to you
If you’ve procrastinated on picking up some Apple USB Type-C dongles for your MacBook Pro, then today’s the day to act.
One of the least welcome aspects of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro machines was the decision to move completely away from legacy ports. The decision to use exclusively Thunderbolt 3 connections is a forward-looking move that leaves some current owners in a lurch when it comes to their installed base of older USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, and other devices.
Apple responded to customer complaints by offering special pricing on their dongles that allow the use of all sorts of legacy connections. That was always a short-term prospect and if you’ve procrastinated then you might want to head over to the Apple Store — the sale price ends Friday.
More: Apple slashes the price of USB-C dongles over MacBook Pro port outcry
That might not be a huge deal to you if you only need a single dongle. But if you need to connect a bunch of different legacy peripherals, then the savings could really add up. As a refresher, here’s a list of all the dongles that Apple has been offering at a discount:
- USB-C to standard USB: $9, down from $19
- USB-C to Lightning cable (1 meter): $19, down from $25
- USB-C to Lightning cable (2 meters): $29, down from $35
- Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter: $29, down from $49
- Multiport adapter with USB-C, USB, and HDMI: $49, down from $69
- Multiport adapter with USB-C, USB, and VGA: $49, down from $69
Of course, you could also look at the host of third-party solutions. Options include not only dongles like the ones that Apple is selling with their logo emblazoned on them, but also more expensive and feature-packed hubs. The latter do more than just allow for a single device — or a few devices — to connect, but they can also provide power and make for a convenient means to simply unplug your MacBook Pro and go.
Even if you choose a hub, though, you likely will want to keep a dongle or two in your bag. There is nothing more frustrating than being in a coffee shop and needing to plug in someone’s flash drive, only to discover you left your dongle at home. If you made the investment in Apple’s pricey MacBook Pro, then you probably want to bite the bullet and invest in a dongle or two. Just make sure you place your order Friday because saving some cash is always a good thing.
You’ll soon be able to control your sous vide machine with your voice
Why it matters to you
Anova has been impressing us with its sous vide capabilities for some time, but now, it’s finally adding a necessary kitchen function — voice control.
If you have an Anova sous vide machine in your kitchen, chances are you’re running a pretty high-tech culinary enterprise at home. And if that’s the case, you may well want to be interested in controlling your fancy precision cooker with your voice. Luckily, Anova’s new Alexa integration will allow you to do just that.
For the last couple months, a reddit user named David Zielezna has been experimenting with his Anova Precision Cooker and Amazon Echo Dot. After posting about the development of his very own Alexa skill for the sous vide device on reddit, he received “a lot of fantastic feedback from the /r/sousvide community,” and soon thereafter, was asked to help develop the official Alexa skill.
Anova says that it plans to release the official integration sometime soon, and you ought to be able to do quite a lot with it.
More: Anova Precision Cooker Wi-Fi review
For example, the Alexa skill for Anova will allow you to exercise general control over your sous vide cooker, which is to say, you’ll be able to raise and lower the temperature of your water bath (the key to sous vide cooking), check the status of a meal in progress, see how much time is left on the timer, stop the cooking process, and more, all with your voice.
You can also run an ice bath, which is pretty perfect for folks with busy day jobs. As Zielezna explained in his blog post, “In the morning you could start an ice bath, put your food in the ice bath and leave for work. At 2 p.m. you could start a 4-hour cook to be finished by the time you get home at 6 p.m.”
The Anova skill for Alexa will also allow you to search for recipes and quickly find temperatures and times for various ingredients. And if that’s still not enough for you, the Anova team promises more exciting features upon its integration’s release.
Should you be a Google Home user rather than an Alexa patron, never fear — Anova says the same functionality will soon be added to the competitor device.
Mint SIM vs. Project Fi: Which is better for you?
It’s Mint SIM vs. Project Fi in this head-to-head comparison.
Mint SIM and Project Fi are “alternative carriers” or mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). They’re not the Big Four (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile), but they lease coverage from those networks and resell it to you for less. Plans are often prepaid and fixed contracts are few and far between.
Let’s compare Mint SIM and Project Fi to see how they stack up against one another.
- Mint SIM background
- Project Fi background
- Mint SIM plans
- Project Fi plans
- Project Fi phones
- Which should you go with?
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Mint SIM background
Who owns it? Ultra Mobile
Which network does it use? T-Mobile 4G LTE
How long has it been around? Since 2016
Tethering allowed? No.
Cheapest plan: $35 for 1 month: 2GB 4G LTE, unlimited nationwide talk, text, and 2G data
Project Fi background
Who owns it? Google
Which network does it use? Sprint CDMA and LTE, T-Mobile 4G LTE, U.S. Cellular CDMA and LTE
How long has it been around? Since 2015
Tethering allowed? Yes
Cheapest plan: $20/month: Unlimited nationwide talk and text, unlimited international text
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Mint SIM plans
Mint SIM doesn’t operate with traditional contracts. You pay upfront for your term, which can be 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months, with “buying in bulk” saving you more money in the long run. All plans include unlimited nationwide talk, text, and data, though you only get so much 4G LTE per month. Unlimited international texting is included in all plans.
| 1 month | $35 | $50 | $60 |
| 3 months | $23/month ($69 upfront) | $33/month ($99 upfront) | $39.67/month ($119 upfront) |
| 6 months | $19.83/month ($119 upfront) | $28.17/month ($169 upfront) | $34.83/month ($209 upfront) |
| 12 months | $16.58/month ($199 upfront) | $24.92/month ($299 upfront) | $33.25/month ($399 upfront) |
Add-ons
As far as add-ons are concerned, Mint SIM’s selection is very slim:
Extra data:
- 1GB/month: $10
- 3GB/month: $20
International credit:
Mint SIM’s plans contain no international calling, though unlimited international texting is included. You can add international calling credit to your account in $5, $10, or $20 increments.
You can see a list of international rates here.
Project Fi plans
Project Fi offers two types of plans: family and single line. What you get with each plan is the same, but you’ll save money on each additional family plan line (up to 5 lines).
| Price | $20/month | $10/month |
| Free Extras | Unlimited international texting Call and text from any Android or iPhone |
Family Plan
| Primary line price | $20/month | $10/month |
| Secondary lines (up to 5) | $15/month | $10/month |
| Free Extras | Unlimited international textingCall and text from any Android or iPhone |
Note: Google calls the base Project Fi plan “The Basics.” No data is included and must be purchased at the rate of $10/GB. Data is not shared between lines on a family plan. Each line pays the same $10 per GB of data (domestic and international in 135 countries) with the cost of any unused data refunded at the end of each month
Add-ons
Data-only SIM:
Google offers a data-only SIM card to use in any compatible LTE device, It shares data with the primary line at the same $10/GB rate. You need to have at least one line of service and purchase a minimum of 1GB of data to use the data-only SIM card.
Data pricing:
- 1GB of 4G LTE: $10/month
Phone Insurance:
$5 per month per device covers accidental damages and device malfunctions. You can make one in a 12-month period. Deductibles are $79 for Pixel, $99 for Pixel XL, $69 for Nexus 5X, $99 for Nexus 6P. When you make a claim Google will ship out a replacement device the next business day.
International add-ons:
International cellular calls cost $0.20 per minute.
- Learn more
Google Wi-Fi services:
Your Project Fi phone service includes Wi-Fi calling and texting anywhere in the world. In addition, Google VPN services are available and allow you to connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots safely and securely.
- Learn more
Project Fi and Google Hangouts apps:
The Project Fi app is tied to your Google account and can be installed on any Android or iPhone. You can pay your bill, check account balances and talk to customer service through the app at no cost. The Google Hangouts app allows calls and texts using your Project Fi number on any Android or iPhone.
Project Fi phones
Project Fi only supports phones from Google. That means your selection is currently limited to:
- Nexus 5X
- Nexus 6P
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
Note: While it’s possible to enable Project Fi on unsupported phones, this is against the Project Fi terms of service.
A data-only SIM is available and can be used in any compatible LTE device as long as at least one line of Fi service is active.
Which should I go with?
Google’s Project Fi refunds you for any unused data every month, but the $10/GB baseline means it will always be the more expensive option when buying data. From a pure price perspective, Mint SIM is the better bargain.
That being said, if you aren’t using a lot of data every month or can take advantage of the Google VPN Wi-Fi offloading, Project Fi’s options and services can be compelling. Google is a bit more forward thinking than most other carriers and services like the free VPN that connects you to open WI-Fi hotspots and free international texting from any Android or iPhone can’t be ignored. Nor can the excellent coverage map Project Fi offers through the combined network of T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular and Wi-Fi services.
The final thing to consider is phone choice. Your new Samsung Galaxy S8 or iPhone isn’t supported on Project Fi, which only officially supports phones from Google.
Both carriers are a great way to break free of the shackles of the Big Four carriers, but your usage will determine which is best for you.
Alternative carriers (MVNOS)
- What is an alternative mobile carrier?
- What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
- How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
- 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
- These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
- Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?
Amazon Prime members can grab Dash Buttons on sale for $1 and still get a $5 credit for a limited time
Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a way to grab Dash Buttons for just $1!
Amazon’s Dash Buttons are an extremely easy way to reorder the supplies that you use the most in your house, and right now Amazon Prime members can grab them for $0.99 with the coupon code DASHBDAY. Normally the buttons cost $4.99 each, and then you receive a $4.99 credit after using it for the first time, but right now you can pick up a discounted one and still get the same credit. That means that you’ll effectively make $4 on each button that you buy and use (limit of 3), so be sure to check them all out.
If you aren’t already a member of Amazon’s Prime service, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to take advantage of this offer and others. Some of the discounted Dash Buttons include:
- Household and Office
- Beverage & Grocery
- Health, Beauty & Apparel
- Kids, Baby & Pets
- Music, Sports & Outdoors
- Amazon Exclusives & More
This sale is in celebration of the Dash Button’s second birthday, so be sure to celebrate with Amazon and pick up these discounted buttons. If you want to get really crazy with it, you can even reprogram the Dash Buttons to do other tasks, so be sure to check that out as well.
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For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!
Google Gnome is an April Fool’s joke, but it’s no laughing matter
Seriously — it’s a bummer that something like this doesn’t actually exist!
Happy April Fool’s day! Even if you’re not into it, at least there are some entertaining videos coming out of it. This one is from Google and it introduces a product called Google Gnome.
I don’t understand why this Google Gnome isn’t a real thing I can pay money for. I would love to be able to automate my backyard. We have a garden. We grow our own vegetables! I’d love to be able to ask Google Gnome how my potatoes are doing. And how we’re all eventually going end up as compost in the ground somewhere…
I’m not laughing — because I’m devastated that this isn’t real.
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