The best video chat apps to help you stay in touch

Over the past few decades, smartphones have revolutionized the way we communicate with one another, rendering cord-tethered landlines a thing of the past — for better or worse.

Nowadays, people around the world instantly communicate and bridge the distance via voice calls, texts, and emails with the simple touch of a button. Seeing an opportunity to connect people even further, a duo from Sweden unveiled Skype in 2003. The service — now one of the most popular chat clients in the world — conveniently allows users to see one another using a webcam while talking as if they were facing each other in the same room. Skype essentially brought people together, granting them an easy means for intimately communicating with people thousands of miles away.

However, Skype isn’t the novelty it once was. With the introduction of smartphones touting front-facing cameras, a slew of tools for video chatting soon found their way to mobile devices. Many tech companies have even gone so far as to include their own proprietary chat clients in their products. Though, like any popular service, there also exists an array of third-party offerings available on both iOS and Android. Here are our favorite video-chat apps for streaming your beautiful mug.

The Best

Facebook Messenger

The reason that Facebook Messenger is perhaps the best choice on this list is the fact that you probably already have it, and most of your friends do too. Not only that, but it’s also pretty easy to use. Simply open up the app, press on the person you want to call, and tap the camera button in the top-right corner. The app will then connect you with your friend, and you’ll be able to chat the same way you would in any other video chat app.

Facebook Messenger is available on iOS, Android, and also via any web browser logged into your Facebook account. No matter where you are, or which device you are using, you can always call your family and friends using Messenger. You can use live effects to have some fun with your family and friends, and Messenger also lets you keep track of chats with others, while keeping your video chat as a small floating window within Messenger.

There are plenty of other things you can do with Facebook Messenger, so we encourage you to read our tips and tricks guide to master Facebook’s Messenger app.

Download now for:

iOS Android

The Rest

FaceTime

Apple’s proprietary video-chat option remains one of the most popular video-chat apps on the market. Though only available for iOS and MacOS users, FaceTime’s simple interface allows for quick video calls using either Wi-Fi or your network connection.

If you’re an iOS user, you’ll find that you can start a video from anywhere you can see a contact in iOS. You can start a video call from a message in iMessage, or you could even add a contact as a favorite in the phone app to quickly start a FaceTime call. In iOS 10 you can add those favorites as a widget and start a FaceTime call from your lock screen.

FaceTime certainly doesn’t offer the most bells and whistles of any client on our list, but it’s already integrated within iOS and doesn’t require any additional software or advanced setup.  If you are new to iOS or Mac, we’ve prepared a guide on how to use FaceTime so that you can learn how to use all of the features.

Download now for:

iOS

Google Duo

On December 2016, Google began to replace Hangouts with Duo as a part of the suite of pre-installed core apps for new Android devices.  Google wants Duo to become the default video calling app on Android devices, which is great news for iPhone users who can also download Duo on the App Store, and contact their family and friends who use Android.

It doesn’t get any simpler than Google Duo. You open the app, and it immediately turns on your camera. Once you have your contacts populated, it will be as simple as just tapping on their contact name, what Google is touting as ‘one-tap calling’. It will also smoothly transition from Wi-Fi to your cellular data connection to make sure you can connect from anywhere.

Duo has a feature called Knock Knock that turns on the caller’s camera as a preview of who’s calling. The app will let callers know the video is visible to the other person. You can only do this with people who are already in your contacts, and if you decide that this isn’t something you like, you can disable it in settings. It creates fun opportunities and surprises — such as teasing a birthday cake before wishing someone a happy birthday.

You can learn more about Google Duo by reading our article as we go hands-on with Google’s new video calling app.

Download now for:

iOS Android

This post was updated on May 11 by Carlos Vega to include Google Duo.

A pizzeria sign was caught tracking customers via a camera and facial recognition

Why it matters to you

Don’t assume that just because you’re not shopping online, you’re not being tracked — with a built-in camera and some artificial intelligence, signs can measure your response in person, too.

Sure, the web makes it easy for businesses to track your spending and surfing habits, but those physical billboards you see shopping offline could be tracking you, too. When an electronic sign at a Peppe’s Pizza in Norway crashed earlier this month, it showed customers computer output code that suggested the sign was tracking their responses using camera and facial recognition technology.

The crashed sign temporarily showed the program’s output, or what the program was measuring, which was photographed by a patron and uploaded to a web forum. That output code showed that the sign’s built-in camera was watching anyone who stopped to give the sign a glance. Using facial recognition technology, the sign appears to track gender, age, if the viewer wore glasses and even if that person was smiling, tagged along with just how long the sign maintained that person’s attention.

A crashed advertisement reveals the code of the facial recognition system used by a pizza shop in Oslo … pic.twitter.com/4VJ64j0o1a

— Lee Gamble (@GambleLee) May 10, 2017

That data is likely used for the advertiser to improve the sign based on real-world data. The system could theoretically be tracking which messages and images tend to attract men or women and of what age. Tagging whether or not the passerby smiles indicates the program tracks emotional responses. That data is likely used to improve future ads on that sign. If visitors with glasses spend more time at the sign than other users, perhaps a font size change could enhance the adverts readability, for example.

The sign was reportedly developed by facial recognition technology company Kairos. The company says the billboard helps businesses identify who their customers are and whether or not displays are reaching the target audience.

For businesses, identifying whether or not their marketing is reaching their intended audience can help companies reach the right people quickly. The idea is similar to tracking users online so advertisers can send diaper ads to users surfing parenting sites or travel deals to users who recently Googled a particular destination. The physical sign doesn’t appear to be tracking potential customers by name — or even by an assigned number like some online tracking systems — but instead seems designed to measure the effectiveness of an in-person advertisement.

Nintendo is reportedly developing a Zelda smartphone game

Why it matters to you

The Legend of Zelda has worked on touchscreens in the past, so a smartphone exclusive isn’t too much of a stretch.

Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes were big hits for Nintendo — with the latter bringing in a significant amount of cash through its microtransactions — and the company apparently has its sights set on another classic franchise. The Legend of Zelda franchise will be hitting smartphones soon, though it’s unclear what form the game will take.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo has once again partnered with DeNA to bring The Legend of Zelda franchise to mobile devices, and that the game is planned for a release after the Animal Crossing game previously announced for smartphones, which should arrive in late 2017.

The report said that it’s unclear which business model Nintendo plans to use for the Zelda game. While Super Mario Run used a one-time $10 fee to unlock all courses, both Fire Emblem Heroes and social app Miitomo implemented microtransactions that let players purchase more characters or clothing. This would presumably have to be limited to cosmetic items in the Zelda game, as it would otherwise break the balance of dungeons.

Though The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made full use of the Wii U and Switch’s traditional buttons for combat and traversal, the franchise has also made use of touchscreens in the past. The DS games Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks were controlled primarily with the handheld’s stylus, and it’s possible that a similar scheme could be used in the smartphone game.

Of course, Nintendo could also be planning something completely different from the “traditional” Zelda games to make better use of the smartphone’s button-free layout. We’d be thrilled to play a mobile bow-shooting gallery game, or even a visual novel that goes deeper into the lore of Hyrule and Ganondorf.

What are you hoping to see out of a Zelda smartphone game? A return to the universe of Wand of Gamelon? What’s wrong with you? Let us know in the comments!

Siri calls 911 after iPhone owner severely injured in a house explosion

Why it matters to you

We’ve always known that Siri can be a helpful assistant in your times of need, but sometimes she can be a literal lifesaver.

Siri has been credited with saving yet another person’s life. Christopher Beaucher of Wilmot, New Hampshire, says that if it weren’t for the AI-powered virtual assistant, he may not have lived to tell the tale of how he escaped an exploding house.

Over the weekend, Beaucher was checking on his mother’s vacant cottage, which was up for sale. When he saw something suspicious, he entered the residence to make sure nothing was amiss. This, however, turned out to be a near fatal mistake — as soon as he turned on the light, the entire house became engulfed in flames.

“The whole place caught fire,” Beaucher told local news station WMUR. “Part of it collapsed while I was in it during the initial explosion, so I couldn’t really tell where I was.”

While he was lucky enough to escape the premises and make it to his Land Rover where his cellphone sat, he was unable to dial any numbers due to the severe burns on his hands and fingers. So he decided to go with his next best option — asking Siri to do it for him.

“I had the presence of mind to use Siri to at least call 911,” Beaucher said. And luckily, Siri obliged, dialing 911 on Beaucher’s behalf.  “I was going into shock, too, so having Siri to dial 911 for me was critical,” he added.

Emergency responders reacted quickly to the call, and reached Beaucher in time to both put out the fire and transport him to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is now recovering. “You know, I’m going to be OK after all of this. It’s just going to take a while,” he said.

While authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion, you can help Beaucher in his recovery by donating to a GoFundMe page that his friends have created to account for the cost of treatment.

Moto X 2017: News and rumors

Why it matters to you

Lenovo has offered solid budget and midrange options under the Moto brand as of late, and hopefully the Moto X can continue that trend.

It looks like the much-loved and somewhat iconic Moto X may not be dead just yet. Once known as Motorola’s flagship, the Moto X could soon be reborn as a more midrange phone now that the Moto Z has taken over as the brand’s top-tier device.

Here’s everything we think we know about the Moto X’s return.

Design

A 9-second off-screen video of a presentation of the Moto X leaked to Reddit by way of Baidu briefly shows renders of the device in full detail. Quick panning shots of the hardware depict a phone that, like the latest leaks, contains a dual-lens camera. In other respects, however, this Moto X actually looks quite different — especially at the rear.

Up until now, most images of the phone showed a metal back with antenna lines at the top and bottom, along with an embossed Motorola logo. Here, we see a more polished surface without any lines, indicating what looks more like glass, rather than metal. The camera housing also appears to have been revised, with the flash now located above the lenses.

Back in December, we were treated to some of our first leaks about Lenovo’s upcoming midrange offering. Renders provided by @OnLeaks showed a curved, chamfered handset somewhat resembling Lenovo’s Moto Z. Unlike the Moto Z, this device appeared to have a screen measuring 5.2 inches in length rather than the traditional 5.5 inches. It also retained a 3.5mm audio jack.

About the same time, we saw a series of photos from TechDroider, featuring a similar phone that very heavily resembled the Moto Z — only without the pins for Moto Mod functionality at the back. Moto Mods are something that Lenovo has said will remain consistent in top-tier Moto phones for the foreseeable future, so the Moto X wasn’t expected to support them anyway.

Subsequent images, like this one from Twitter user @krispitech and another courtesy of Jerry Yin on Google+, seen below, retained the same overall look and feel of the devices in those initial leaks, while adding an important distinction — a dual-sensor camera.

In general, the device seems to be a mishmash of other Moto phones. For example, it has the same metal chassis that can be seen on the Moto M, as well as a front-mounted fingerprint sensor just like the one found on the new Moto G5. The camera also sports a similar design to that of the Moto Z.

Specs

The presentation video that broke in May didn’t reveal a whole lot about the Moto X’s specs, aside from IP68 water resistance — meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5m for a maximum of 30 minutes. This would put it on equal footing with the Samsung Galaxy S8, which also sports an IP68 rating.

The Google+ leak included a photo of the device’s recovery mode, which could give us a basic idea of the hardware that could power the upcoming smartphone. According to the image, we’re looking at a Qualcomm MSM8953 — in other words, a Snapdragon 625 — paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of flash storage.

For reference, the Moto G5 Plus that recently launched in the United States features the same processor, alongside 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage in its base-level, $230 configuration. Spend $50 more, and the G5 Plus can actually be had with double the memory and storage, which would put it firmly above the specs listed here, despite purportedly being Lenovo’s “budget” smartphone.

Keeping that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Moto X launch with more powerful specs. The same Reddit leak that provided the 9-second video also mentioned the inclusion of a Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip, alongside 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The battery on board, according to the post, is 3,800mAh in capacity and will also support some form of Qualcomm’s Quick Charge tech.

Currently, we still have no idea on a timetable for release. None of these details are final, and it’s likely we’ll see continue to see images and specs leaked between now and the Moto X’s eventual launch. Stay tuned for more news.

Article originally published in November by Christian de Looper. Kyle Wiggers contributed to this report. Updated on 05-15-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added presentation leak.

Say what? Google AI creates sounds we’ve literally never heard before

Why it matters to you

Think you know what every instrument in the world sounds like? Think again, because Google is about to create some whole new ones.

You ain’t heard nothin’ like this before.

Literally.

Thanks to Google and its AI capabilities, we’re expanding our aural horizons, taking our ears to places they’ve never been before. You see, Google is creating brand new sounds with technology, combining the sounds made by various instruments and creating something that is entirely novel. It’s the work of Jessie Engel, Cinjon Resnick, and other team members of Google Brain, the tech company’s core AI lab. And it’s called NSynth or Neural Synthesizer, described as “a novel approach to make music synthesis designed to aid the creative process.”

While it may sound as though Google’s scientists are playing two instruments at the same time with NSynth, or perhaps layering instruments atop one another, that’s actually not what’s happening. Rather, as Wired notes, this new software is producing completely unique sounds by leveraging “the mathematical characteristics of the notes that emerge” from various instruments. And those instruments are indeed varied — NSynth is capable of working with around 1,000 different sound makers from violins to didgeridoos. And the combinations of those sounds are creating countless new experiences for us to reckon with.

“Unlike a traditional synthesizer which generates audio from hand-designed components like oscillators and wavetables, NSynth uses deep neural networks to generate sounds at the level of individual samples,” the team explained in a blog post last month. “Learning directly from data, NSynth provides artists with intuitive control over timbre and dynamics and the ability to explore new sounds that would be difficult or impossible to produce with a hand-tuned synthesizer.”

Indeed, music critic Marc Weidenbaum tells Wired that this concept is nothing new, though we’re certainly more adept at synthesis than ever before. “The blending of instruments in nothing new,” Weidenbaum said, “Artistically, it could yield some cool stuff, and because it’s Google, people will follow their lead.”

Ultimately, the team behind NSynth notes, “We wanted to develop a creative tool for musicians and also provide a new challenge for the machine learning community to galvanize research in generative models for music.” And later this week, the public will be able to see this new tool in action as Google’s team presents at the annual art, music, and tech festival known as Moogfest. So if you’re near Durham, North Carolina, this certainly seems like something worth checking out.

TPO: Prepaid plans with zero compromise

Saving money on your mobile bill doesn’t mean losing out on features or service.

TPO (The People’s Operator) is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that leases coverage from Sprint. MVNOs piggyback on the bigger networks in order to bring you great service at a lower price.

Does going with an alternative carrier mean you’ll be getting second class service compared to customers of the Big Four (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon)?

Switch to TPO and save on your mobile bill! Learn more

If I switch to TPO, will I get worse service that proper Sprint customers?

Absolutely not! TPO leases coverage from Sprint’s fast 4G LTE network, meaning that you’re on the Sprint network, but you’re not paying Sprint prices. You’ll still get nationwide calling, texting, and data coverage, and you’ll get full 4G LTE speeds.

Will I really save money?

Absolutely! The Big Four carriers push unlimited plans on you, making you believe you need all the 4G LTE data in the world, when most Americans really only use 3 to 5 gigabytes of 4G LTE per month. That’s a far cry from the 22 to 30GB you’d get — and pay for — on a big carrier’s unlimited plan.

Take a look at your actual data usage and take stock of how much you could actually be using Wi-Fi instead. Then take a look at TPO’s plans!

As you can see, if you’re an average American who uses roughly 3GB of data per month, TPO’s caring plan is more than enough for you. When you consider that Sprint itself no longer offers tiered data plans, and your baseline is $60/month for unlimited data, talk, and text, there’s really no reason not to try TPO.

At the end of the day, if you go with TPO’s Noble or Caring plans, you’re paying roughly half of what the big carrier’s charge for unlimited plans, and you’re only paying for data you actually need — not overpaying for data you don’t.

Switch to TPO and save on your mobile bill! Learn more

Great! But how’s customer service?

TPO’s customer service is top-notch. Since TPO isn’t like the big carriers; its customer service reps can offer your personalized care and attention. It’s the difference between shopping at Walmart and shopping at your local mom ‘n’ pop for groceries.

TPO’s U.S.-based customer service center is open seven days a week to make sure you’re taken care of, and if you’re outside of business hours, send a message and a TPO rep will get back to you within 24 hours.

Learn more

What’s the catch?

There isn’t one. TPO is an alternative carrier that saves you money with zero compromise. You don’t have to compromise on data speeds, call quality, customer service, or price.

You don’t have to sign any annual contract; there are no activation fees; there’s no credit check, and there’s no deposit required. You can even bring your existing number.

Switch to TPO and save on your mobile bill! Learn more

What’s in Andrew’s gear bag for Google I/O 2017?

This is everything I’m packing to Mountain View.

Every time there’s a launch event or conference, it offers us an opportunity to reevaluate the gear we carry that helps us do our job. CES and MWC gave us two chances to tune things up, and now we have Google I/O 2017 down in Google’s own backyard — Mountain View, California.

What I’m carrying to I/O this year hasn’t changed a ton from my pre-CES gear bag evaluation, but a few key parts have been swapped out and I’ll have some extra gear with me specific to this event. As I get everything packed up, let’s take a look inside my gear bag.

The bag: Timbuk2 Classic Messenger

I picked up my Timbuk2 Classic Messenger (size large) over two years ago, and I’ve been very happy with it as both a daily carry bag and for traveling. Most of the bag inside is just open space to use as you please, minus a divider in the back to fit a laptop. You get two internal side pockets that are great for bigger items, plus two zipped pockets for small things and a couple more open pockets for essentials.

The bag can go anywhere and take a beating.

Most days I have the external straps tightened down, which collapses the bag for a slimmer profile since I don’t have much to carry. But you can also loosen those straps out and fit a weekend’s worth of clothing and gear or a full set of camera equipment for a day of shooting. The versatility of the big open bag is great, even if I’m carrying the same things most of the time.

The bag has held up to years of travel, but you just can’t beat Timbuk2’s warranty, particularly if you have a store where you live. You’ll never have to worry about being caught without a bag or being charged for replacements if manufacturing-related issues arise.

See at Amazon

Also inside: Timbuk2 Snoop Camera Insert

I use this bag for photography gear on a regular basis, so I also invested in a Timbuk2 “Snoop” camera insert; and I went for a medium size for my large bag so that I have extra room for non-camera gear.

This is a fully-contained zip-closed camera bag with two movable dividers and a soft cloth interior that can easily hold my camera, two extra lenses, cables, batteries, and usually another phone or two. It has a handle on it so you can quickly yank it out of your bag, and because it’s self-contained it means I can quickly turn my messenger back into a standard carry-all bag in a snap.

See at Amazon

And finally: Peak Design Capture Camera Clip

The Peak Design Capture Camera Clip came as a recommendation from several people, and I just don’t carry a camera without it anymore. It’s a simple and secure way to mount your camera on a bag strap or belt, letting you quickly remove the camera for shooting and then clip it back on the bag until you need it.

No more camera swinging around your neck from a strap, and no more stashing it in your bag where it’s hard to reach. This thing is absolutely crucial for trade shows, but I’ve started to use it any time I carry a camera with my bag.

See at Amazon

The laptop: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch)

I’ve had my new MacBook Pro for nearly five months now, and after initial bumps with my first model having a defective keyboard I’m well into the swing of using this laptop.

There have been plenty of complaints about what’s wrong with the new MacBook Pros — many of which I agree with. Yes I miss MagSafe. Yes the lack of USB-A ports can be frustrating. Yes the battery life can be a little finicky. But that being said, I’m still happy with it overall.

It isn’t the laptop for every power user, but it’s great for me so far.

The screen is absolutely gorgeous, the power on tap here (I have a 3.1GHz Core i5 and 16GB of RAM) is immense, Touch ID is a great addition and it’s actually a smaller overall package than my four-year-old MacBook Air. I’ve fallen in love with using USB-C to charge from any of my myriad wall chargers and battery packs. The extra-shallow keyboard isn’t an issue for me at all, and the non-clicking trackpad is just fine as well.

Is the new MacBook Pro a dream machine for every professional and power user out there? Hardly. But it’s more machine than I need (even without maxing out the specs or getting a 15-inch model) in terms of internal hardware, and fits my needs very well as someone that most of the time relies on a laptop as my primary machine and travels upwards of 100,000 miles a year.

See at Amazon

The phone: Galaxy S8

I’m a few weeks into using the Galaxy S8 as my primary phone, and I’m still enjoying it. The hardware and display are great, the software is quick and I feel like I have things dialed in as best as I can get them in terms of disabling unnecessary apps and getting Samsung’s features scaled back so they’re not in my way. I expect the camera to get the job done on my travels as well — most of the photos you see on Instagram at Google I/O will be from the GS8.

I tossed a thin case on it to protect it from the eventual bumps and scrapes of travel and to give the fingerprint sensor some separation, and I’m ready to see how the battery life can hold up to the rigors of travel.

The carrier: T-Mobile

I’ve had a personal T-Mobile line for several years now, and it’s the SIM that lands in whatever phone I’m using that isn’t my Pixel. T-Mobile has great service in the big cities that I travel to, and my North America plan gives me full-speed service for free when I travel to Canada and Mexico a handful of times a year.

The rest of the industry has improved its international offerings to the point where I don’t jump to T-Mobile as my primary SIM to use outside of North America, but it’s great to know I have access to those free 2G speeds on the phone as a backup wherever I am in the world. I’m not sure how I’d feel about T-Mobile’s offering if I was paying some $20 more per month on the new T-Mobile ONE plan, but on my current plan it’s worth keeping around.

The other phone: Google Pixel XL

Ideally I’d be using the smaller Pixel because it’s easier to manage in one hand, but unfortunately its shortcoming in battery life just isn’t practical for travel. The bigger screen and extra battery of the Pixel XL are crucial for long days with lots of screen-on time and bad wireless signal, and so that’s the one I’ll have in my bag.

The camera on the Pixel XL is still proving to be fantastic, and Google’s software is still stable and quick even several months on. I keep my Pixel XL charged, updated and ready to go at all times, no matter what other phone I’m using primarily. (You may also notice my Places Live Case … it’s working a bit better than before, so I’m keeping it around.)

See at Google Store

The other carrier: Project Fi

Whenever I’m using my Pixel XL I’m also using my preferred carrier, Project Fi. Sure it’s a little on the spendy side in terms of raw price-per-gigabyte, but I love the consistency of the service and the extra flexibility afforded by its use of three different networks and Wi-Fi for calling.

You can’t beat the simplicity and billing transparency of Project Fi.

The transparency of Project Fi in how it bills you and refunds for unused data is fantastic, letting me seamlessly use a large amount of data one month — like at a conference — and then go back to using less than 2GB the next with no fear about changing plans or managing data buckets. My average Fi bill is about $50 per month, and that includes some really big $125+ bills when I had to tether a bunch while traveling. I’d say the cost works out well in the long run.

As I regularly travel internationally I really appreciate how things stay exactly the same when I’m abroad. It’s a real shame that Project Fi is limited to just Pixels and Nexuses, but when I’m using my Pixel XL there’s no other carrier I’d prefer to use.

The tablet: Galaxy Tab S3 + keyboard

I don’t normally travel with a large tablet in addition to a laptop, but in for this latest trip I’m actually traveling elsewhere leading up to Google I/O and like to have the tablet for long flights. Not only is it easier to manage in relatively small airplane seats, but it has a better screen and content selection than any in-flight entertainment screen can offer.

The Galaxy Tab S3 has replaced my Pixel C, for now, and part of that is because of how much lighter and more compact it is. Yet it still offers me a capable keyboard case, so I can use it to get a little work done if I want without pulling out my MacBook Pro. Because of its flexibility, the added weight in my bag is worth it.

See at Amazon

The camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk II

This is now my third Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera, and the OM-D E-M5 Mk II really shows off what this format of camera can offer. Just like my E-PL1 and E-PL5 before, the E-M5 Mk II offers fantastic images from a really compact camera. Interchangeable lenses are great, the addition of a viewfinder is welcomed and the extra dedicated buttons and knobs compared to the lower-end model are useful.

Perhaps the nicest thing about these cameras is just how “point and shoot” they can be if you don’t have a need for tweaking extra settings. In “Auto” mode with a prime lens it’s tough to take a bad shot with the OM-D E-M5 Mk II, and that’s super useful when you’re in a tradeshow setting crowded in a group of people in bad lighting. I never feel like I need to manage my camera, but all of the manual controls are there if I need to.

See at Amazon

And lenses

While the OM-D E-M5 Mk II is a great camera with its 14-42 mm kit lens, it turns into an entirely different experience with a good prime lens on it. Olympus’ own 25 mm f/1.8 lens (a 50 mm equivalent for a full-frame sensor) is my go-to lens and it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s extremely fast and bright, meaning you can go into point-and-shoot mode and never miss a shot, even in bad lighting. Whereas you have to work a bit with the kit lens, you don’t even have to think about it with this prime.

See at Amazon

Micro Four Thirds lenses tend to be dramatically less expensive than their counterparts from the likes of Sony, Canon and Nikon, which is really great. I often carry a 14-150mm for longer shots and a 12mm f/2.0 (okay, $799 is a bit steep, but it’s fantastic) for some video shooting as well.

Other gear and accessories

I used to wear in-ear headphones as I traveled to/from/through airports, but now I’ve gone all-in on my Bose QC35s. Yes they’re big, but they’re just so damn comfortable that I have no issue wearing them from the moment I step out of my apartment all the way through to boarding the plane. I don’t have to get tangled up with headphone wires, and the battery life is so long I never have to worry about charging even on the longest of travel days. The noise cancellation is superb for all sorts of environments, particularly on a big plane. Best $350 I spent this year.

Bose QC35s are the best $350 I spent this year.

My laptop bag has three USB-C cables: Apple’s 6 foot charging cable, the excellent OnePlus charging cable, and a generic 6 inch USB-C cable. The combination makes sure I have a cable of different lengths for different jobs. Even though I still have a couple of Micro-USB devices hanging around (looking at you, Bose), I no longer carry a Micro-USB cable — instead, I bought these awesome USB-C to Micro-USB adapters that let me charge up these old devices with my new USB-C cables. What a life saver.

No matter how long I’m traveling for I bring the same wall charger: an Anker two-port unit that offers Quick Charge 3.0 tech on one port and up to 5V/2.4A on the other. It’s just small enough (with a foldable plug) that it’s not a burden to carry around in my bag every day, and the extra power output — a total of 31.5W — with the flexibility of two USB-A ports is necessary for me. This is a great charger to power up everything I travel with.

A battery this small means I can always carry it with me.

Anker also makes my current favorite daily carry battery pack, the 10,000mAh Power Core Speed 2. When it comes to mobile battery packs I just want the most capacity in the smallest package, and this one is just impressively tiny considering its 10,000mAh battery. It’s smaller than some of my old 5000mAh batteries, and even though it only offers one USB output that’s considering how easy it is to have on me all of the time. My only wish is that I could get one that charges over USB-C (which would then also offer two outputs at the same time) — perhaps Anker will update it soon.

We’re often doing video voiceovers and podcasts while we’re on the road, and for that reason I always carry my handy Samson Go Mic. This little USB-powered microphone is really small and has sound that’ll blow away any laptop microphone or lapel mic, making it a perfect companion for the road.

So that’s what inside my bag when I travel. Have any comments or thoughts on what you carry and how it differs? Shout out in the comments!

How to use Oculus Touch like a Vive Tracker

Can I use my Touch controllers like a Vive Tracker?

HTC’s Vive Tracker, unveiled at the beginning of 2017, promises to bring pretty much any real-life object (as long as it fits in your house) into VR. Attach the Tracker to a golf club or a baseball bat and do your best impression of an athlete, or attach it to a fake gun and get real tactical real fast.

To compete with the Vive Tracker, Oculus has included a mount with their Touch controllers. It’s not nearly as exciting, but it sort of delivers the same experience. Officially branded with a Rock Band VR logo, it’s primarily intended to work with the plastic guitar accessories required to play the game. In our testing, it worked really well, and it got us thinking about what sort of other things we could track by attaching a Touch controller.

Read more at VR Heads!

Get your own endoscopic camera for only $17.50

Typically when you hear the word endoscopic camera it’s being said by a doctor for the purpose of looking inside a patient. But these bendable snake cameras can be used for many everyday things beyond medical applications.

Get your very own endoscopic camera for only $17.50! Learn more

The versatility of an endoscopic camera can allow you to investigate what’s clogging a drain, peer inside the tight spaces of your car, or give you an inside look at any tough to reach areas of your home. The camera head is adjustable and waterproof, making it perfect for inspecting underwater areas, gaps or holes.

Best of all, you can get your very own endoscopic camera for just $17.50 via Android Central Digital Offers! This camera plugs right into your Android phone’s micro USB port and lets you view everything your camera sees on your phone.

Typically, endoscopic cameras like this are sold for $139, but you can get yours and save 87%! What a deal!

Save 87% on this handy endoscopic camera! Learn more

So what are you waiting for? You never know when you may need a versatile endoscopic camera to get you out of a jam. But act fast — this deal won’t be around forever!