Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

Fitness 365

In just seven minutes and with just 10 moves, you can impact your health and fitness today and look forward to positive results over the course of the year.

Available on:

iOS

Mood D

Mood D is a personal diary that tracks your emotions and suggests meaningful activities based on your feeling.

Available on:

iOS

Photosets

Photosets is a camera and an editor and a video maker, all in one. You can use your smartphone camera to capture motion photosets in high resolution and then create video stories.

Available on:

iOS

Thunderspace 5K

During the day, Thunderspace won’t let you focus on all the noise around you. And at night, it will make you very sleepy. Do not use while operating a machine, vehicle, or star destroyer.

Available on:

iOS

Remote Drive

Turn your iPhone or iPad into the wireless flash drive for your Mac. Have full access to your Mac files — use your iOS device to stream videos, and view photos and documents, from anywhere within your home.

Available on:

iOS

Coyn

Coyn is all about efficiency. Simply swipe up to add expenses and swipe down to add income, and manage your finances with ease.

Available on:

iOS

T-Mobile’s Father’s Day promotion includes Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and LG’s G6

Why it matters to you

T-Mobile has got you covered for Father’s Day with a fantastic promotion.

If you’re still searching for a Father’s Day that won’t break the bank, T-Mobile has your back. On Friday, June 16, the self-coined Un-carrier kicked off a buy-one-get-one-free deal on top-end phones from Samsung and LG.

For a limited time, T-Mobile is offering new and existing customers a discounted — and free, in some cases — Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, and LG G6 or V20. The steps are a little complicated — you’ll have to purchase both devices on T-Mobile’s no-interest Equipment Installment Plan (EIP), add one voice line with unlimited data, activate both phones on T-Mobile’s One plan, and submit a mail-in rebate request online. But once you do all that, you’ll be rewarded with a prepaid MasterCard in the mail for the device of lesser value.

Here’s T-Mobile’s current pricing for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, LG G6, and LG V20:

 Phone
Monthly pricing
Total cost
Galaxy S8
$30 down, $30 per month for 24 months
$750
Galaxy S8 Plus
$70 down, $30 per month for 24 months
$790 ($60 off retail)
LG G6
$20 down, $20 per month for 24 months
$500 ($150 off retail)
LG V20
$0 down, $20 per month for 24 months
$480

The deal isn’t without strings attached, to be fair. If you cancel service, you’ll have to pay full price, and the minimum payment period is 24 months. But as long as you don’t miss a bill and pay tax on the phones at purchase, you’re good to go.

You can take advantage by heading to T-Mobile’s promotions hub and entering the code 17JUNESAMBOGO (if you bought a Galaxy phone) or 17JUNELGBOGO (if you bought an LG device).

The new BOGO promo dovetails with Amazon’s other killer phone offer: A buy-one-get-one-free iPhone deal. Customers who opt to pay for a 256GB iPhone 7 with T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment plan get a free iPhone SE in the form of a $400 rebate.

T-Mobile is knocking some Benjamins off its monthly plans, too. This summer, new and existing customers can sign up for a 4-line unlimited text, talk, and 4G LTE data plan for $35 each (including taxes and fees) after bill credits and with AutoPay enabled.

The new promotions, discounts, and sales follow T-Mobile’s “Thankiversary.” In June, the Magenta carrier launched an event celebrating the one-year anniversary of T-Mobile Tuesdays, a weekly promotion that gifts customers free movie tickets, ridesharing credits, takeout pizza, and more. It launched a Twitter contest — The T-Mobile “Thankathon” — that let ten eligible T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T customers bid for “millions of dollars” in prizes, including Lyft tickets, Baskin-Robbins ice cream, gas for a year, a $2,000 StubHub gift card, and a trip for four to any event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The freebies won’t stop there. This summer, T-Mobile subscribers get four movie tickets for $4, free Baskin-Robbins ice cream up to $4 in value, and a Baskin-Robbins sundae for $1 when they buy one at the regular price.

“Thanks to Un-carrier benefits like T-Mobile Tuesdays, unlimited data with taxes and fees included and the nation’s fastest LTE network, T-Mobile now tops customer satisfaction scores and net promoter scores, and Un-carrier customers are more likely to recommend T-Mobile,” T-Mobile said.

Newly discovered Android malware Xavier clandestinely steals your personal data

Why it matters to you

More than 800 apps on Android’s app store contain Xavier, malware that steals your data.

A new variant of Android malware is making rounds in the Google Play store and it is bad news all around. According to Trend Micro, a Trojan dubbed Xavier, which is embedded in more than 800 applications on Android’s app store, clandestinely steals and leaks personal data.

Mobile malware is not new to the Android platform, but Xavier is a little more clever. It downloads codes from a remote server, executes them, and uses a string encryption, Internet data encryption, emulator detection, and a self-protect mechanism to cover its tracks.

It is derived from AdDown, a family of malware that has been around for two years. But unlike most offshoots, Xavier features the troubling addition of encryption and a secure connection. Once it loads a file and obtains an initial configuration from a remote server, it detects, encrypts, and transmits information about the victim’s device — including the manufacturer, language, country of origin, installed apps, email addresses, and more — to a remote server.

According to Trend Micro, Xavier makes its remote capabilities tough to pin down by detecting whether it is running on an Android emulator, a type of software that mimics a device’s hardware components. It checks the device’s name, manufacturer, device brand, operating system version, hardware ID, SIM card operator, resolution, and does not run if it encounters an unexpected field.

Trend Micro’s analysis identified Xavier in apps from southeastern nations such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and others, many of which appear to be innocuous on the surface. They range from utilities like photo editors to wallpaper and ringtone changers, and are typically free.

Trend Micro’s report follows the discovery of two other forms of Android malware earlier this year. In May, researchers at Check Point identified Judy, an auto-clicking adware which could have infected as many as 36.5 million Android devices. In March, Palo Alto Networks uncovered malware designed for Windows PCs in 132 apps on Google’s Play Store.

Google’s taking a proactive approach to the problem. The search giant has targeted security on Android over the past year, most recently with the introduction of the Google Play Protect platform. It says it has worked with 351 wireless carriers to shorten the time it takes to test security patches before deploying them to users — an effort that resulted in a reduction of the software approval process from six to nine weeks to just a week.

Google’s also doled out $1 million to independent security researchers and pursued an aggressive strategy of encryption. As of December, 80 percent of Android 7.x (Nougat) users secure their data with passwords, patterns, or PIN codes.

Adrian Ludwig, director of Android security at Google, pointed to social engineering — attacks that fool a user into installing an app that compromises his or her device’s security — as one of the biggest challenges facing app developers today. “People don’t want to think about security,” he told members of the press at the RSA conference in February. “They just want it to be that way.”

Drones have become the latest drug-smuggling mule for prisoners

Why it matters to you

There are new ways to smuggle drugs into prison, due in part to the same laws that allow you to fly drones in the park.

One kid’s toy is another man’s drug mule. Over the last five years, prisoners have tried to smuggle illegal contraband into prisons more than a dozen times, according to documents USA Today obtained from the Department of Justice.

Porn, cell phones, tobacco, and drugs are among the items people have tried to sneak into prison since 2012. That was the same year Congress began opening up the skies for hobbyist drones by passing a bill allowing them to fly over U.S. territories. The bill also made it easier for average people to get licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones. When you let almost anyone fly drones, almost anything can happen.

Contraband smuggling may not have been Congress’ intention when it passed the bill, but prisoners have been taking advantage, no matter how secure the prison is. According to the DOJ’s documents, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Victorville, California was able to get someone to smuggle two cell phones into the high-security prison using a drone in March 2015. The officials at the jail did not know it happened for five months.

The documents also reveal how a released prisoner and two other people used a drone to smuggle drugs and porn into Maryland’s Western Correctional Institution. The trio performed numerous nighttime sessions and made $6,000 per drop off. The three were eventually convicted of their crimes.

There have been efforts at thwarting drones that may border on science fiction. In May, a British prison installed a 2,000-foot high “drone shield” called Sky Fence, designed to detect and block drones that fly close to the prison’s perimeter. It does this by incorporating numerous signal disruptors placed around and on the prison grounds, and jamming the signal between the drone and the pilot when it detects one approaching.

Keep a look out in the sky. You never know where that drone may be headed.

Don’t try this at home — Swedish man builds a 72-rotor personal flying machine

Why it matters to you

If all those other self-driving and self-flying vehicles don’t work out, personal multi-rotor flying machines are how we’ll all be commuting one day. Maybe.

Swedish engineer Axel Borg’s homemade electric multirotor sounds like the world’s angriest swarm of bees when it flies and that may be the least terrifying thing about it. Built over the course of two years with a budget of $10,000, Borg’s flying chair — supported by four circular rotor-mounts, with a total of 72 rotors — is like the world’s best and worst quadcopter at the same time. A lot of drones claim to put the pilot in the driver’s seat, with the help of point-of-view cameras. Borg’s creation delivers with no cameras required.

“I have great respect for the physical forces present, and I do get a little scared sometimes,” he told Digital Trends. “However, the system is divided into five completely separated sub-assemblies and I believe it is pretty unlikely that all of them will go wrong. The possible exception, as always, is pilot stupidity, which is my main concern at the moment. I really doubt my judgment from time to time. I think it’s related to constant undersleeping, being a father of two small kids.”

Given those life circumstances, it’s downright amazing that Borg has managed to achieve a project of this magnitude — especially since he also finds time to spend with his wife and hold down a full-time job.

“All of that is great, but the drawback is that I have a very hectic calendar, and there’s not much free time for daydreaming and being creative,” he continued. “Doing this build, and enjoying the end result of it, gives me the opportunity to feel free in short bursts.”

We previously wrote about Borg’s project back when it was just a flying chair, prior to the addition of its eye-catching circular rotor-mounts. Next up, he says that he wants to further fine-tune the controls while getting more flight practice along the way. Don’t expect a Kickstarter campaign anytime soon, though.

“I do not have any commercial plans for this project,” he said. “It’s just about enjoying life. If there comes a new battery generation with, say, at least double the capacity compared to the current lithium technology these vehicles will start becoming interesting in more serious applications. But for now, it’s all just for fun.”

You can check out Borg’s “amazingDIYprojects” YouTube channel here.

The HTC U11 is reportedly selling better than the HTC 10 and One M9 ever did

Why it matters to you

If you’re a HTC fan or just like what they’ve done in the industry, you likely want the company to keep making phones.

It seems like HTC’s smartphone business has been nosediving for a few years now and the name HTC just does not carry as much weight as it once did — despite the fact that the company built the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. According to a new report, however, HTC might not be doing quite as poorly as some assumed.

HTC president Chia-Lin Chang confirmed in a report from Focus Taiwan that the HTC U11 is selling faster than what are arguably the greatest HTC phones ever — the HTC 10 and the HTC One M9. In other words, during the same period of sales, HTC sold more HTC U11 units than HTC 10 and HTC One M9 units.

That is good news for HTC and shows that there is hope for the company to return to its former glory. Many of its recent flagships have received bad reviews, but the U11 could signal a turning point — in our review, we awarded the phone an 8/10.

HTC landed in some hot water after it was the company was reportedly offering members of its Elevate program extra gear in return for combatting the negative press the company was receiving. The result of that bad press is that HTC’s revenue is at an 11-year-low but some speculate the HTC U11 could change that.

The HTC U11 launched in Asia in May and in early June for the rest of the world and boasts some pretty impressive specs. For example, it offers Qualcomm’s latest and greatest mobile chip, the Snapdragon 835, along with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of storage. The rear-facing camera sits in at 12MP with an f/1.7 aperture, while the front-facing camera comes in at an impressive 16MP — perfect for the selfie-lovers.

We’ll see if the HTC U11 represents a change for the company, but even if it doesn’t, it is a noteworthy phone.

NVIDIA Shield TV vs. Amazon Fire TV vs. Roku Ultra: Which 4K streaming box should you buy?

In the arena of 4K streamers, which one deserves your money?

While TV channels still mostly live in the world of 1080p, online streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have moved forwards into the world of 4K video. At four times the resolution of 1080p video, 4K requires not only a new, compatible TV but a decent internet connection to be able to stream it.

You also need something to get that 4K media onto your TV once you’ve piped it in from the internet. There are three great options from three big hitters in the world of streaming boxes, and we’re looking at each of them right now.

Which one deserves your money? The NVIDIA Android Shield TV ($199), the Amazon Fire TV ($89.99) or the Roku Ultra ($89)?

Hardware

There’s no other way of saying it, so I’ll come right out: The NVIDIA Shield TV is by far the most powerful of these three boxes. The Tegra X1 chip inside it is an absolute beast, despite being over a year old now. The extra raw performance you get from the Shield TV allows it to do some other pretty amazing things which we’ll cover further on.

By contrast, the Roku Ultra and Amazon Fire TV both pack quad-core processors, which in their own right are very good. There’s more than enough power on tap for streaming video, music — even playing games.

All three of these boxes now come with a remote in the package, which didn’t use to be the case with the Shield. When it comes to features, the three different remotes are equal when it comes to packaging voice search, though for two it doesn’t stop there. The Fire TV now has Amazon’s ever more widely used Alexa assistant while the Shield TV will soon have Google Assistant.

The Roku remote and the Shield TV remote do have something the Amazon one does not, however: a headphone jack. This is perfect for those times you want to watch TV without disturbing someone else in the room.

All three boxes are loaded with ports, with USB and microSD on the Fire TV and Roku, though the Shield TV has now done away with the microSD slot on the latest version. You can still plug in USB storage like a hard drive or thumb drive and expand the internal storage that way.

But what about video? These are streaming boxes, after all. The Roku Ultra and the Shield TV have one big advantage over the Fire TV: HDR video. All three can play back super-crisp 4K UHD video, but the Fire TV cannot do HDR, which is disappointing because most of Amazon’s original content, such as The Grand Tour and The Man in the High Castle have HDR support. You can get this benefit from Prime on other boxes, but not Amazon’s own.

You’re not left out on audio support, either, with Dolby Audio supported on the Fire TV and Roku, and Dolby Atmos on the Shield TV.

Ultimately when it comes to hardware, the Shield TV is out front on its own as the most powerful, while the Fire TV and Roku Ultra are fairly even bringing up the rear.

Software

While Amazon and NVIDIA both base their boxes on Android, Roku has its own operating system and associated app store.

The Fire TV runs Fire OS which is based on Android, but it has the same limitations as Amazon’s other Fire devices, namely no Google Play Store or Google services. Even the Roku has Google Play Movies and TV.

Android TV is still pretty bare bones, but it’s got some great apps.

The NVIDIA Shield runs Android TV 7.0 with some additional benefits on top. Firstly, NVIDIA has a dedicated game store for both optimized Android games as well as its GeForce Now service. It also has Plex Media Server pre-installed, allowing you to set up your own home media system using the Shield TV as a base. Both of these show off the added horsepower you get from choosing a Shield TV.

With the Shield TV you also get easy access to live television through either the Live Channels app from Google or something like Plex or the HDHomeRun beta app. You need additional hardware to make it happen, but if you’re cutting the cable cord you’ll get the best TV experience on the Shield.

You can’t forget Kodi. It’s the reason many people buy these boxes.

Importantly, all three of these boxes have apps for the biggest streaming services out there: Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. But there are advantages to the Fire TV and Shield running on Android.

You get a lot more flexibility with apps and arguably better support from developers. And one of the big elephants in the room is Kodi. As this media center application continues to grow in popularity it’s perfectly reasonable you might want it on your box. You just can’t get it on a Roku, that’s the way things are right now. With the Fire TV and the Shield, you just have to load up the Android app and you’re away.

All three boast custom interfaces for the TV, but Amazon’s is a little clunky. Still. The other two boxes are nicer to interact with, and the Roku in particular has shortcut buttons on its remote to get you to some of the most popular apps, including Netflix.

Price

When it comes to price there is a clear winner and a clear loser.

The loser is the most expensive, and that’s the NVIDIA Shield TV. The 16GB version costs $200, while the 500GB Pro model costs $300. You do get the remote and the new controller in the box with both.

The Roku Ultra sits in the middle, normally costing $110 (though it’s on sale for $89 right now) with the remote control included. However, it’s not available everywhere. For example, you can’t get the Roku Ultra in Europe.

The Amazon Fire TV is a veritable bargain costing only $90 and now includes the latest Alexa Voice Remote.

Which should you buy?

All three of these boxes have a lot going for them, and honestly, they’re all good purchases if you’re looking to get into 4K video streaming. If you just want the absolute best though, go for the NVIDIA Shield TV. It’s vastly more powerful, has great app support and frequently gets updated with new features and fixes. It’s arguably the more future proof of the three, and ticks pretty much every box you can throw at it. It’s even a very handy little games console.

If you just want to get 4K video at the lowest possible price, the Amazon Fire TV is the one to go for. You won’t get HDR (though you’d expect Amazon to push out a new box soon) but you can get a game controller to expand the experience a little. Ultimately it’s a great box at a great price, albeit one that’s probably due to be updated.

The Roku Ultra was recommended by Mobile Nation’s own Modern Dad as “the best streaming box for most normal people.” In many ways, that’s absolutely correct. But it’s only correct if you’re in one of the locations you can get one. In Europe, all you can get is the streaming stick or the Roku 3, neither of which handle 4K video. So it’s a solid option, but harder to recommend when the other two are more widely available.

If you’re OK with the $200 price tag though, the NVIDIA Shield is the best streaming box, 4K or otherwise. Buy it, love it.

See at Amazon

Get 2TB of lifetime cloud storage for $60!

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the ever-changing world of physical information storage. New hard drives and flash drives are constantly hitting the market and obsolescence is inevitable. There has never been a better time to store your data in the cloud, and cloud security has also never been better.

Get 2TB of secure cloud storage for $60 Learn more

Cloud services, however, can be costly or they just don’t offer enough storage. You need a service that’ll securely back you up for life, and you need a service that won’t cost you thousands a year because you need terabytes of storage. This is especially prudent in a business scenario where you may have to provide cloud storage to multiple employees.

Degoo Premium is the perfect solution. Through Android Central Digital Offers, you can get 2TB of highly secure cloud storage data for just $69.99. Degoo typically charges $1,200 for a lifetime subscription, but you won’t pay anywhere near that much — save 95% and back up all your data!.

Get 2TB of secure cloud storage for $60 Learn more

Degoo Premium will allow you to store everything you’ll need on a regular basis. You can retrieve files instantly and send things to friends via email or links, and all your data is encrypted before it even leaves your devices, so you know it’s safe and secure. Think of Degoo Premium as a beefier version of Dropbox or Google Drive where you call store all the data you won’t need for a while but may need to pull out at some point down the line. You can just dump up to 2TB and leave it, know it’s secured with military-grade 256-AES encryption. You can get $1,200 worth of cloud storage for only $59.99 at Android Central Digital offers.

T-Mobile offering new BOGO deal for Galaxy S8 and LG G6 for Father’s Day

Father’s Day is Sunday. Do you have a gift for yours yet?

Father’s Day is coming soon! If you don’t yet have a gift, T-Mobile wants you to buy your dad a new phone and get an extra one for free… via rebate. Yep, it’s another BOGO deal from T-Mobile, and it extends to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ and the LG G6 and LG V20. This deal extends to new and existing customers and it works a little something like this.

When you buy both phones on T-Mobile on its no-interest installment plan and add one voice line with unlimited data (or activate both phones on T-Mobile ONE if you’re a new subscriber) and mail in your rebate, you’ll get back a prepaid Mastercard for the value of the cheaper device.

Don’t get us wrong, a BOGO on the Samsung Galaxy S8 is great, especially if you were planning to change carriers anyway — just remember that you need to jump through some hoops for this deal.

See at T-Mobile

How to put prescription lenses in your VR headset

How do I use prescription lenses with my VR headset?

The major VR headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR, have been designed in a way that lets most prescription glasses frames fit. However, wearing glasses inside a head-mounted display can still be problematic. You might scratch the headset’s lenses with your frames, you might experience a bit of fog, and your lenses touching your face when mashed into the headset can cause smudges that are hard to see through.

A company called VR Lens Lab has taken it upon themselves to create lenses that work with the three major VR headsets. Their first lenses caused some distortion for some users, but they’ve redesigned them, calling them RABS premium lenses, and the distortion is significantly reduced.

Read more at VR Heads!