Verizon offering Google Pixel for just $360, Pixel XL for $480 with unlimited plan

If you’re OK with the fine print, this is a solid deal.

Google Pixel deals aren’t a regular occurrence thanks to its limited retail availability, but Verizon is running a pretty great deal for both the Pixel and Pixel XL right now so long as you’re willing to play by its fine print. The deal, as advertised, will get you a standard Pixel for just $360 or a Pixel XL for $480 — that’s $290 off in either case.

But here’s the fine print: the deal is only available for those who have, or are willing to switch to, a Verizon “Unlimited” plan. You also have to pay for the phone on its financing plan over the course of 24 months in order to get the full discount — as is often the case, you pay for the full MSRP of the phone monthly, and are refunded equal installments over the two years to get $290 back.

If you’re happy on your limited plan (or it’s price) but still want to get a Pixel or Pixel XL, Verizon is actually still offering a discount, though it’s much smaller. With any non-unlimited plan, but still financing over 24 months, you’ll get a Pixel for $460 or Pixel XL for $580 — honestly, still a really good deal for what is still a desirable phone today.

See Pixel at VerizonSee Pixel XL at Verizon

Getting the $190-290 savings may not be worth being locked into Verizon for two years, but for those who know they’re going to be with the carrier for a while anyway should seriously consider this deal.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

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

Google Store
Verizon

The NVIDIA Shield Android TV is $20 off at Amazon right now

Get a nice discount on the best Android TV experience around.

Amazon UK gave us a bit of foreshadowing with its £20 discount on the Shield Android TV earlier today, but now we have an equivalent $20 discount on the Android TV box over in the U.S. The $20 discount is exclusive to those with Amazon Prime memberships for Prime Day, and is applied for both the standard (regularly) $199 Shield Android TV and the “Pro” model with its 500GB hard drive.

Though $199 feels like a steep price for a set top box when others are available for closer to $100, we can definitely say that the Shield Android TV is worth the price. Not only does it offer the best performance on any Android TV box, but it also has plenty of extra features like 4K output and considerable gaming chops.

If you’re unsure which model to buy, you’re probably going to be best served by the cheaper — but still fully capable — standard model. If you think there’s a chance you could be convinced to drop the extra $100 on the Pro model, be sure to read our comparison of the two before buying. We’re not sure how long the $20 discount will last, but we wouldn’t wait too long.

See at Amazon

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

The best Prime Day discounts on Amazon’s Fire tablets

Amazon’s Fire tablets continue to improve each year, and the prices allow for them to be an excellent purchase option for many people. Amazon has dropped the prices on these already-affordable tablets, so don’t miss out. Whether you prefer the 7 or 8-inch display or even want the Kids Edition for your children, they are almost all discounted right now. With access to tons of apps, media, and more, you can’t go wrong with having one of these around.

• Save $20 on the all-new Fire HD 7 – $29.99
• Save $30 on the all-new Fire HD 8 – $49.99
• Save $40 on the Fire HD Kids Edition – $69.99

The internal storage on these is a bit low and fills up pretty quickly, but luckily you can easily add a microSD card and gain additional storage in just a few seconds.

The best Prime Day discounts on Alexa-powered devices

Amazon’s Alexa-powered products, like the Echo, Tap, and Echo Dot continue to get smarter each week, and if you haven’t already picked one up, right now the time to do it. If you already have an Echo in one room, these prices may convince you to put it in another, or pick one up for the office, your friends, or just because. The ease of being able to issue voice commands to remind yourself of things in the future, turn off the lights, or have music played for you is seriously awesome.

• Amazon Echo – $89.99 (Normally $179.99)
• Amazon Tap – $79.99 (Normally $129.99)
• Amazon Echo Dot – $34.99 (Normally $49.99)

These deals are only scheduled to last for a few hours, while supplies last. If you are looking to pick one up, you’ll want to be quick about it!

See at Amazon

Have you had trouble with the $200 Galaxy S8 trade-in deal?

Earlier this summer, Samsung offered a $200 trade-in deal with the Galaxy S8. But it turns out not everything was as clear-cut as it appeared.

Back in May, Samsung started selling an unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ on its e-commerce portal, and with it offered $200 towards the phone with a valid trade-in. The beauty of the deal was that Samsung didn’t (at least not on the surface) put a limit on what phones could be considered for the trade-in; any device, as long as it was in good working order, would be valid.

See at Samsung

But soon after the program began, and people started shipping their older phones to Samsung, they received rejection emails telling them that phones they thought would be eligible for the program weren’t, and they would be charged $175 and wouldn’t get the traded phone back — even phones deemed ineligible for the program are worth $25.

msp1518
07-02-2017 02:34 PM

“

This deserves its own thread. I am really stunned that they could be so incredibly stupid. Yeah, some people would try to take advantage of the 200 trade in offer on the S8’s and some did. Loudly so. But rejecting phones that actually do qualify is a bad bad move.

People who sent in good condition, working iPhone 4’s, Galaxy S6’s, Note 5’s ,etc. were rejected and then charged $175. Some…

Reply

The issue mainly stems, according to people in our forum and on Reddit, from the inconsistent application of Samsung’s trade-in terms and conditions, which states that all units submitted to the program must be of good working order, and must have a functioning display, no cracks or breaks, not be on a carrier blacklist, not have any reactivation locks, and must have clean, factory-reset software.

These things all seem obvious, but some people have received emails that stated their seemingly “good working order” phones were ineligible for the deal, and because Samsung has the last word on the decision (and keeps the phones) many users have been frustrated by the opaqueness of the proposition (which is now over, for what it’s worth).

Some, however, have fared better:

clownin72
07-03-2017 06:39 AM

“

I did this promo about 3 weeks ago on the at&t variant and was really skeptical about it. After reading everywhere and a chat with Samsung support I sent in an old old HTC phone. Got an email last week saying it was accepted. I guess I was a lucky one.

Reply

Many people decided, perhaps justifiably, to sit the deal out, despite its tantalizing proposition:

trucksmoveamerica#AC
07-02-2017 06:30 PM

“

I stated in another post that this is a disaster in the making, I was told that any phone is OK so it won’t be an issue.

I stand by my initial post, this has disaster written all over it, anything that involves Samsung directly is a disaster coming. I won’t deal with Samsung directly ever again, the last $99 promo for the S8 sucked, I got my promo, but it was a rough ride and a lot got…

Reply

What about you? Have you experienced a problem with this deal?

Join the conversation in the forums!

LG Q6 launches as affordable mid-range sibling of the G6

LG’s ready to round out the lineup with some G6 style.

After a handful of rumors pointing to a “Lite” or “Mini” version of the LG G6 launching, LG has announced the new device as the LG Q6. The whole goal of the Q6 is to offer many of the design traits and features of the G6 at a lower price, hoping to capitalize on what has clearly been a successful flagship launch for LG.

The LG Q6 offers the same style of “FullVision” 18:9 display as the G6 with small bezels to carry on the flagship phone’s looks. It’s slightly smaller at 5.5-inches diagonally and has bumped down to 2160×1080 resolution — an expected drop for a phone landing beneath the LG G6. The metal frame is still made out of 7000 series aluminum to be particularly robust and LG says it’s still subjected to “demanding” battery tests.

Capitalizing on the G6’s style while cutting back on the specs.

Internally, things are run by a Snapdragon 435 processor, and there’s a 3000mAh battery to coincide with its smaller overall size. The overall capabilities expectedly take a step back as well, with the Wi-Fi maxing out at 802.11 n and the Bluetooth at 4.2 — obviously considerable drops from the LG G6’s specs. LG moved to a single 13MP camera on the back, but left a 100-degree wide 5MP camera on the front.

But of course because we’re talking about LG, the Q6 is actually a “family” of devices subdivided into the LG Q6+, Q6 and Q6α (that’d be “alpha” to you and me). Each one offers a different level of specs in the same body, hoping to hit an even wider potential market with the “same” phone.

The Q6+ has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, actually matching the G6 (or beating it, in some regions), the main Q6 has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and the Q6α has 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage. The colors available on each model also slightly differ, with each one getting a different color option in addition to black and platinum.

LG will start selling the Q6 family in “key markets” throughout Asia in August, followed by an expansion to Europe, Latin America and North America thereafter. Specifics on which Q6 model will hit each area isn’t yet known, along with pricing — considering the specs, we can expect something pretty competitive.

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
• Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
• LG forums

Verizon
Sprint
T-Mobile
AT&T
B&H

Press release:

LG Q6 BRINGS FULLVISION DISPLAY TO NEW SMARTPHONE LINEUP

LG’s Newest Q Series Brings the Essential Features of LG’s Premium Devices and Elegant Design to a Mid-Range Portfolio

SEOUL, July 11, 2017 ― LG (Electronics) today announced that the LG Q6, part of its new Q series, will be the first smartphone to offer the FullVision display following the LG G6. The Q series offers many of LG’s most sought-out premium features at a competitive price.

LG’s Q series is the company’s latest line of powerful, mid-range smartphones boasting the essential features of LG premium phones at exceptional price points. As the first in the Q series to be announced, the LG Q6 features some of the most desired innovations from LG’s premium G6 smartphone and packages them in a sleek, stunning body highlighted by its FullVision display with minimized bezels. The Q6 family consists of the Q6+, Q6 and Q6α. The three variants cater to different user groups in terms of memory and storage: the Q6+ comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM, the base Q6 delivers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and the most affordably-priced Q6α comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB of ROM.

At a time when minimized bezels are an emerging trend in premium smartphones, the Q6 is the first smartphone in the mid-price category to bring this feature to the masses. The unique 5.5-inch FHD+ FullVision display in the LG Q6 with its 18:9 aspect ratio makes video browsing, gaming and multi-tasking more immersive. The smartphone’s “bezel-less” form factor was designed to maximize the screen while still preventing accidental touching of the screen when being held.

And the LG Q6 looks good with its minimalist and sleek design. With no unsightly camera bump and sleek appearance, the Q6 features attractive curves with rounded corners of the body matching the corners of the display. Packaged in a stylish metallic frame, the Q6 manages to be both lightweight and sturdy for a more durable day-to-day usage experience.

And not only does the Q6 look good, it is extremely easy to use. Benefiting from ergonomic research during the development of the LG G6, the Q6 is also comfortable to hold and use with one hand. In another nod to user convenience, LG’s proprietary Face Recognition feature allows owners to unlock the Q6 faster and with less hassle than other facial recognition technologies currently available.

As expected, the LG Q6 carries on LG’s heritage of excellence in optics. The smartphone incorporates a 100-degree wide angle selfie camera that allows shutterbugs to include a large group of friends and family in the shot without effort. The camera’s improved LG UX 6.0 takes full advantage of the 18:9 aspect ratio of the FullVision display. Square Camera Mode makes it easy to “share your squares” or create photo collages using multiple square images.

The LG Q6 is also quite durable. The metal frame surrounding the Q6 is constructed of ultra-strong 7000 series aluminum, one of the highest strength aluminum alloys available and used extensively in industries such as aerospace. The device is subjected to LG’s demanding regimen of over 20 battery tests which include heat, penetration and shock, conditions more stringent than international testing protocols.

“The LG Q6 is a blend of premium features, great performance and attractive pricing, a combination that is extremely important to us as we look at the way consumers are using smartphones around the world,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The Q series is our way of getting the superb experiences with the essence of the LG’s premium line-ups to more consumers’ hands and pockets.”

The LG G6 will go on sale in key markets in Asia starting next month to be followed by availability in Europe, Latin America and North America onward.

The best smart home accessory discounts on Prime Day

Smart homes continue to grow in popularity, but transforming your home to make it smarter can be quite expensive. Amazon has a bunch of popular accessories discounted right now as part of its Prime Day celebrations, making it easier to afford to outfit your home with the gear. From smart bulbs to outlets, garage door openers and more, you’ll want to check these out.

• LIFX Multicolor Smart Lightbulbs – $44.99
• TP-Link White Smart Lightbulbs – $27.98
• Philips Hue Color Smart Lightbulbs – $39.99
• Philips Hue Starter Kit – $149.99
• Sengled Smart Light Bulbs & more – 20% off
• TP-Link HS100 Smart Plug – $19.99
• TP-Link HS105 Smart Plug – $24.99
• Hunter Ceiling Fan – $261.75
• August Smart Lock – $159.99
• Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener – $79.20

There are likely to be more smart home deals available throughout Prime Day, so be sure to check back often for the most up-to-date list!

The best unlocked smartphone deals on Prime Day

Unlocked phones are becoming more popular, but the prices often prevent some from being able to afford the initial investment. Prime Day has brought some steep discounts to several unlocked Android phones, and you won’t want to miss these deals. From Samsung’s latest and greatest, the Galaxy S8, to Amazon’s Prime exclusive phones, there is likely a deal here for everyone in the market.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 w/ Gear VR & fast charge wireless stand – $624.99 (Normally $869.97)
• Alcatel Idol 5s – $199.99 (Normally $279.99
• Nokia 6 – $179.99 (Normally $229.99)
• Moto G5 – $184.99 (Normally $229.99)
• Moto e4 – $99.99 (Normally $129.99)
• Moto G4 – $129.99 (Normally $179.99)

There are likely to be more deals throughout the day, so be sure to check back frequently for the most up-to-date list!

See at Amazon

[custom:prime2017]

The Wirecutter’s Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

The Wirecutter’s Best Amazon Prime Day Deals

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter, as well as their weekly deals. Today, we’ll also be publishing some of the best deals they’ve found on Prime Day.

Amazon Echo

Street Price: $180; MSRP: $180; Deal Price: $90

The best deal we’ve seen on the Amazon Echo at $90, easily beating our previous low of $130. This price even matches the best price we’ve seen on a refurbished model. If you’re seeking to break in to the Alexa ecosystem or add to your existing one, now is the time as this is likely as low as we’ll see the Echo at any point this year. This price is available for the Black or White color. Shipping is free.

The Amazon Echo is a speaker we recommend in our Alexa guide. Grant Clauser writes, “Echo, always listening via Amazon’s Alexa voice service, lets you play music, order pizza, and get questions answered, and can control popular smart-home devices and 1,000-plus other things.”

All-New Fire HD 8 Tablet

Street Price: $80; MSRP: $80; Deal Price: $50

An interesting deal on the next generation of our current budget tablet pick (released in May 2017). The two are likely to be essentially the same tablet, the more current generation very slightly updated if at all. The most notable update seems to be the addition of support for microSD cards up to 256 GB, a nice perk for those with a lot of media to store. At $50, this is a new low for this tablet and $30 off street price. Shipping is free.

The last gen Fire HD 8 is our budget pick in our Best Android Tablets guide. Of the newest gen Fire HD 8, Chris Heinonen and Ryan Whitwam write, “The new Fire HD 8 is nearly identical to its predecessor, our budget pick, but it supports microSD cards up to 256 GB and costs $10 more. It’s available now.”

Jackery Bolt 6000 mAh Battery Pack

Street Price: $27; MSRP: $35; Deal Price: $23 w/ code JACKERY6

Use the promo code JACKERY6 to save around $4 on our pick for best everyday USB battery. This brings the Bolt from the current street price of $27 down to just over $23. While we’ve posted cheaper, this is still a good price. The code can also be applied to the new orange color, knocking the price of that model from $28 down to $24, and silver color, knocking the price of that color down to $28. Shipping is free with Prime.

The Jackery Bolt 6,000 mAh USB battery pack is our everyday USB battery pack pick in out best USB battery packs guide. Mark Smirniotis writes, “Fast charging from an integrated Micro-USB cable, an integrated Lightning-connector cable, and a standard USB port. The size of a bar of soap, the Bolt charges a midsize smartphone twice. It is well made without costing much more than lesser models without cables.”

Anker PowerPort 2 Elite 24W USB Travel Wall Charger

Street Price: $13; MSRP: $30; Deal Price: $10

A nice deal on this Anker travel charger. While the price of this charger has been dropping steadily over the past few months, this is the lowest price we’ve seen for it. Shipping is free with Prime.

The Anker PowerPort 2 Elite 24W USB Travel Wall Charger is an upcoming pick in our Best Multiport USB Charger guide. Nick Guy writes, “Ankers’ PowerPort 2 Elite is our upcoming pick for the best small multiport USB charger for travel. Each of its ports puts out the promised 2.4 amps, there’s a convenient LED that shows when your devices are fully charged, and Anker’s 18-month warranty is great.”

Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.

Google highlights pirate sites in search results

Google may have redoubled its efforts to downplay pirate sites in its search results, but it’s clear that there are some bugs to work out in its strategy. TorrentFreak discovered that the internet firm’s search results in the US are explicitly highlighting popular pirate outlets when you search for “best torrent sites,” while looking for “streaming sites” spotlights pirate services alongside legitimate providers like Crackle or Hulu. You’ll have to search from Google’s US site (international pages turn up different results), but they’re still visible as of this writing.

We’ve asked Google for comment on the highlights and will let you know what it says. However, it’s safe to say this is unintentional. The company relies on algorithms to automatically generate highlight cards, and it can’t realistically check every possible result. Still, it doesn’t look good when Google’s code sets pirates on a pedestal.

The findings aren’t going to help Google’s already contentious relationship with the music and video industries, both of which have spent years accusing Google of doing too little to prevent piracy. They’ve routinely argued that Google should outright remove pirate sites from its results, not just demote them — this only adds fuel to the fire, even if there’s an easy fix. The company may need to show that this is a one-off incident and not a common problem.

Update: A Google spokesperson tells us that the results “do not reflect what we had in mind,” and that the company is “looking into” the issue. You can read the full statement below.

“These results are generated algorithmically, but in this particular case, do not reflect what we had in mind for this feature, and we are looking into it.”

Via: The Verge

Source: TorrentFreak