Nintendo Online mobile app launches alongside ‘Splatoon 2’ on July 21

Why it matters to you

Nintendo’s game subscription service will be free for its first several months but will start costing users cash in 2018.

The Nintendo Online mobile companion app will launch on July 21, along with the release of Splatoon 2, which will take advantage of the app for both stat-tracking and social features. The story of Nintendo’s tentative embrace of mobile phones has been somewhat dwarfed in the last year by the explosive success of the Switch and the NES Classic, but the launch of the mobile app and the company’s new online service for the Switch casts the spotlight once again on Nintendo’s moves into the 21st century.

SplatNet 2 is the Splatoon 2-specific section of the Nintendo Online mobile app. It will allow players to track different stage schedules, gear collected, global stats, and gameplay data like how much ink they have spilled. It will also serve as a hub for social activity, providing in-game voice chat and the ability for players to send multiplayer invites over social media and create private lobbies for their friends. SplatNet 2 (as part of the Nintendo Online mobile app) will be exclusive to smartphones.

The online subscription service will be free for all users when it launches later this month, but starting in 2018 will require a subscription fee. This will range from $4 per month up to $20 per year for the best value, which is about a third of the cost for a year of PlayStation Plus, for instance. In addition to online play and voice chat (though only through the mobile app as the Switch itself has no voice capability), the service will also act as a classic games library, offering a rotation of classic Nintendo titles for players to download similar to Xbox Games with Gold or Sony’s similar perks for subscribing. The first games announced for the rotation are Super Mario Bros. 3, Dr. Mario, and Balloon Fight, all for the NES.

Splatoon 2 follows up on Nintendo’s surprise hit from 2015, which reinvented the competitive, team-based shooter as a family-friendly, third-person explosion of color. As inklings, players shoot ink as both a weapon and a means to spread their color around the arena in an area control game, also allowing them to turn into squid form and quickly swim through their own color. The sequel adds more maps, gear, and modes, such as the new Salmon Run, a cooperative mode where two to four players fight off waves of enemies and bosses to collect enough power eggs (and live long enough) such that they can move to the next round. It also adds a new class of special weapons, such as missiles or an explosive hamster ball, which can be used once the player’s special meter is full.

Splatoon 2 launches alongside the first piece of the Nintendo Online mobile app on July 21, exclusively for the Switch.

Limited Time Offer: Verizon FIOS gigabit connection bundle for $79.99 per month

PeterPhoto123/Shutterstock

This is a Verizon Fios Sponsored post.

Fiber-optic technology is the future of home internet, delivering faster communication over long distances and much higher bandwidth than traditional wire cables.

Verizon continues to be one of the leaders of this industry with its highly rated Fios internet,

TV, and phone service. Verizon Fios was one of the first home fiber-optic services to hit the market and remains the top-rated choice by customers when it comes to speed and reliability.

A stand-alone Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection subscription can be yours for $69.99 per month without locking you into a yearly contract. Starting Saturday, you can score the complete Fios bundle for just $10 more per month, which includes:

• Fios Gigabit Connection: Enjoy data speeds of up to 940/880 Mbps for fast and lossless online gaming, HD video streaming, and more. Say goodbye to lag, interruptions, and dropped connections as well: Verizon Fios has been consistently rated by customers as one of the best internet services for speed, reliability, and consistency.
• TV plus Phone for one year: Verizon Fios Custom TV lets you select the HD programming you want, so you are only paying for the shows and channels you watch and are not stuck with the ones you don’t. You also get one year of Fios phone service free of charge. Like the Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection, Fios TV is also rated highly by customers for overall service quality.
• HBO for one year and multi-room DVR for two years: Bundled with the Verizon Fios TV service is a one-year subscription to HBO and two years of Verizon’s multi-room digital video recording service. Multi-room DVR lets you record multiple programs simultaneously and watch them later at your leisure so you never have to miss your favorite shows again.

To sweeten this deal further, Verizon is waiving the $90 setup fee when you sign up for Verizon Fios online. If you are already locked into a contract with your current service provider, Verizon makes it easy to switch by giving you a credit of up to $500 when you sign up for a Verizon Fios Gigabit Connection to help cover any early-termination fees.

This limited-time Verizon Fios offer is the perfect way to jump into the world of fiber optics and enjoy super-fast next-generation internet service. Note that this deal requires a two-year service agreement and is based on availability in your area.

Sign up now

Amazon might partner with Dish Network to offer a wireless service

Why it matters to you

If you’re a Prime subscriber, it might not be long before you can get smartphone service from Amazon.

Fast on the heels of its $13.4 billion acquisition of upscale grocery chain Whole Foods, Amazon’s going on another shopping spree — but this time for cell service. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Charlie Ergen, CEO of Dish Network, have entered talks to partner on future “wireless projects,” including an internet of things network and a subscription cellphone plan.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reports that Bezos and Eregen have floated the idea of an add-on, metered data plan for Prime, Amazon’s premium subscription service, and always-on connectivity for devices like thermostats, connected bulbs, and smart kitchen appliances.

Under the terms of one proposal, Amazon Prime members, who pay $100 a year for free two-day shipping, streaming music, movies and TV shows, and cloud storage, would gain an optional, metered allotment of smartphone data. But the Dish-powered, Amazon-branded network could benefit the retailer’s services behind the scenes, according to Fox Business sources.

Dish’s network might make Amazon’s AI-powered Echo speakers “faster” and “more human-like” in its responses by “putting intelligence throughout the nodes of a wireless network,” and provide the infrastructural foundation for Amazon’s planned Prime Air drone delivery service. And Dish executives have reportedly floated the idea of a “one-way broadcast signal” for Amazon’s Prime Video service that would ensure shows and movies streamed “without hiccups everywhere.”

The idea isn’t as farfetched as it might sound. Bezos and Eregen, who have reportedly gotten to know each other better over the past year, have shared interests in space and robotics, and there’s history between Amazon and Dish. In May, Dish made its streaming TV apps available on Amazon Fire devices, and some Dish customers gained the ability to control their set-top boxes through Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.

Dish Network has long sought out deals with telecom companies in an effort to get its nascent cellphone network off the ground. It’s unsuccessfully pitched Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T, and spent more than $21 billion over the course of a decade to acquire airwaves nationwide. But it lacks a network to deploy the spectrum.

Amazon, meanwhile, has dipped more than a few toes in the wireless market. The Seattle-based retailer debuted its ill-fated Fire Phone, a high-end smartphone with object recognition features and perspective-shifting 3D interface, in 2014, and launched its Prime Exclusive Phones program in June 2017.

In exchange for putting up with advertisements on the phones’ lockscreen, Prime Exclusive Phones offers Prime subscribers steep discounts on devices like the Moto E and Blue R1 HD.

Analysts at Citi say Amazon is unlikely to acquire Dish. Instead, they predict that the internet retailer could become a “preferred customer” on the new wireless network and commit to spending a certain amount on connectivity in exchange for a below-market rate, or invest cash upfront in Dish’s network to help pay for the build-out.

AMD Radeon RX Vega benchmarks hint at a GPU that’s getting faster every day

Why it matters to you

If you’re a gamer who’s waiting impatiently for AMD’s new Vega gaming GPUs, there are indications that your wait is going to be worth it.

By now, it’s obvious that gamers are anxiously awaiting AMD’s new line of Radeon GPUs based on its new Vega architecture. And it’s not only AMD fans who are waiting with bated breath — all gamers will benefit from increased competition with Nvidia’s dominant Pascal-based GeForce GTX product line. Just like AMD’s new Zen-based Ryzen CPUs have forced Intel to react with lower prices and stronger products, so too would a strong Vega release force Nvidia to improve.

As the Vega line of consumer GPUs gets closer, the thirst for information on how they can be expected to perform continues to grow. Up until now, that information has been hard to come by, but that’s starting to change as benchmark results begin to filter out.

The earliest look at Vega’s potential has come by way of the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, the just-released commercially focused cards aimed at providing optimal performance for professional applications. Early benchmarks indicate that the Vega Frontier Edition does indeed perform well in those sorts of applications, exceeding the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 in Cinebench, SolidWorks, Catia, and others.

Of course, gamers are concerned with the upcoming consumer line, the AMD Radeon RX Vega cards that will be optimized for gaming performance and not for getting work done. AMD has stated that the upcoming consumer GPUs will be faster than Vega Frontier Edition, but until the benchmark results are available to back up that claim, gamers will be doubtful.

The first results are promising. As wccftech.com reports, the high-end Radeon RX Vega board, code-named 687F:C1, has been verified to perform similarly to the Radeon GTX 1080 in 3DMark 11, scoring 31,873 in the graphics portion of the benchmark. That’s about 4,000 points faster than the GTX 1080 and twice as fast as the GeForce GTX 1070. It’s significantly less than the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, however, which scored in excess of 38,000 points.

As Videocardz points out, this score was achieved with an overclocked Radeon RX Vega 687F:C1, and so the comparison isn’t necessarily valid at this point. The site does point out, however, that these results seem to be significantly improved from just three months ago, with the card achieving a 15-percent performance improvement. That bodes well for the GPU’s eventual release, given that AMD still has time to optimize the line before it makes its way into gamers’ machines.

Time will tell if AMD will release a competitive product that will require Nvidia to respond in kind. There’s reason to be optimistic, however, particularly if AMD can match its success in CPUs, which has turned that market into a far more competitive landscape.

OnePlus 5 vs. LG G6: A duel of dual cameras

Four rear cameras. Two phones. Which one offers the better deal? That’s what we’re going to find out.

Ahh, gimmicks. What would the Android world be without them? Fortunately for OnePlus and LG, the dual rear camera setups on their respective flagship smartphones are quite innovative in their offerings. Regardless of whether you pick the OnePlus 5 or LG G6, you’re choosing from two devices that each offers two rear cameras for the price of one.

We’re not comparing apples-to-apples here, however. Both smartphones run on different processors and offer their own distinct Android experiences. But they’re also somewhat similarly priced, and if you’re in the market for something that strays from the usual Samsung or Google experience, then you’ll want to look at the OnePlus 5 and LG G6.

Svelte or boxy?

OnePlus 5 (left) vs. LG G6 (right): What’s your flavor?

It’s not like you’re choosing between two colors of the same sweatshirt here. These are two very different Android-powered smartphones, and though they’re both outstanding on their own, there are some design and specification disparities you’ll want to take into account.

Operating System	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.0 Nougat
Display	5.5-inch AMOLED, 1920×1080 (401 ppi)Gorilla Glass 5	5.7-inch LCD 2880x1440Gorilla Glass 3Dolby Vision, HDR10
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core 2.45GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (MSM8996)
RAM	6/8GB LPDDR4X	4GB
Storage	64/128GB UFS 2.1	32GB (U.S., Europe)64GB (Asia, Korea, Hong Kong, India, CiS)
Expandable	No	Yes
Battery	3300mAh	3300mAh
Charging	USB-CDash Charge	USB-CQuick Charge 3.0Qi wireless (U.S.)
Water resistance	No	Yes
Rear Camera 1	16MP (IMX398), f/1.7, 1.12-micron pixels, EISDual LED flash, 4K 30 fps / 720p 120 fps video	13MP (IMX258), 1.12µm pixels, f/1.8, OIS71-degree lens, phase-detect AF
Rear Camera 2	20MP (IMX350), f/2.6, 1-micron pixels	13MP (IMX258), 1.12µm pixels, f/2.4125-degree lens, fixed focus
Front Camera	16MP (IMX371), f/2.0, 1-micron pixels, EIS1080p 30 fps video	5MP, f/2.2100-degree lens
Security	One-touch fingerprint sensor	One-touch fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm153 g	148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm
Colors	Slate grey, Midnight black	Black, white, platinum

For one, the LG G6 runs on a slightly older processor — not that it isn’t capable, but compared to the OnePlus 5, you’re tapping out at last year’s hardware. Two, the OnePlus 5 comes with 6GB of RAM right off the bat, so there’s an extra bit of buffer there to account for any rampaging apps and games (you can even spend $60 for 8GB of RAM, though there’s no actual need). There is no extreme performance difference between the two devices, however, though the OP5 feels smoother because of its lighter UI effects. The G6’s interface seems cumbersome in comparison.

You’re also choosing between two drastic design paradigms. The OnePlus 5 is svelte, matte, and cool, while the LG G6 is boxy and industrial, with a shiny, metal chassis that hearkens to the days when The Matrix represented a newfound ideology. It’ll require more hand to handle the latter, as it’s considerably thicker. Conversely, the OnePlus 5 is a slippery little bugger, and its fingerprint sensor placement on the front might become the catalyst for why you drop the phone.

The G6 (top) is a tad thicker than the OnePlus 5 (bottom).

That’s the other thing: the G6 has fewer buttons for you to fiddle around with, as its rear fingerprint sensor is also a handy power button. But the OnePlus 5 has that nice alert slider on its left side that makes it easy to silence the device without a second thought. Ultimately, it’s your choice: do you like the idea of convenience, or would you rather fewer opportunities to drop your phone?

Yes, you could take the G6 into the shower if you wanted to.

Don’t bring the OnePlus 5 into a water fight, because it would not last. This smartphone isn’t impervious to water dunking, nor is it protected against an errant drop into a toilet (gross). The G6, on the other hand, is water-resistant to 5 feet of water for up to half an hour.

Yes, you could take the G6 into the shower if you wanted to, though remember to keep it quick.

Double the cameras, double the fun

The OnePlus 5 and LG G6 are both equipped with dual rear camera setups, though they’re not the same configuration. The G6 has dual 13-megapixel cameras, the second of which employs a 125-degree lens and shoots in wide-angle at a fixed focus. For the most part, the G6’s wide-angle camera is best when the need tickles your fancy, so if you’re often out in the wild or you’re a fan of the splayed photo effect, having the ability bundled into your smartphone may seem like a worthy addition.

From one angle (left) to wide angle (right).

The OnePlus 5, on the other hand, employs one 16MP camera that shoots at a 24mm focal length, along with a 20MP secondary camera that shoots at 40mm. The idea is that if you need to zoom in a little closer physically, you can do so with that second camera without much loss in quality — hence why it’s referred to as the “2x” camera. It also has a smaller aperture so that you won’t get much use out of it after dusk or at the bar.

From 24mm (left) to 40mm (right).

The OP5’s second camera is also particularly useful when it comes to achieving the “Portrait Mode” depth effect. You can use this mode to create a faux blurred background effect on your photos. It’s the same bokeh effect exhibited by DSLRs, and since the ability seems to have taken iPhone 7 Plus users by storm, the OnePlus 5 is definitely for those who might be feeling a little feature envy.

The OnePlus 5’s depth effect — or “portrait mode” — is a subtle effect with dramatic results.

How do the two camera setups compare?

Indoor photos

Yes, the LG G6 has bigger pixels, but they’re not that much bigger, especially when compared to its competition with similar sensor offerings. In fact, at 1.12-micron pixels, they’re the same size as the OnePlus 5’s 16MP camera. The G6 has optical image stabilization, however, while the OP5 does not. There’s also a slight difference in aperture at play here: f/1.8 and f/1.7 for the G6 and OP5, respectively.

OnePlus 5 (left) vs. LG G6

The G6 was quite insistent on how it skewed its color profiles. The palette was brighter and more saturated than the OP5’s final product. In some instances, the HDR was also a bit too much, as it would ramp up the photo’s color profiles without taking in the rest of the composition into consideration.

Daylight photos

Magenta flowers shot with the OnePlus 5.

Magenta flowers shot with the LG G6

The histogram of the magenta flowers.

I pulled the histogram results of the photo above from Adobe Lightroom, and the results only further solidified my observations from above: the OnePlus 5 is a bit darker and more subdued in its color profiles, while the G6 skews a bit high on either end. It’s especially apparent if you go by the burst of sunlight in the background of the first batch of photos. The sun blows out most of the surrounding scene in the G6 whereas the spread appears to be more controlled in the OP5’s final product.

The OnePlus 5 (left) versus the LG G6 (right).

You’ll see that theme resonate throughout the last two sets of photos, too. The cacti appear more detailed and sharper from a distance in the OP5’s result, though the detail starts to dissipate around the more complex cactus plants. Overall, the G6 seemed to be the most consistent at maintaining detail, including shadows, for the bunch. I’m pleased with both results.

Lowlight photos

Light fixtures look nice between the OnePlus 5 (left) and LG G6 (right).

Performance is on par in low light situations between the OnePlus 5 and LG G6. You’ll see that the OnePlus 5’s camera produces a considerable amount of grain, though G6 isn’t any better when you zoom in. The latter’s image processing is a major help when the lights are down low, though, since it’s working to balance the color profile of the photo even as it’s pulling in a little light. The G6’s results appear to be the most balanced of the two despite its smaller sensor size, likely because it has the advantage of optical image stabilization working in its favor.

My experience with the OnePlus 5 echoes our review: I’m impressed by the device’s ability to shoot in low light situations, though I have to remember that the lack of OIS and large pixels mean I’ve got to take a second before snapping the photo. I also like that it leaves the picture alone and lets me choose how to process it. LG’s camera algorithm is a bit too presumptuous for my tastes, and though it helped make daylight photos pop and nighttime photos visible, there were some situations where its 13-megapixel camera just wasn’t enough. Just look at the fireworks photo at the end of the sample corral: the G6 makes the sky more yellow, while the OnePlus 5’s result is more pleasing. If you zoom in, you’ll also see that the G6 struggled to maintain detail, whereas the OnePlus 5’s product appears sharper — those few extra pixels came in handy.

One of these selfie cams is not like the other

There is a significant difference between the OnePlus 5 and LG G6’s front cameras, too, so if your concern for buying your next phone is whether your Instagram Stories will look good enough to share, you’ll want to read on.

The OnePlus’s 16-megapixel front-facing camera is higher resolution than most other smartphones — thank goodness for beauty mode!

The OP5 offers a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. It’s majorly high-resolution, at least when compared to what other smartphones currently offer, but it’s meant to help make your selfies and “grouphies” as editable and shareable as whatever you shoot with the rear camera. The problem with that, however, is that if you’re a self-conscious individual, the accuracy of the camera may cause you personal discomfort. There’s a reason I’m not sharing any un-beautified selfies here — the OnePlus 5’s front-facing camera simply reveals too much! The good news is that there is at least a bundled-in beauty mode so that you can soften your face for those days when you’d simply rather not.

The LG G6 may only be 5-megapixels, but it’s just as fun to shoot with as anything high-res.

The G6, on the other hand, tops out at 5-megapixels on the front, though it makes up for that lower resolution with an incredible amount of added features. You can set up a virtual spotlight, for example, to help illuminate your face when the surrounding light isn’t doing it for you, or you can switch into the wide-angle camera mode to capture more of the scene behind you. There are also some filters to choose from, and you can use the screen as an external flash when you’re in need.

Android of some other kind?

The OnePlus 5’s Android interface (left) vs. the LG G6’s (right). The latter is longer because of the G6’s 18:9 screen ratio.

If you’re choosing between the OnePlus 5 and the LG G6 for your daily driver, then you’ll want to choose your Android experience. If you prefer to use what Google would like you to experience, the OP5 offers its home-baked Oxygen OS 4.5 built on top of Android 7.1.1 Nougat. There are a few additional features, like gestures and capacitive button customization, that you won’t find on other phones, and there’s a shelf that lives off to the left-most home screen with quick access to your favorite people and frequently used apps.

If you’re choosing between these two for your daily driver, then you’ll want to choose your Android experience.

LG takes a few more liberties with its take on Android, not to mention that, depending on your carrier, you could sit with Android 7.0 for a while. LG’s version of Android is different than what you’d get with a Nexus or Pixel, not to mention that there are remnants of its past self still present throughout the interface. Namely, if you’re not a fan of circle icon containers or separated menu screens, you’re not going to like tapping through the G6.

The OnePlus 5’s camera interface (left) vs. the LG G6’s (right).

The camera apps are also different, so if you’re a stickler for using the default camera app, then you’ll want to read along. Whereas the OnePlus 5’s camera app takes its cues from stock Android’s camera app, the G6 runs rampant with LG’s own concoction. There are easy toggles for switching between the wide and regular rear cameras, though you’ll also see a preview gallery at the top of the last roll of photos you’ve snapped, as well as a helping of menu items below to inspire you to do more than just point and shoot. That breadth of offerings can be overwhelming when all you want to do is shoot a picture, and I’ve personally found that keeping the camera app simple and easy to use is the better choice.

It’s worth mentioning that both devices come with a manual shooting mode, which is something you still don’t get by default with a Google-made Android device.

Lastly, don’t forget that software updates for the G6 can vary depending on how you purchase the device G6. LG’s flagship is sold both unlocked and through a carrier; if you choose the former method, you’ll only have to rely on LG pushing through the update, but if you decide the latter, it’s your carrier that holds the update cards.

Alternatively, the OnePlus 5’s update cycle is largely based on whether OnePlus has done the deed of updating its software. The company has a pretty consistent track record over the years of getting to the next version of Android, however, even if there have been some major delays in the past. Either way, you’re not getting your updates directly from Google; they have to pass through a third-party first.

Which one to consider?

There are plenty of factors to consider if you’re choosing between the OnePlus 5 and LG G6. For one, both phones run on entirely different processors, hail different amounts of memory, and offer entirely different Android experiences.You’ll also have to compare what you’re getting at each price point: The OnePlus 5 starts at $479 for the 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage base, but if you throw in $60 you’ll get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You still won’t have water resistance, though, and for the G6’s new sub-$500 price tag, the ability to bring your phone near the lake may be reason enough to forgo the OnePlus 5’s slightly better camera.

Speaking of which, you’ll really want to ruminate on which camera experience suits you best. The G6, coupled with its wide-angle camera effects and a bevy of filters, seems more geared towards the naval-gazing millennial on an endless journey to shoot something worthy for social media. The OnePlus 5 is more curated with its features and it shoots well enough that it’ll satiate even the most selective enthusiast. Regardless of which smartphone you choose, you’re bound to have lots of fun with either one.

OnePlus 5

• Complete OnePlus 5 review
• OnePlus 5 specs
• Which OnePlus 5 model should you buy?
• Camera comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8
• The latest OnePlus 5 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus

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

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Get a year of Dropbox Plus cloud storage for just $60 with a bonus $25 gift card

Dell’s online store has a year of Dropbox Plus cloud storage for $60. In addition, you’ll get a $25 gift card for Dell.com in your email 10-20 days after your purchase. The $60 price itself is worth consideration because Dropbox charges $100 for the same plan from its online store.

Dropbox Plus’s service provides up to 1TB of storage. You can use that space to backup any file you want. Any file stored in your Dropbox folder will be synced with the Dropbox folder on all of your devices, so you can access it anywhere. Plus Dropbox will store old versions of files and deleted files for up to a month. If a device with your Dropbox folder is lost or stolen, you can remotely delete the Dropbox folder.

Dropbox Plus can also upload all your photos for backup. And there’s a sharing folder where you can drop files you want to give to someone else, create a link from which they can easily download those files, and set an expiration date for the link so that it no longer works after a set period of time.

The one problem with Dropbox Plus, as with most simple cloud storage solutions like this, is all the privacy encryption is on the Dropbox side of things. While Dropbox promises to keep your data safe from prying eyes, you can’t personally cut anyone off from files you’ve stored with the service. Essentially, if you have really private stuff, you’ll want to look into services with more personal privacy encryption. But for 90% of the documents and photos you need a place to store, Dropbox Plus works great.

While this deal is worth it for the $60 price alone, the $25 gift card is a nice little bonus. The gift card is only usable on Dell.com, but the online store sells a lot of things you could spend that money on. For example, you could get a pair of earbuds for $19, a surge protector to protect your electronics, or this tiny Bluetooth speaker for $30. You could also put the $25 down toward something larger, like getting the Blue Yeti microphone for $105 instead of $130, which is a pretty good price.

Dropbox’s desktop app is compatible Windows and Mac operating systems. You can get a mobile app for Android devices. Or you can access Dropbox from any web browser, including an integrated system for Chrome.

See at Dell

OnePlus 5 has a DxOMark Mobile score of 87

We always desire to have a winning score.

With the focus on photography in the OnePlus 5, it wasn’t surprising that the company put emphasis on its forthcoming DxOMark Mobile score. Now we have the results: the OnePlus 5 scored an 87, placing it in some decent company.

With a score of 87, DxOMark has judged the OnePlus 5’s camera to be on par with the likes of the Huawei P10, Moto Z, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Sony Xperia XZ. DxOMark’s methods are verbose, relatively standardized and explained in its full review, but in the end are still somewhat subjective — as is the case for all photography.

DxOMark’s OnePlus 5 camera review gives the phone plaudits for its white balance, colors, detail preservation in bright lighting and fast auto focus. On the downside, it notes occasional strong loss of details outdoors, fine details lost in low-light scenes, and ghosting effect in some outdoor conditions. That all lines up well with our findings in our OnePlus 5 review.

Lots of nuance is lost in a direct rating — not to mention the tight margins of the scale.

What’s often lost in these sorts of ratings are the extremely tight margins between cameras. A single point lower, at 86, you’ll find the iPhone 7, LG G5 and Galaxy Note 5 (which has the same camera as the GS6 edge+, but no matter). One point higher, at 88, you’ll see the Galaxy S8, HTC 10 and Sony Xperia X Performance. The highest score yet is just 90, held by the HTC U11, and the lowest Android phone score is the Galaxy S2 at 57 — so really, we’re looking at a score of 87 on an effective scale of 57 to 90 … you can see why this is a tad confusing at best.

However it got there, DxOMark’s reviews have started to become one of the standard parts of launching a phone — we’ve seen in just the past month how much stock both OnePlus and HTC put in their scores. OnePlus should be pleased with a score of 87 on some level, particularly considering the pricing of its phone against the competition.

OnePlus 5

• Complete OnePlus 5 review
• OnePlus 5 specs
• Which OnePlus 5 model should you buy?
• Camera comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8
• The latest OnePlus 5 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus

Add some color to your gaming with these lighting hacks for PlayStation 4!

Spice up your setup with some light!

Making your PlayStation 4 stand out a bit from the crowd doesn’t have to mean getting a fancy entertainment center or becoming a guru at cord management. With a few lighting hacks, you can ensure that when you’re gaming, it isn’t quite the same experience everyone else gets when they are at home. Whether it’s disabling your controller’s lightbar or adding LED lights that react to what is going on onscreen, you can use light — or the absence of it — to really change your experience.

We’ve got the details on what you can do right here!

• LED Thumbsticks
• Disable your DualShock 4 controller lightbar
• Lightberry LED lights for your TV

Transparent LED thumbsticks

If you’re a fan of being able to tell which accessories are yours with just a glance or you just want everything to glow, then swapping out your stock thumbsticks for a pair of transparent LED thumbsticks might be just the ticket.

You can pick up a pair from Amazon for just $10, which is a serious steal, but to get them installed you’ll need a bit of technical knowhow. That’s because you’ll have to take apart your controller and swap out the thumbpads, using solder to connect the LED elements. This sounds a bit more complicated than it is, but you can check out a great YouTube tutorial to get an idea of what you’ll need to do before making a purchase.

See at Amazon

Disable your DualShock 4 controller light bar

The lightbar located at the top of your DualShock 4 controller has been a source of irritation for plenty of gamers over the years. For those players who prefer playing in a dimly lit or dark room, the bright LED can seriously throw you off. We’ve talked before about how you can use decal stickers to hide your lightbar, but there is another option.

There is a way to manually disable your lighbar so that it’s no longer an issue. This is a fairly straightforward process but will require a bit of work on your end. You’ll have to take apart your controller and, using a foreign object, block one of the pins inside from communicating. This allows you to stop your lightbar from doing its job but definitely requires you to know what you’re doing so that you don’t accidentally muck things up.

If you’re worried about the process you can check out a YouTube tutorial that will show you precisely how it’s done.

Lightberry LED lights for your TV

Adding LED lights to your system or controller isn’t really anything new, which is where Lightberry steps in. Lightberry gives you LED lights that connect to your PlayStation VR in order to react to what is going on on the screen.

This means that you get a pared down light show every time you watch a movie or play a game. Originally built to run off of Raspberry Pi, you can pick up an HDMI connector, which allows you to hook it up to your PlayStation 4 with minimal fuss. This of course means no taking anything apart or soldering anything.

All you need to do is open the box and follow the instructions to get your new lights installed, and they will then do the hard work of reacting to what is playing on the screen. Whether you’re trying to save your team in Overwatch or trying not to cry while rewatching Band of Brothers, Lightberry will be amping up the experience with lights for you.

See at Lightberry

Do you have a favorite hack?

Do you have a lighting hack for PlayStation 4 that we missed here today? Did we cover your favorite? Be sure to drop into the comments below and let us know about it!

PlayStation 4

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See on Amazon

Amazon and Dish could form partnership to enter the U.S. wireless business

Let the big time deal discussions begin.

Dish has been linked with deals, mergers and buyouts involving AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and others over the years, but its latest suitor could be Amazon, according to a report out of The Wall Street Journal. Dish’s Chief Executive Charlie Ergen and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have apparently started some interesting talks about partnerships between their companies, leveraging the powers of each.

Discussions have reportedly surrounded ideas such as Amazon funding the launch of a cellular network using Dish’s growing spectrum holdings, with benefits both in the Internet of Things space as well as straight-up consumer wireless offerings.

The possibilities enabled by such a partnership could be numerous. Amazon is an increasingly large player in consumer electronics with its own-branded products, and could see synergies in offering seamless Prime-exclusive wireless service to anyone who bought an Amazon Fire tablet or Prime Exclusive Android phone. On the back end, you could see Amazon using a Dish-run wireless network to provide internet infrastructure for devices like Dash buttons, Kindle e-readers and Echoes, or even just for its delivery drivers and logistics equipment.

Let’s just hope they don’t launch another Fire Phone.

WSJ is quick to point out that no deal is imminent between the two, but this partnership seems surprisingly viable and attainable compared to a complete buyout of, or merger with, one of the big four U.S. wireless carriers. Amazon, for its part, isn’t a complete stranger to these types of partnerships — it has of course bundled basic internet connectivity for its Kindles for years via Sprint and more recently AT&T. With its recent purchase of Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion, we know it’s no stranger to a big acquisition, either.

We can be pretty certain that Amazon isn’t ready to jump back into the phone game with a sequel to the all-around failure that was the Fire Phone. With Amazon’s multi-pronged approach that includes tablets, set top boxes, internet-connected home appliances and partnerships for Prime Exclusive phones from other manufacturers, there’s little reason for Amazon to give the in-house phone idea another try.

Best free apps for Google Daydream

It’s time to take phone based VR experiences to the next level with Google Daydream.

Google Daydream has arrived, bringing a slew of terrific apps with it. There are a fair few to pick from and try out, but you may already recognize a few from PlayStation VR and Gear VR.

If you don’t have the time to try all of them out, don’t worry! We’ve collected the best free apps on Google Daydream for you.

Read more at VR Heads!