7 Wi-Fi router deals to boost your internet speeds and save you up to $100

Routers have a thankless but vital job: Taking your wired internet connection and converting the signal to a wireless one to transmit data over Wi-Fi. This is something that most of us probably take for granted, and while routers aren’t the most thrilling pieces of technology, an old or low-quality unit can bottleneck your connection, create dead zones in your house, and cause congestion when multiple people are connected to the network at once. If your wireless network is suffering from any of these problems, then it just might be time for a new router.

Below, we’ve rounded up a handful of awesome Wi-Fi router deals across a wide spectrum of speeds and price points, including our own all-time favorite model. These offers can save you as much as $100, and you’ll save even more money over the long term by not having to pay equipment rental fees to your ISP. In fact, if you’re paying these fees, then most of these routers will likely pay for themselves within a year – along with improving your wireless internet connection speeds and stability.

Linksys EA2750 N600 router

If you’re still using the router supplied by your internet service provider, chances are it’s a fairly basic model that utilizes N150 or N300 Wi-Fi – meaning your speeds are bottled at 150 to 300 megabits per second on a single band. What’s worse: You might be paying as much as $10 per month to rent such a router from your ISP, although these units normally only cost $20 or $30.

The Linksys EA2750, by contrast, features N600 Wi-Fi for a throughput of 600 Mbps, ensuring that users with standard internet services aren’t getting bogged down by a weak router. The EA2750 is also dual-band (compared to most cheap single-band routers) and breaks up your data across two streams for extra bandwidth and reduced congestion. You can currently score this router for just $30 on Amazon and enjoy $60 off its MSRP.

Amazon

Netgear R3600v2 AC1750 router

For a bit more throughput and specs more suitable for larger home networks, check out the Netgear R6300v2 router. This sleek dual-band unit uses AC1750 Wi-Fi for a total throughput of 1,750 Mbps across both bands: 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band for light tasks like web browsing and 1,300 Mbps on the 5GHz band for data-demanding jobs like streaming. Netgear’s Genie App allows for easy setup and network management right from your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android devices – no messing about with clunky web interfaces.

Along with its increased throughput, the R6300v2 boasts a dual-core CPU, 256GB of built-in RAM, and Beamforming+ technology which work together to keep the router from getting overwhelmed when multiple clients are connected and using the network at the same time. A $32 discount means you can grab this futuristic-looking Wi-Fi router for $70 from Amazon right now.

Amazon

D-Link DIR-880L AC1900 router

For the best router deals, AC1900 models like the DIR-880L from D-Link are hard to beat. This solid midrange router hits that sweet spot between price and performance, offering a beefy 1,900 Mbps of throughput across two bands – 600 on the 2.4GHz band and 1,300 on the 5GHz band – as well as beamforming technology which establishes strong targeted connections with all devices on the network.

This beamforming also works with the router’s built-in Smart Connect Technology to automatically select the fastest stream for each connected device so that every user is getting the fastest Wi-Fi available and isn’t getting tripped up by other users’ traffic. A whopping $100 discount makes the D-Link DIR-880L the best of the router deals on our list, letting you score this excellent AC1900 unit for just $80 from Amazon for a limited time.

Amazon

Google OnHub AC1900 router

The fourth entry on our router deals roundup is one of our all-time favorites: The unique Google OnHub is a powerful and dead-simple AC1900 Wi-Fi router that delivers snappy speeds, excellent home coverage, and super-easy setup and operation. Dual-band 1,900 Mbps throughput keeps your wireless connection chugging along quickly and the router can support up to 100 simultaneous connections – no more network bottlenecks due to too many people using the internet at once.

The OnHub router blankets your home in Wi-Fi with area coverage of up to 2,500 square feet, eliminating dead zones and mitigating the need for fussy (and potentially insecure) range extenders. If you need even more coverage in the future, then your OnHub can be easily integrated into a Google Wi-Fi mesh system as well. The Google OnHub normally runs for $200 but an $80 discount knocks this bad boy down to just $120 on Amazon for a short time.

Amazon

TP-Link Archer AC2300 router

If you need some more juice than an AC1900 router can provide, the TP-Link Archer C2300 is a solid choice with a price tag that won’t leave you reeling. This dual-band router boasts AC2300 Wi-Fi for a combined wireless throughput of up to 2,300 Mbps, while its 1.8GHz dual-core CPU works with 2 co-processors for easily handling multiple data-heavy tasks at once: Online gaming, 4K streaming, and other demanding jobs are no problem.

RangeBoost and beamforming enhance the Archer C2300’s range and establish more stable targeted connections with each device on the network. MU-MIMO (multi-user multiple input, multiple output) technology also keeps things running smoothly when multiple clients are using the internet by breaking up the data along dedicated streams for strong, focused signals. A 26-percent discount of $44 means you can score this high-speed router for $126 from Amazon.

Amazon

Asus RT-AC3200 router

Moving even further up in power brings us to the mighty RT-AC3200 from Asus, which is about as powerful a router as you’re going to find without paying well over $200. With a whopping 3,200 Mbps of combined dual-band throughput, this router is aimed at serious users such as those managing large wireless networks and in homes with multiple people enjoying data-hungry activities like gaming and 4K streaming at the same time.

Like the DIR-880L, the Asus RT-AC3200 uses Smart Connect to automatically select the fastest available stream for every connected device. AiProtection and TrendMicro also offer advanced built-in security using modern cryptography so your network is locked down and safe. An $80 discount on Amazon knocks the Asus RT-AC3200 router down to $200 for a short time. While fairly expensive compared to our other router deals, this high-speed unit can still pay for itself within two years if you’re currently subject to equipment rental fees.

Amazon

Arris Surfboard SBG6900-AC modem/router combo

The final item on our roundup of router deals is a unique 2-in-1 device. The Arris Surfboard SBG6900-AC combines a cable modem and a Wi-Fi router into a single box, giving you a convenient all-in-one internet hub for a small network footprint that cuts down on equipment and wires. The SBG6900-AC utilizes AC1900 Wi-Fi for dual-band 1,900 Mbps wireless throughput while its wired component delivers 686 Mbps of cabled throughput, making this modem/router combo a great choice for both standard and high-speed internet plans.

The modem component offers 16 downstream and 4 upstream channels which reduces congestion during peak hours more effectively than most ISP-supplied modems which only feature 8×4 channel bonding. A 21-percent discount shaves $42 off the price of the Arris Surfboard SBG6900-AC, letting you pick up this all-in-one modem/router combo for just $158 from Amazon.

Amazon

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Looking for more router deals and discounts on other electronics? Check out our deals page to score some extra savings on our favorite tech.

Best Replacement Bands for Fitbit Charge 2

What are the best replacement bands for Fitbit Charge 2?

We all know how awesome the Fitbit Charge 2 is, but the bands can be pretty underwhelming — depending on your taste and sense of style.

There are a number of super creative alternatives out there, though, that can really make a statement. Here are some favorites!

• HUMENN Bands for Fitbit Charge 2
• bayite Leather Fitbit Charge 2 band
• Gold Swirl Scroll Charge 2 Bracelet
• Wearlizer Milanese Loop band
• bayite classic Rhinestone band
• AK Fitbit Charge 2 Band

HUMENN Bands for Fitbit Charge 2

If you’re looking for a replacement band with minimal, simply yet stylish feel, then check out the 10-pack Fitbit Charge 2 classic fitness replacement band from HUMENN.

While these band bare a striking resemblance to the original Fitbit band, the HUMENN bands come made with a durable elastomer material and surgical-grade stainless steel buckles. You can easily adjust the tracker band to fit your wrist, and if you’re not thrilled with the product, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.

These HUMENN bands come in a number of colors, including black, blue, blush brown, gray, plum, pink, orange, teal, and white. You can even pick up certain packs of three and four with different color combos, but the 10-pack will cost you around $17.

See at Amazon

bayite Leather Fitbit Charge 2 band

Leather is always a smart fashion-forward choice for accessories, outfits, you name it – so it’s no doubt that this highly rated leather band from byite is a solid option to consider for your Fitbit Charge 2 for only $10!

Designed with genuine leather, the bayite band pairs perfectly with your Charge 2. The buckle is made with stainless steel for a secure clasp, while the band comes with a 1-year warranty incase anything happens.

You can pick up your bayite leather band in black, brown, coffee brown, gold, navy, olive brown, and silver (so there will totally be a color that’ll catch your eye!)

See at Amazon

Gold Swirl Scroll Charge 2 Bracelet

If you’re a fan of the bling and are looking to class up your Fitbit Charge 2 with a little extra glitz n’ glam, then take a peek at the beauty that is the Gold Swirl Scroll Charge 2 Bracelet from Etsy!

Handmade, gold-plated spacers with ornate detail instantly turns your Charge 2 into a top-of-the-line piece of jewelry. If you’re someone who isn’t a big fan of wearing tech on your wrist, and you prefer the most classic jewelry look, the Gold Swirl Scroll will probably be your BFF — especially with its modest $42 price-tag.

If you’re not a fan of the gold, then we recommend checking out the rest of the FabFitBracelets Etsy shops for some silver and bronze alternatives!

See at Etsy

Wearlizer Milanese Loop band

Classic, elegant, and perfect for day-to-day use, the Wearlizer Milanese Loop band adjusts to effortlessly fit around your wrist while pairing precisely with your Fitbit Charge 2.

The Wearlizer is made with a flexible stainless steel mesh material, and because of the lack of clasp, it’s very easy to adjust and make the band comfortable. If you’re not thrilled with the quality of the band – although it has a nearly 5-star rating on Amazon – then you can return the Charge 2 replacement without any hassle.

The Wearlizer comes in five different, classic colors, including black, gold, rose gold, pink gold, and silver. You can pick up this Fitbit Charge 2 band for around $16.

See at Amazon

bayite classic Rhinestone band

Keep things timeless with a pop of glitter and glitz with the bayite classic Rhinestone band for your Fitbit Charge 2 that looks and feels like a standard wristwatch band!

Designed with a high-quality, durable metal, the bayite band can be easily adjusted to fit wrists of almost any size. With the secure folding clasp and butterfly enclosure, you won’t have to worry about your tracker ever sliding off of your wrist either!

You can pick from two different color and rhinestone combinations, including black and red stones, or silver with clear stones. The best part? The price! You can pick up the bayite classic Rhinestone band for around $10.

See at Amazon

AK Fitbit Charge 2 Band

If you’re someone who likes a bit of a sportier looking watch band that also functions as a fantastically breathable workout buddy, then we recommend taking a look at the reasonably-priced AK Fitbit Charge 2 Band.

Designed with a soft, bendable silicone, and adjustable enough to fit wrists of almost any size, the AK Fitbit Charge 2 Band is not only functional, but fashionable. The buckle is stainless steel and the band itself is 100% waterproof, making it the ideal accessory for working out and building up a sweat!

The band comes in six different, vibrant colors, including pink and black, blue and black, green and black, gray and black, red and black, and white and black – and with the AK Fitbit Charge 2 Band costing around $10, why not pick up one in every color?

See at Amazon

So, what do you think?

Is there a watch band on our list that sticks out to you? Or do you have the perfect replacement that you’ve been using non-stop? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated August 2017 with new Fitbit Charge 2 band options!

How to use Daydream inside of Gear VR

Gear VR and Google Daydream both deliver awesome experiences in VR, but let’s face it, most of us have a favorite between the two headsets. If you’ve found yourself enjoying Daydream games more, but preferring your actual Gear VR headset, then you’re in luck. There is a way to get your Gear VR to let you play Daydream games in it.

We’ve got the details on exactly what you need to do right here!

Read more at VRHeads

This $64 eBags professional backpack can hold your laptop and everything else you need

This Thrifter deal gets an awesome laptop backpack down to its lowest price ever!

The eBags Professional Slim laptop backpack is down to $63.99 with code 9X364AZP on Amazon. This bag normally sells for at least $100, if not more. The price drop to $64 is its lowest ever.

This deal is only available on the Heathered Graphite color, but Solid Black is down to $80, which isn’t bad. Unfortunately, if you were looking for something a little more colorful the Brushed Indigo is still $100.

The backpack can fit laptops up to 17.5-inches, which covers pretty much all of them. The main compartment for the laptop is fully padded and lockable. It has tablet compartments with a crush-proof compartment for AC adapters. There’s also a space for water bottles with a zipper. It can also work as a briefcase for a more professional environment.

In PC Mag’s 4 star review of this bag, they said they were able to fit “an 11-inch laptop, a 13-inch laptop, a 9.7-inch tablet, an external SSD, a couple of magazines, some papers, a portable first aid kit, a foldable windbreaker, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a compact umbrella, a multi tool, two Mophie portable USB batteries, a handheld fan, a bag of AA batteries, three granola bars, a one-liter water bottle, a pair of sunglasses in a rigid case, two set of earbuds (also in rigid cases), as well as all the necessary AC adapters and cables.” You’ll never need to carry that much, probably, but it’s nice to know the bag can take it!

It comes with a limited lifetime warranty as well.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• The best Amazon sample boxes
• How to save money when driving

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

How your phone can help before and during a hurricane

Ed. Note: We’re re-upping this since Hurricane Harvey decided to make life difficult on a lot of folks in Texas. Stay safe out there, everybody. And if you’re told to evacuate, DO IT!

Hurricane season is here, a storm threatens, and your smartphone is now one of the most important tools in your preparedness kit.

You don’t want to be caught unaware when a hurricane hits, and as we’ve learned recently, they can arrive unexpectedly, and in unexpected places. Hopefully anyone in the direct path of Hurricane Harvey in Texas has already gotten out of the way. For folks on the outskirts, though — and everyone else who lives where a hurricane or typhoon can happen, there’s still plenty of storm season left. And there’s no better time than now to bone up on some of the best ways to keep current on what’s out there, and how to stay safe if a storm comes your way.

And just like with everything else, our smartphones now play an integral part with that.

I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast my entire life. I’ve been through storms. God willing, I’ll never go through another. But either way, I’ll be ready. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can be, too.

Websites and apps

If you only use one website for tracking tropical activity, it needs to be the National Hurricane Center’s site, found at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov. (They’ve got a mobile version, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.)

I also recommend Weather Underground’s site, too, and the blog written by Jeff Masters.

What about apps, though? I’ve used a few over the years. Mostly they’re wrappers for the NHC website, and for the most part the apps themselves are pretty crap. And you don’t really need them. They can, however, be good for notifications of new updates, which the NHC puts out every six hours. If you don’t want to spend a few bucks, you could just hit up the NHC site, or follow their Twitter feed, or use RSS or e-mail. (The NHC has a lot of ways to stay informed.)

The one app I’ve used off and on during hurricane season is SeaStorm Hurricane Tracker, which costs $1.99. Even then, I only really use it for the alerts.

And if you just don’t want to bother committing all of these tips to memory, go for the American Red Cross’ hurricane app.

More: The best weather apps for Android

Your phone

There’s almost nothing worse than knowing a hurricane is headed your way. They’re big. They’re often slow. You could have days or even weeks of warning. That gives you plenty of time to prepare. And our phones make it easier than ever.

A few tips I’ve picked up the hard way:

Inventory your home and car. Use notes apps that sync to the cloud (that’s the really important part) to keep track of everything you own, for insurance purposes. If it’s not documented, it might as well have never existed.
Take pictures. Lots of pictures. The outside of your home. The inside of your home. Pets. Kids. Anything of value. Insurance fraud, unfortunately, is a thing. You’ll want to prove your car didn’t already have that tree on it. Again, make sure your pictures are uploaded to a cloud service like Google Photos or Dropbox.
Charge early and often. When the power goes out, it goes out.
That said, data could well be down after a strong storm. (Though operators will be quick to tell you they’ve been hardening against storms.) If that’s the case enjoy the silence, and don’t waste battery if you don’t have to.

Speaking of charging …

Batteries are our lifeblood. I mean, our phones’ lifeblood. If you want any hope of communicating after a storm, or keeping up with folks during a storm, you’ll need to stay charged. The good news is that even if you don’t (or can’t) use a full-blown generator, we’ve got options.

We’ve seen an explosion (figuratively, that is) of small and inexpensive external batteries. This very much changes the game for post-storm charging. You should have a few on hand. We’re fans of this 20,000 mAh battery from Anker. USB-A and USB-C, so it’ll charge pretty much everything. (And, yes, it’s on that “good” list for USB-C.)

A good bit more expensive, and maybe a little crazy (in a good way) is the Anker PowerHouse — a 434Wh (that’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 120,000 mAh) gianormous AC or solar-powered backup battery/inverter.

Unfortunately for most of us, it’s still a little early for this future-tech solution.

Other random things worth buying

Batteries are obvious. So are lamps of some sort. And food that doesn’t spoil.

I also recommend picking up a sun shower of come sort. These are large PVC bags that use the sun to heat the water within, and gravity to rain it down upon your body. I used them on boats growing up, but they’re perfect for post-storm showers. You don’t need electricity to heat the water, they’re portable, and they’re easy to store.

This one looks just fine — but you’ve basically got your pick on Amazon. If you’re buying locally, any sporting goods store or boat store should have them in stock.

I’d also recommend picking up a battery-powered AM/FM Weather radio. Again, you need to conserve things like your phone for when you really need them. These ancient little radios run on batteries and will keep you up with important local info as well with NOAA weather radio. They’re indispensable once the power goes out. (It’s what us old people had before Twitter, and with less trolling.)

Be safe out there.

YouTube begins isolating offensive videos this week

In June, Google announced that it would begin isolating YouTube videos that weren’t directly in violation of its standards but contained “controversial religious or supremacist content.” And starting this week, those efforts will begin to take effect.

The videos that fall into this category won’t be able to run ads and those who post them won’t be able to make money off of the content. Comments will also be disabled. Additionally, these videos won’t be included in any recommended lists or be able to play when embedded in other websites and a warning screen will appear before they play. The restrictions are meant to curtail engagement and minimize the videos’ reach.

Along with this “limited state” for extremist videos, Google has also introduced a Redirect Method that sends users searching for certain keywords to videos that counter extremist content. And the company has been using machine learning video detection to track down and remove content that violates YouTube’s policies.

Those that post videos affected by the policy will receive a note from the company and they’ll be able to appeal the decision if they feel the restrictions are unwarranted.

Source: Bloomberg

Google Chrome may soon have an option to keep websites muted

A member of Google’s Chrome development team announced today that it’s working on a mute button for websites. In a post, François Beaufort said, “This will give you more control about which website is allowed to throw sound at you automatically.”

Chrome already lets you mute tabs, but once you leave the site you’ve muted, the setting is undone. This option would let you mute websites for repeated visits until you decide to unmute them. You can try the feature out in Chrome’s experimental Canary version by clicking on the “Secure” button to the left of the address bar and turning off the sound toggle in the page info menu that pops up.

Apple is also working on a function that would keep unwanted sound from automatic videos in check. For it’s upcoming High Sierra desktop OS, the updated Safari browser will give users the option to keep auto-play videos paused until they decide they want them to play.

Chrome’s mute feature is currently in testing.

Source: Chrome

iRig Keys I/O packs in a full audio interface for $200

IK Multimedia has years of experience making audio products and software for the mobile musician. From microphone preamps to audio mixers and MIDI interfaces (and more), the company seems dedicated to its niche. The music device manufacturer has just announced a brand new entry, the iRig Keys I/O: a compact, travel-ready MIDI controller with a built-in 24/96KHz audio interface. It comes in two compact models; you can pre-order the 25-key version for $200 and the 49-key configuration for $300 right now. The final release is set for October of this year.

Having an audio interface in the keyboard itself will save you some space and the cost of a separate unit. You can connect a microphone or guitar directly to the keyboard and send the audio to whatever recording software you’re using it with. Both models have full-sized keys, making it easier to play than the previous iRig mini keyboard, and comes with balanced stereo and headphone outputs and a combination input jack so you can connect your instrument or mic directly to the keyboard.

The iRig Keys I/O has touch-sensitive, programmable sliders, velocity-sensitive pads (for programming beats or triggering sequences) and a host of knobs and buttons to help you dial in just the right sound. Better yet, the iRig Keyboard I/O can be powered via USB, an AC adapter (available separately for $40) or AA batteries, making this a great solution for music making on the go. Like many of IK Multimedia’s peripherals, this one works right out of the box with your iPhone and iPad, too.

This keyboard controller also comes with a full slate of PC and Mac software, too, like the full version of SampleTank 3 workstation software, mixing & mastering suite T-Racks 4 Deluxe, and a couple of audio banks for synthesizer and orchestral sounds. It also comes with full versions of Sample Tank 2 and Philharmonik mobile editions for the iOS maestro. The iRig Keys I/O also works with professional digital audio workstation software like Ableton Live, Studio One, GarageBand and Logic, so you’re not limited to the provided software.

Via: FactMag

Source: IK Multimedia

Samsung Chromebook Pro review: One misstep spoils the show

My co-workers mercilessly chide me every time I review a Chromebook. “They’re all the same!” they laugh. I then patiently explain the many variations on the Chromebook formula that exist. From no-frills $200 bricks with lousy screens that simply get you online to premium laptops with great design that cost nearly as much as a good Windows machine — there’s actually a pretty wide variety of Chromebooks out there at this point.

However, in the case of Samsung’s Chromebook Pro, the sales pitch is basically identical to the ASUS Chromebook Flip, which I reviewed last month. It’s a well-built laptop that feels much more expensive than its $550 price, it has a great screen that flips around so you can use it as a tablet and it’s one of a few Chromebooks that supports Android apps from the Google Play store.

I tried a pre-production version of the laptop back in February and found it lacking on a few fronts. Then, the final hardware was a bit delayed and I experienced some rather notable bugs. But with those launch troubles in the rearview mirror, I’ve settled in with the final hardware to see if it can match the expectations I had back in January with the Chromebook Pro was first announced.

Hardware

The Chromebook Pro isn’t a huge innovator in terms of design, but it has a lot of thoughtful touches that separate it from the rest of the market. First up, I was struck by the all-black metallic design. It simply looks great, and there aren’t a whole lot of other laptops out there that give off quite the same aura. It’s also quite small, light and thin, if not very flashy. The two halves of the laptop are both rounded off, which makes it look a bit like a sandwich when closed; there’s an impression of two tablets lying on top of each other, almost. I don’t mind the aesthetic at all, it’s just a bit different than the usual one-piece feel you get when most laptops are closed.

Opening up the Pro shows off black keys against a black body, unmarred except for the tiny. annoying stickers that we seemingly will never get away from. Then, the display lights up, and what a display it is. The 2,400 x 1,600 screen is bright, sharp, colorful and has great viewing angles. It’s probably the best you’ll find on any Chromebook outside the now-discontinued Pixel. Like the Pixel, it’s a touchscreen, and it’s also in a 3:2 aspect ratio (rather than the 16:9 that’s standard on most laptops). That means you have more vertical area when scrolling through documents and web pages, though you’ll see larger black bars when watching video. Overall, I prefer the trade off and really wish more manufacturers made screens this size.

The aspect ratio also works well when you use the Chromebook Pro’s 360-degree hinge to flip the computer into tablet mode. Because it’s slightly more square, it work well in both portrait and landscape mode. Unlike the ASUS Chromebook Flip, the Pro is also light enough to make using it as a tablet ever-so-slightly more feasible. But, at 2.4 pounds, it’s still far heavier than an iPad or Surface, and I didn’t find myself using it like this for very long.

The keyboard is good, but unfortunately not quite as good as the one on the Chromebook Flip. It’s not backlit, for starters, and the narrower frame means that everything feels just a little too cramped. That’s not to say you can’t adjust; I can type quite fast on it and the key travel is solid for such a thin machine. But the Flip’s keyboard is definitely more comfortable, backlit and generally doesn’t make any compromises. On the other hand, look at the ridiculous “delete” key on the Pro and know that you’ll spend a lot of time missing that target — something you’ll definitely want to keep in mind if you buy this machine. The trackpad is totally fine; it’s a little small and wide compared to what I’m used to on my MacBook Air, but it’s pretty standard-issue for Chromebooks.

Finally, around the edges of the Chromebook Pro you’ll find two USB-C ports (one on each side), a headphone jack, the power button, a volume rocker and a slot that hides Samsung’s S Pen stylus — more on that later. The Pro’s speakers are actually on the bottom; that makes sense given the computer’s convertible nature. Firing audio up from the keyboard area wouldn’t work very well when using the computer in tablet or “tent” mode, after all. But the downward-facing speakers sound pretty terrible in laptop mode unless you place the Pro on a hard surface like a desk. If it’s, well, in your lap, audio is very muffled. It’s good enough for a video call, but you won’t want to listen to music or watch a movie like this. Just use headphones.

Performance and battery life

The Chromebook Pro comes with internals that I consider to be standard-issue for such a computer at this point. That includes an Intel Core m3-6Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. I wish Samsung had sprung for 64GB — with Android apps, you’ll be downloading a lot more to your local storage, both in terms of the apps themselves as well as content to enjoy when you’re offline.

That quibble aside, the Chromebook Pro typically does what I need it to. That is, it runs multiple Chrome windows, with many tabs, smoothly while also handling standalone Chrome apps for Todoist, Keep, Hangouts, Google Play Music, Slack and Tweetdeck (though not usually all of those at once). I also took the occasional video call in Hangouts, it worked with no problems; the 720p video camera is nothing special but got the job done fine. Occasionally, things would stutter or slow down a bit, but I had to push pretty hard for this to be the case. Adding in Android apps would also slow things down — I found that those apps were best used one at a time, in full-screen mode.

Unfortunately, the Chromebook Pro has a major achilles heel: battery life. While it lasted about seven hours in our battery test (which loops HD video at 66 percent brightness), I only got between four and five hours while using the Pro as outlined above. That was a serious disappointment for a device meant to be used on the go. Maybe I’m expecting more than I should from a $550 computer, which is high for a Chromebook but still on the lower end of the laptop market. But I personally wouldn’t shell out for a computer with that limited of a lifespan. Unfortunately, most Chromebooks I’ve tried lately have had strangely weak battery life. At least the ASUS Chromebook Flip consistently more than 6 hours of battery. That’s not great, but it’s an improvement. If your workflow means you’re usually near a power outlet or you don’t mind carrying a charger around, the Pro will get the job done. Users who crave long battery life should keep looking, however.

Software

The Pro is Samsung’s first Chromebook that includes an S Pen for taking notes and sketching and other stylus-driven features. Samsung helpfully included a little custom software to make the pen more useful right out of the box. When you pop it out of its convenient slot in the side of the laptop, a dialog box with a few pen-focused options appears. Most useful of those is probably a one-tap shortcut to Google Keep; the app opens right up with a new page ready for you to draw or write all over. Naturally, this feature is most useful in tablet mode, where you can use the Pro like a giant notebook.

Google’s handwriting recognition means these notes you write out are searchable in Keep alongside your typed ones, which definitely makes the feature more useful. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a lot of lag when writing in Keep — it feels far more sluggish than on the iPad Pro with the Apple pencil or the Surface Pro and its pen. That’s surprising, because Google said when the Pro was first announced that it was implementing machine learning technology to analyze what you’re writing to predict the letters and words you were forming.

That was supposed to reduce latency and actually improve the quality of your handwriting. But I haven’t seen any evidence that this feature is actually active; if it is, it’s not doing much good. A Google spokesperson said that the team is working to improve latency and prediction capabilities, but I get the sense that it’s not the experience the company was shooting for when the Pro was first announced.

Other stylus shortcuts include one-tap screenshot capture; you can also use the pen to outline the area you want to grab. From there, you can use the pen to annotate the screenshot and save it into Keep or share it out. Windows 10 lets you do something similar, as will iOS 11 on the iPad when it launches. I didn’t really see the utility of this at first, but it’s actually a very handy way to give suggestions when editing a web layout, for example. It’s like leaving comments and suggestions on a text document, but you can do it on any screen of your computer.

You can also use the stylus to interact with basically any on-screen elements if you so choose, which means you can draw in the many different sketching apps out there in the Google Play Store. I can’t draw to save my life, but the Samsung ArtCanvas app that comes included on the Chromebook Pro seems to work well with the stylus. It’s pressure-sensitive, which means you can get more precision and variability in your pen strokes as you draw. Latency is still an issue, but budding artists working on a budget might want to give this computer a shot as a first digital canvas.

As mentioned, the Chromebook Pro can run the Google Play store and Android apps. One of the things I had a hard time figuring out when I first tested the Pro was when to opt for Android apps over web counterparts. What I’ve settled on is that usually web versions are best, but Android apps are better if you need to save things offline. That means that Android apps are usually for specific tasks or situations rather than things you run all the time. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t quite useful when you do need them. For more on the current state of Android on Chromebooks, check out the software section in my review of the Chromebook Flip from a few weeks ago. Basically everything I said there applies to the Pro, as well.

The competition

The Chromebook Pro’s main competition comes from Samsung itself in the form of the Chromebook Plus. It’s $100 cheaper, has a silver finish instead of black and runs on an ARM-based chip called the OP1 rather than the Intel processor in the Pro. I haven’t personally tested out the Plus yet, but other reviews suggest that the processor can be a bit of a dog if you push it too hard. That said, it does appear to run Android apps well; if your needs are pretty basic, it might be worth a look.

Meanwhile, the ASUS Chromebook Flip, as I’ve mentioned, is a near-direct competitor to the Pro. They have very similar hardware, design and features — the Flip includes 64GB of storage to the Pro’s 32GB. It also has a backlit keyboard that’s a good deal more comfortable to use, and its battery life is better (but still not great). The Pro counters with S Pen support and one of the best screens you can find on a Chromebook. But the Flip is priced at $480, compared to the $550 Pro. At that price, the Flip makes a very compelling argument for choosing it over Samsung’s latest Chromebook.

Wrap-up

After testing the Chromebook Pro, I had to admit that it’s not the king of the Chromebooks I was hoping for when it was first announced. It does plenty of things well — I love its looks, screen and performance, but the keyboard’s a bit cramped and the S Pen is a mixed bag. Much more importantly, though, is the fact that its battery life just isn’t good enough in comparison to other options out there on the market. Samsung is very close to a formula that works here, but it’s not quite there yet. If Samsung builds a Chromebook Pro that gets seven hours of battery life, I’d call it the best Chromebook out there. Unfortunately for Samsung, ASUS has already done that.

If you’re the type of user who is more interested in a great display or S Pen support, the Pro is definitely worth a look. It can do double duty as a stylus-driven tablet and a solid laptop better than the Chromebook Flip. But for the average computer users who wants a comfortable laptop that can last all day, the Pro comes up just a little short.

VW engineer sentenced to 40 months in prison for emissions cheating

Former Volkswagen engineer James Liang is taking the fall for his employers sins. Liang has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison, and has been ordered to pay a $200,000 fine for his part in the German automaker’s deception about diesel emissions. That fine is 10 times the amount prosecutors were seeking, according to Reuters. While his defense argued for house arrest considering he’d only “blindly executed” his marching orders out of “misguided loyalty.”

The prosecution had other ideas, and felt that a prison sentence would “send a powerful deterrent message” to the rest of the auto industry.

Bloomberg reports that VW went as far as operating a top-secret test site for its diesel emissions, so as to hide its trickery.

“Some engineers used the research facility in Wolfsburg, Germany, to upload the software that manipulated regulatory emissions checks,” one of the publications sources said. More than that, the test facility was apparently not too far from the main executive tower and had:

“Unusually tight security rules that prevented access to those not involved in the project, including high-level employees who could enter all other development sites,” Bloomberg writes.

This suggests that Volkswagen’s claims that its higher-ups had no idea about the emissions coverups may not hold any water.

The automaker’s top emissions compliance officer Oliver Schmidt is scheduled to be sentenced in Detroit on December 6th. He’s already plead guilty. could serve up to seven years in prison, and pay up to $400,000 in fines for his involvement in the scandal.

Source: Reuters, Bloomberg