Are you a victim of the Equifax hack? Here’s how to find out

Why it matters to you

The Equifax hack is big and bad. Making sure your financial and credit data is as secure as possible is an important step to take in its wake.

The recently announced Equifax hack was one of the worst in recent memory, for its size and the scope of personal data made vulnerable. Because of that, Equifax itself and other organizations are looking to help people mitigate any damage done. First, though, you need to find out if you were affected or not.

How to find out if you were a victim of the Equifax hack

The best way to find out if you were affected by the hack is to use Equifax’s “Potential Impact” tool. Available directly from Equifax’s own site, it asks you to input your last name and the last six digits of your social security number.

While you might not feel too comfortable handing over that information to Equifax considering so much personal information was stolen, bear in mind that if you have used Equifax in the past, it already has that information on you.

Step 1 – Go to the Potential Impact tool page and click the “Check Potential Impact” button.

Step 2 – Input your last name and the last six digits of your social security number and complete the reCaptcha check.

Step 3 – The resulting screen will then tell you whether you were or were not likely to have been affected. Unfortunately, in our case, it looks like we were.

Equifax offers free protection, if you won’t sue

As you can see in the screenshot above, Equifax is offering any of its customers (whether affected or not) free identity protection for a year under the TrustedID Premier platform. You’ll be offered this after you complete the steps to check whether you’re a victim.

TrustedID Premier offers active credit monitoring at three major agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — social security number monitoring, and identity protection insurance for up to a million dollars.

Initially, the terms and conditions of the service suggested that those who enroll might waive their right to sue over the cybersecurity breach, either individually or as a class. However, Equifax has updated its website to clarify that the arbitration clause found in the service’s terms will only apply to the TrustedID protection itself, not prior issues, including the hack.

After conversations w my office, @Equifax has clarified its policy re: arbitration. We are continuing to closely review. pic.twitter.com/WcPZ9OqMcL

— Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) September 8, 2017

Travis Mills, President of identity theft recovery service LibertyID, told Digital Trends that those who’ve suffered stolen data shouldn’t count on the service as the sole means of protection. “Their credit monitoring is not going to make a difference or provide a solution,” he told us. “You can’t be protected against data breaches, as yesterday proved.”

Further, he pointed out that “credit card fraud is just a fraction of the effect that ID theft can have on your life. The information that was lost in this Equifax breach is far and beyond just credit fraud.”

If you want to enroll in the protection offer, you can learn more about it on the Equifax page. Once signed up, you’ll be given an enrollment date for when your protection will officially begin.

Credit Freeze

If you would rather not use Equifax’s own ID protection scheme or simply don’t want to waive your right to sue just yet, security experts like KrebsOnSecurity are recommending you freeze your credit files. While that will make it more complicated when you need to sign up for a new credit card, car finance, or any instance where your credit must be checked, it also becomes a pain in the neck for anyone looking to use your identity to take out loans in your name.

You will need to put the freeze on with each of the major credit report companies — Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion — but it is a solid preventative step to stop the Equifax hack from affecting you too heavily. For more information on credit freezing, check out Krebs’ FAQ on the matter.

What else can you do?

If you, like us, were affected by this hack and, your personal information was possibly accessed, there are a couple of options you have and some general advice that’s worth taking.

For starters, maintaining a keen eye on your personal information, finances, and credit reports — here’s how to check them — in the near future will help stop any identity fraud in its tracks. Although that’s a good idea in general, doing so now is more important than ever.

You can request free credit reports from all of the major organizations in one place using AnnualCreditReports‘ online system.

Moving forward

As well as keeping an eye on this story as it evolves, and monitoring your own financial statements and credit reports, you should use good security practices and have unique passwords and login information for all online services. If you are ever concerned that some of your details have been compromised in other hacks, the HaveIBeenPwned website is a great resource to find out.

Don’t forget to keep yourself safe from ransomware too. For tips on how, check out our handy guide.

Update 12:30 PM 9/8/2017: Clarified arbitration clause in TrustedID’s terms and conditions.

How to block text messages on iOS and Android

Regardless of which feature-rich smartphone you have, its main function is to keep you in contact with the people in your life. Calling someone is one way to catch up, but it’s hard to argue against texting and SMS messaging, which, for many, is faster and more convenient.

However, there are times when you may receive a message from a contact you’d rather not see again, or get a random message from someone with a questionable number. Sure, you can delete the message and move on, but a much more permanent solution is to block those people entirely, thereby preventing their texts from reaching you until you decide otherwise. Thankfully, both iOS and Android devices allow you to easily do this, and we’ve broken down how to block text messages on your cell phone.

If you’re looking for a guide on how to block numbers from calling you, we’ve created guides on blocking calls on Android, and blocking calls on iOS too.

Blocking texts in iOS

Block texts from known contacts and phone numbers

Blocking texts in iOS requires a little more than simply blocking the phone number or contact in question, even though that will stop you from receiving notifications from those people when they try to reach out. For messages specifically, tap the message from the contact you want to block, then tap Details in the top-right corner. Again, in the top-right corner, you’ll want to tap the “i” icon to open the Info page, then tap Block this Caller at the bottom of the page.

Another way is to go to Settings > Messages > Blocked and tap Add New to add a new blocked contact. Using either method, you’ll not only block messages, but also phone calls and FaceTime calls. This saves you from having to go to the Phone and FaceTime apps and settings to block the same person.

Block texts from numbers that appear as “unknown” or “private”

Unfortunately, you can’t outright block unknown and private numbers in the same way you can known contacts. You can, however, filter and separate them from the rest of the people you know. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle on the Filter Unknown Senders option. This will create a new tab in your Messages app called “Unknown Senders,” but you won’t get notifications for these. It may not be ideal, but it’s a decent compromise.

Report Spam iMessages

Another thing you can do is report spam and junk iMessages. When you get an iMessage from someone you don’t know, there will be a “Report Junk” link. Tap the link to forward the sender’s information and message to Apple. The company should deal with the contact and eventually render the person or bot unable to message you again.

You can also email Apple at “imessage.spam@apple.com”. Keep in mind that you’ll need a screenshot of the message, as well as the email address or phone number that sent the iMessage, and the date and time you received it.

Apple doesn’t deal with SMS and MMS messages, but you can always report them to your carrier. AT&T, for example, suggests sending the spam message to 7726 (SPAM). Afterward, the carrier will look into the message.

Blocking texts in Android

On a Google phone

There are two ways to go about blocking messages on a Google phone, like the Nexus 6P, 5X, or the Google Pixel. The first is to open the Messenger app, then open or start a conversation with one of your contacts. Tap More — represented by three vertical dots — select People & options, and tap Block. You can also open the Messenger app, touch and hold the conversation you want to block, tap Block when the option appears in the top-right corner, and tap OK.

On a Samsung phone

Like on a Google phone, Samsung phones have two ways to block messages. One method involves opening Messages, then choosing the conversation that contains the contact you want to block. From there, tap the More icon, select Block number, and toggle Message block to “On.” Then, tap OK.

Alternatively, head to Messages > More > Settings. Tap Block messages to select the check box, then tap Block list. From here, manually enter the contact’s number and tap the ‘+’ sign, or choose from your inbox or contacts list. When you’ve entered all the numbers you want to block, tap the back arrow.

On an LG phone

LG’s blocking process is fairly quick and straightforward. Start by opening LG’s messaging app and tapping the SMS or MMS message you want to block. Then, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner, then tap Block number to confirm your choice. The number should now be blocked.

On an HTC phone

Much like LG’s blocking process, HTC’s way of blocking unwanted messages is quick and easy. Open Messages, then tap and hold the desired text conversation until the Message options appears. Then, tap Block contact.

Using your carrier

Many mobile carriers provide services and additional settings to help their customers block messages from specific numbers, like those from telemarketers. T-Mobile has Message Blocking, Verizon has Block Calls & Messages, Sprint requires using Limits and Permissions via My Sprint, and AT&T has Smart Limits.

Block texts with Android apps

Additionally, there are dozens of apps in the Google Play Store that you can install to your Android device if your looking for more ways to block numbers and messages. Below are four we recommend checking out if you want to go down that path.

Clean Inbox – SMS Blocker (free)

SMS Blocker will block SMS messages and automatically remove spam on your behalf. Both sets of messages can be filtered out and blocked by using the phone number, a sender phrase, or a specific content word. Blocked messages are placed in their own separate folder, and can also be exported in a Notepad format, presumably to make it easier to save them for future reference. This is all included in the free version of the app, though the premium version lets you block all unknown numbers, add password protection, and provides an option to automatically delete SMS messages. You can also use it to remove the limit placed on the number of Block/Allow list entries.

Download now from:

Google Play

Block call and block SMS (free)

While this isn’t specifically made to block SMS messages, it’ll do the job all the same. The app’s main focus is dealing with phone calls, which involves managing a blacklist, but the end result lets you use your phone without being interrupted by unknown callers, texts, and the notifications that accompany them. One potential downside to this app, however, is that it needs to be set as the default SMS app in order to effectively block SMS messages. That could be a major turn off if you’re already a fan of another messaging app.

Download now from:

Google Play

Text Blocker (free)

Unlike the Block call and block SMS app, Text Blocker (aka Postman) doesn’t need to be your default SMS app in order to work. Instead, it works with just about any other messaging app. It will also begin blocking messages and spam as soon it’s installed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t customize it like the rest. In fact, you can change the spam filter level to tone down how much it blocks, and recover messages you accidentally blocked with a single tap. Text Blocker also has a useful feature known as Smart Notifications, which allows you to adjust how often you’re notified of new spam messages. Notifications can also come in instantly, be delayed, or turned off completely. Best of all, it’s compatible with Android 7.0 (Nougat), so you can run the Android N developer preview without one breaking the other.

Download now from:

Google Play

Truecaller (free)

Truecaller is the successor to the widely popular Truemessenger app, and it fulfils much the same niche, allowing users to instantly recognise when a spam number is calling or messaging, and will automatically block marketing emails. Their powerful Caller ID system will also name and shame unknown numbers that call you, making this one of the best apps for knowing who’s messaging you. Used by over 250 million people, this is a strong contender for being your blocking app.

Download now from:

Google Play

You can also block email addresses too — and you can find out how to do that with our guide to blocking a specific email address. And why not take a break from this serious stuff with a more light-hearted article about the best games on your iPhone that you can play right now. You’ve not been left out if you’re an Android owner, because you can read about our favorite Android games instead.

Zelle is your bank’s answer to Venmo, and it’s finally getting a mobile app

Why it matters to you

Mobile is the banking platform of the future and Zelle is here to make sending and receiving money instantly even easier.

We’ve all heard of Venmo and Square Cash, but soon there could be another player on the block — and this one has some pretty serious backing. The service is called Zelle and it first launched in June. Now, however, the service is getting its own stand-alone app.

Zelle has been powering transfers for some pretty major institutions in the past few months, including Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and more. In fact, if you use a mobile banking app, it is likely already powered by Zelle. Thirteen banks and credit unions in total support the service, with 17 more boasting plans to connect with Zelle.

Zelle App (PRNewsfoto/Early Warning Services)

So what is the point of Zelle? Person-to-person payment platforms have become increasingly popular over the past few years and for good reason. They are simple, quick, and reliable. Not only that, but they are far better than the large bank alternative, which requires information like routing numbers and account numbers. Zelle aims to change that. In fact, it was created by a coalition of large banks who don’t want to lose out to services like PayPal and Venmo.

Like other person-to-person payment services, Zelle will allow users to send and request money using only a friend’s phone number or email address. On top of that, it will work with both Visa and MasterCard, even if the associated bank does not yet officially support Zelle. Since its initial rollout in June, Zelle says that more than 50,000 new customers are enrolling in the service on average per day, with the goal being to bring the service to all 86 million mobile banking customers in the U.S.

The app itself will be available on Tuesday and users will be able to send funds instantly to one another, providing they both have Zelle. If one person in the transaction does not have Zelle, transactions will take between one and three days to complete.

Zelle will not be without serious competition. PayPal, which owns Venmo, recently announced it would offer instant transfers, though it will be charging $0.25 per transaction. The feature has already rolled out to PayPal, and will likely hit Venmo soon, especially given the launch of the Zelle app.

Zelle will be available on both Android and iOS.

What does the Hydrogen One look like? Red partnership offers a glimpse

Why it matters to you

Few details have been shared on Red’s first smartphone but the new partnership makes it easier to visualize what a holographic smartphone will look like.

Despite already listing for a $1,200-plus pre-order, Red has shared very few specifics about the company’s first smartphone, the Hydrogen One, which comes with a holographic media display. But a new business partnership is shedding light on what, exactly, that “holographic media display” entails. On Thursday, Red Digital Cinema announced a partnership with Leia Inc., a 2014 startup focusing on light field displays.

The partnership, which is both exclusive and long-term, will mix Red’s digital content expertise and Leia’s light field display tech, according to a press release. That agreement is part of the Hydrogen One, which the companies say will include both holographic content and 3D sound for viewing movies and media, gaming, mixed reality, and even social media.

Leia uses nano-photonics to create a holographic screen that preserves the usual smartphone touchscreen functions and also does not create extra bulk. According to Leia’s website, its technology uses diffractive light field backlighting, using nanostructures to give a screen “almost magical” properties — or creating small 3D projections from the screen. A demonstration from 2015 illustrates the idea:

Leia says that its ttechnology does not impact battery life. While the focus is the holographic display for media and games, Leia says the screen also has other uses, like creating “privacy viewing zones,” which would presumably make the screen only viewable from a certain angle.

As part of the partnership, Red invested an undisclosed amount in Leia, while Red founder and chairman Jim Jannard will join Leia’s board of directors.

“This is an incredible opportunity for both companies and a perfect marriage,” Jannard said in a statement. “Leia brings a very special piece of technology that blends seamlessly with our vision of a ground-breaking and disruptive consumer product.”

The Hydrogen One is expected to go on sale during the first half of 2018. The smartphone uses an Android operating system and along with that 5.7-inch holographic display features software for converting stereo sound into multi-dimensional audio. Red also said the smartphone is “the foundation of a future multi-dimensional media system” with modular components, though it is unclear just how modular the smartphone will be. Full specifications have not yet been released.

Weekly Rewind: Apple’s new campus, Lilium’s flying cars, Lowe’s comic books

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from Watson’s role at the U.S. Open to how to get free Netflix  — it’s all here.

Sharp home appliance lineup at IFA includes washer that auto-dispenses detergent

Continuing to boost its arsenal of home appliances, electronic giant Sharp has released a variety of products ranging from a dishwasher that can wash your dishes in under 20 minutes to a washing machine that dispenses your laundry detergent for you. The products combine technology and hardware and have all kinds of bells and whistles built in. From air purifiers to washing machines, here’s a rundown of Sharp home appliances the Japanese electronics manufacturer has put on the floor this weekend at Berlin’s IFA 2017.

Read: Sharp home appliance lineup at IFA includes washer that auto-dispenses detergent

Michael Kors’ next-generation smartwatches are now available for purchase

Michael Kors, the luxury watch brand behind last year’s Access Bradshaw, announced a bunch of new smartwatches at the 2017 Baselworld conference in Switzerland in April. As of September 6, the Access Sofie and the Access Grayson are officially available for purchase on the Michael Kors website, along with its retail locations.

Read: Michael Kors’ next-generation smartwatches are now available for purchase

Watson tracked every serve, set, and save to show you the best of the U.S. Open

Last Thursday, 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was taken to the limit in a five-set thriller against Mikhail Youhzny at the 2017 U.S. Open.

As the action played out at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Digital Trends was invited into the heart of the Arthur Ashe Stadium to see how IBM used its cutting edge technology to track every serve, set, and rally.

IBM has been a fixture at the U.S. Open since 1990, and the company’s ability to give fans better access to the biggest matches has evolved with every passing year. This year, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and a host of other technologies came together to curate the best play from each day of the tournament.

Read: Watson tracked every serve, set, and save to show you the best of the U.S. Open

Apple’s ‘Steve Jobs Theater’ looks stunning for next week’s iPhone event

Despite the lousy weather, Apple Park manages to look pretty darn impressive. The tech titan’s sparkling new campus recently began welcoming workers through its doors, while a new drone video shows that finishing touches to elements such as landscaping are heading toward completion.

Shot under gray skies in Cupertino, California, Duncan Sinfield’s aerial video shows off not only the striking “doughnut” design of the main building, but also the impressive-looking Steve Jobs Theater. It will be used for the first time next week, when Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil new iPhones … hopefully along with some other goodies.

Read: Apple’s ‘Steve Jobs Theater’ looks stunning for next week’s iPhone event

Lowe’s prints comic books imagining sci-fi futures — then makes them real

Lowe’s isn’t just a lumberyard, it’s an incubator building our sci-fi future — thanks to Kyle Nel and his really weird job.

“We hire professional published science fiction writers, we give them all of our data, and then we send them out in all directions,” he told Digital Trends. “And then they come back with short stories … we turn these into unexpected manifestations — usually comic books.” Nel is executive director of the Lowe’s Innovation Lab and a behavioral scientist by trade. But his job is reading sci-fi literature and printing comic books.

“I literally make comic books for our executive team, and we sit down and literally read comic books. It sounds corny, but it works,” he said.

Read: Lowe’s prints comic books imagining sci-fi futures — then makes them real

How to get free Netflix as a T-Mobile customer

T-Mobile newest promotion provides free Netflix to all T-Mobile One unlimited customers with two or more lines on their account. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an existing T-Mobile or Netflix customer or not — either way, you can get in on the deal. Signing up couldn’t be easier, so follow this guide and you can be binge-watching in no time.

Read: How to get free Netflix as a T-Mobile customer

New gene editing tech promises to be even better than CRISPR

Just when we were getting used to the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing revolution, a new “fourth-generation” DNA base editor has come along, offering a new way to modify the genetic code that may be safer in terms of reducing potential mistakes.

Base editing is a relatively new approach to genome editing. It describes a technique in which a target point mutation is directly converted back to the normal DNA sequence on a permanent basis, without having to introduce a double-stranded cut in the DNA. Because most human genetic variants associated with disease are point mutations, base editing could offer a means by which to advance the study and future treatment of human genetic diseases.

The fourth-generation base editor offers a way to improve base editing efficiency, while greatly reducing undesired byproducts — thereby making the edits much “cleaner.”

Read: New gene editing tech promises to be even better than CRISPR

Electric jet company Lilium receives $90M to make flying cars a reality

How much money would you throw at a company promising to deliver Jetsons-like flying cars? If you’re anything like the venture capitalists involved with German aviation startup Lilium Aviation, the answer is $90 million. That is how much they invested in a recently completed Series B funding round.

Among the high-profile investors are Chinese internet giant and investment company Tencent, private banking and asset management firm LGT. They joined Twitter co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams and Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström as individuals with a vested interest in making Lilium’s flying cars take off. The $90 million brings the total investment in the company to more than $100 million — which is hopefully enough to deliver a sweet product to the market place in the not-too-distant future.

Read: Electric jet company Lilium receives $90M to make flying cars a reality

Digital actors will never replace humans, says Andy Serkis (and he would know)

Andy Serkis’ first love has always been acting. Serkis spent 14 years performing on the stage and British television before landing the coveted role of Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which took his career on a strange turn into the emerging art of motion and performance capture. Today, Serkis is known worldwide as the master of performance capture, having brought to life characters from Gollum to King Kong (in Jackson’s remake), to Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, and a leading role as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy.

While Serkis continues to explore additional performance-capture roles like Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Baloo in his directorial turn for Jungle Book: Origins, he’s also spent time recently as a consultant on the first-ever Planet of the Apes video game, Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier, for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this fall.

Read: Digital actors will never replace humans, says Andy Serkis (and he would know)

Best Wireless Charging Pads for LG G6

What’s the best charging pad for LG G6?

The LG G6 supports wireless charging the U.S. and Canada, and if you want to keep it conveniently charged, without having to plug it in, then you’ll need a great wireless charger. Keep in mind that the LG G6 does not support fast wireless charging, so you needn’t worry about the speed of any wireless charger — they’ll all work just as quickly.

Here are our favorites.

• Choetech wireless charger with smart lighting sensor
• Samsung wireless charging pad
• Choetech T511 wireless rubber charging pad
• Spigen Essential F300W wireless charging stand
• Sojitek wireless car charger

Choetech wireless charger with smart lighting sensor

Choetech’s wireless charging pad has roughly the footprint of a coffee mug, so it’s the perfect desk or table accessory, taking up minimal room while keeping your LG G6 charged. Its LED indicator has a smart sensor that dims it or shuts it down completely in the dark so that you can place your G6 on it before bed and not be kept up by its blue hue.

Choetech’s pad has a 4-foot Micro-USB cable and comes with an 18-month warranty and starts around $13.

See at Amazon

Samsung wireless charging pad

Samsung’s $23 wireless charging pad is the most popular wireless charger on Amazon, with over 8,000 reviews, 70% of which are 4- or 5-star. This charger is stylish, with your choice of a black or white finish, and can be plugged into a wall socket or into another device via USB.
As with all great wireless chargers, you can still use your phone while it charges up, and Samsung offers a 1-year warranty just in case anything goes wrong.

See at Amazon

Choetech T511 wireless rubber charging pad

Another great Choetech charger, the rubber wireless charging pad features an anti-slip surface, so you can pop your LG G6 on it and won’t have to worry about it sliding off and interrupting charging. This charging pad is 3.6 inches x 3.6 inches, so it’s plenty big enough to accept your LG G6 without you having to balance it precariously, but it’s compact enough to not be intrusive on your desk space or coffee table.

Choetech doesn’t provide a wall plug, but the one that came with your G6 will work just fine. Grab this pad on Amazon for around $12.

See at Amazon

Spigen Essential F300W wireless charging stand

If you prefer more of a stand design for your wireless charger, then check out Spigen’s $26 stand, which sits at an angle, so you can see your LG G6’s screen while laying down. Since this charging stand has three coils, you can place your G6 vertically or horizontally and still have it receive a charge.

See at Amazon

Sojitek wireless car charger

If you like to keep your LG G6 charged up on the go, but hate having to plug it in and unplug it in the car, then check out Sojitek’s $50 wireless car charger and mount. You just plug the mount into your car’s USB port or to a USB-12V adapter and then you can mount your G6 and unmount it as you please, charging it while you drive.

Sojitek’s mount sticks to your dashboard or windshield via suction cup, so you’ll want a flat dashboard for it to stay put properly. Double-check laws where you live to make sure accessories on your windshield aren’t illegal (they are where I live!).

See at Amazon

Your favorite?

Do you use a wireless charger with your LG G6? Let us know which one in the comments below!

Update, September 2017: Added pricing information for each charger. These are still your best options for wirelessly charging your LG G6!

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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Galaxy Note 8 unsurprisingly sets new pre-order record for Samsung

Interesting, but not necessarily surprising.

Samsung has announced that in the first two weeks of availability, more people have pre-ordered the Galaxy Note 8 in the U.S. than any previous Note — yes, including the initially very-well-received Note 7. Part of the strong initial sales can likely be attributed to the nice pre-order deals offering lucrative free gifts like a Gear 360, DeX dock, SDcard and wireless charger.

But then we also have to remember the huge pent-up demand for a new Note following the Note 7’s removal from the market. There are tons of Note 4 owners out there who managed to hold onto their phone for another year rather than jump ship, Note 5 owners who normally would’ve upgraded every year and also those who are just flowing right into their two-year upgrade cycle as if the Note 7 never existed anyway. And with the extreme similarities between the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+, this just shows how strong that “Note” brand still is.

People are clearly still tied to the ‘Note’ brand above all else.

Samsung of course won’t relay exact sales numbers, but we’ll get a better feeling for those in its next quarterly financial report. The best indicator of how well the Note 8 is doing will have to come in two more quarters, once it has tallied up the year-end holiday sales period that’s historically the strongest of the year for smartphones.

One little nugget at the end of the announcement from Samsung says that if you pre-order the Galaxy Note 8 directly from the company now, it will be upgraded to expedited shipping and will be expected to arrive before the technical September 15 launch date. Considering that we’ve already seen some pre-orders arriving over a week early, this isn’t super surprising — but having phones ship ahead of schedule is always a good thing.

Were you one of the early Note 8 pre-orders that led to this sales record? Let us know in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy Note 5: Which should you buy?
• Which Galaxy Note 8 color should you buy?
• All Galaxy Note 8 news
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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RED announces exclusive partnership with holographic display maker for Hydrogen One

Are you ready for holograms on phones?

Earlier this summer, camera maker RED announced that they were working on the Hydrogen One, a $1200 phone that it claims will offer customers the very first holographic display on a phone.

Today, RED officially announced a long-term exclusive partnership with Leia Inc., the company responsible for the “Diffractive Lightfield Backlighting” technology that makes the holographic display possible. The goal is to have the first Hydrogen One phones ready for consumers in the first half of 2018.

The world got its first look at a Hydrogen One prototype back in early August thanks to YouTuber Marques Brownlee, and while MBKHD was given an opportunity to see the holographic lightfield in action, the public has been left in the dark for the time being. The technology uses Leia’s proprietary hardware and software to synthesize lightfield holographic content within a layer of an LCD display on a mobile device, while otherwise preserving the normal operation of the display for everyday use.

Founded in 2006 by Jim Jannard, RED delivered the world’s first 4K digital camera. Through the decade that followed, RED cameras have become fully embraced by Hollywood and used in popular TV series and major motion pictures. With the Hydrogen One, RED is hoping to have a similar impact on the mobile phone industry by providing a new way for users to experience and share content, from movie viewing and gaming to social networking and augmented reality capabilities.

Meanwhile, this will be Leia Inc.’s first attempt to bring its technology into consumer electronics. It appears that RED will be taking the lead there, having made a strategic investment in Leia along with having Jannard join the Leia board of directors.

Feel free to squeeze away [#acpodcast]

This week, Daniel Bader, Andrew Martonik, and Alex Dobie are joined by Russell Holly for an epic roundtable of new phone goodness. The crew starts off with the LG V30. Is it living up to Daniel’s initial impressions? T-Mobile is including Netflix subscriptions with their ONE plans. Also, reviews are out for the Galaxy Note 8 and S8 Active. In the rumor mill, Google may buy HTC, and the Pixel 2 is taking form. All that, plus an update on what’s happening with ARCore!

Show Notes and Links:

• LG V30 hands-on: A galaxy of good ideas
• All T-Mobile ONE plans now include a Netflix subscription
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
• Google may buy HTC
• The Pixel 2 is taking form
• ARCore to the core

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Win this contest and keep your home safe with the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt!

We’ve teamed up with Schlage to give away two sets of Sense Smart Deadbolts and adapters!

Schlage has updated their popular Sense Smart Deadbolt with Android support , allowing millions of new users the opportunity to unlock their front doors with a tap — or a code. This is a great product for those who frequently open their homes to friends, family, or temporary guests and understandably want to keep that access secure. The brand also announced the new Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapter, which provides users with remote access capabilities for their Sense Smart Deadbolt.

We’ve teamed up with Schlage to give away two sets of Sense Smart Deadbolts and Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapters! Keep reading to see how to enter.

THE PRIZE: Two Android Central readers will win a Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt and Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapter!

THE GIVEAWAY: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. International winners will be responsible for any customs fees incurred during shipping.

The giveaway is open until September 22, 2017, and the winner will be announced right here after the closing date. Good luck!

Win this contest and keep your home safe with the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt!