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

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

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

Thanksgiving Wallpapers

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Get into the holiday spirit with this collection of Thanksgiving-themed wallpapers for your iPhone.

Available on:

iOS

Smart Merge Pro

Your contacts are the most important data in your phone. Smart Merge Pro easily helps you detect and merge duplicate contacts.

Available on:

iOS

SalaryBook

When you are getting paid via contract, or from multiple sources, it is critical for you to track your activity for each project, as well as the amount of time you spend on each. Insert your schedule and your pay will be displayed in a variety of formats.

Available on:

iOS

Cardiograph Classic

Cardiograph is an application which measures your heart rate. You can save your results for future reference, keep track of multiple people with individual profiles, add notes and locations, and more.

Available on:

iOS

KeyWi Keyboard

KeyWi is a custom keyboard for your iOS device that allows you to type using your computer’s physical keyboard.

Available on:

iOS

Ukulele Tuner Pro

Tune your ukulele with precision and ease, all within seconds. This app features 11 tunings for soprano, tenor, concert, and baritone ukuleles.

Available on:

iOS

Play aerial laser tag with your friends with the Rockee FPV drone

Why it matters to you

Want to engage your friends in an aerial battle? The Rockee drone is here to help.

Who says you can’t relive Top Gun in your own backyard? Certainly not the makers of the Rockee, a new Indiegogo project heralded as the “most enjoyable DIY athletic battle drone” on the market. These tiny little first-person-view (FPV) drones allow pilots to exercise their control via a smartphone or a remote.

And thanks to its virtual reality capabilities, flyers can don a pair of VR goggles to effectively sit in the Rockee’s cockpit, seeing everything from the lens of a 720P HD camera. That means that you’ll be able to receive real-time images by way of a Wi-Fi connection, capturing every detail in a battlefield (or you know, the great outdoors). And thanks to the pressure-set-height system, the Rockee promises to prevent feelings of dizziness or queasiness for pilots who may not have their VR legs completely under them just yet. Regardless, this drone promises high-definition recording and photographing.

With a control radius of up to 150 meters and an ascension limit of 100 meters, you can fly quite far and quite high with this FPV drone. After all, this drone weighs in at less than a pound, which ought to make it supremely maneuverable and navigable in the air. Indeed, everything about this drone is about getting more bang for your buck. It’s said to take just 30 minutes to charge, and can fly up to 10 minutes.

You can also battle your friends with the Rockee by using its “highly sensitive infrared shooting” capabilities. When you fire an infrared “bullet” and hit another Rockee drone, the affected drone will flash red, simulating wounded rotation, and will land automatically after being hit three times. Think of it as aerial laser tag — because why should you have to enjoy the thrill of flying a drone alone?

You can order a battle pack of Rockee drones (which is to say, two of them) for $170 from Indiegogo now. Shipment is estimated for November 2017. Alternatively, you can order just one Rockee drone for $99, though this is one product that certainly seems to work better in pairs. Spare batteries can also be ordered for $20 for extended flight times.

How to take a screenshot on the Google Pixel 2

This is one of the most fundamental features of a smartphone.

Being able to take a screenshot on our phone is something we all need to do on a regular basis. Whether it’s to send off to someone or save for your own use later, it’s the fastest way to grab information on your phone. For all of the changes in the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, one thing has remained: taking a screenshot is dead simple.

How to take a screenshot on the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL

Open up whatever you want to screenshot.
Press both the power and volume down buttons and hold them for 2 seconds.
You’ll know it completed when the screen briefly flashes and displays the screenshot.
Check the notification shade to see your screenshot.

• You can tap the notification to view it in full, or expand the notification and tap the share button to share it directly or delete to discard it.

See? That’s about as simple as it gets. If you don’t need to work with the screenshot right away, you can clear the notification and view your screenshots later in any gallery app of your choice or the default Google Photos app.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL hands-on preview
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

Google Store
Project Fi
Verizon

Is metal really a better material than plastic on phones?

Metal and glass might look nice, but phones made out of plastic were never really bad in the first place.

As any follower of the smartphone industry knows, we’re living in an age where OEMs are striving for all metal and glass designs in favor of cheaper materials, such as plastic. This is a trend we’ve seen from Samsung, LG, Google, and plenty others, and while glass and metal might subjectively be more attractive than plastic, are these materials really any better in day-to-day use?

One user on our forums shared his thoughts on how he wished Google had released an updated version of the Nexus 5 in favor of the Pixel 2 that we currently have, and this sparked a discussion of metal/glass vs. plastic when used on phones.

Here’s what some people had to say:

maxburn
10-08-2017 09:12 AM

“

The black Nexus 5 soft touch plastic was fantastic, we need to bring this back. So much better than aluminium.

The 5 is a legend, the peak of the Nexus line IMO.

Reply

ultravisitor
10-08-2017 12:56 PM

“

I hate that we have to have breakable phones now because people think plastic is cheap. Sure, it can be cheap–like the ugly shiny plastic that Samsung used to use–but it can also look very nice and be very practical.

Reply

Zendroid1
10-09-2017 10:30 AM

“

I just don’t get why people equate cheap with plastic? Some of the most beautiful and even high end products in the world are made out of plastic.

Reply

Plastic seems to be the favorable material for most people, but there are still some users that like the move to metal/glass.

bhatech
10-09-2017 08:19 PM

“

Meh the Nexus 5 looked and felt cheap, I’m happy with current crop of flagships which have more modern and much better build than few years back.

Reply

AustinIllini
10-09-2017 11:24 AM

“

Generally in engineering plastic is functional, not particularly stylish or high end. Whether it’s headphones, cars, phones, or anything else, plastic is a very pedestrian (albeit necessary) material choice and no one really wants it on a $650+ phone

Reply

Now, we pass the question on to you – Do you prefer phones made out of plastic or metal/glass?

Join the conversation in the forums!

How to convert your DVDs to enjoy on the Huawei Mediapad M3

Rip your own DVDs and you won’t have to worry about Wi-Fi or the cloud!

There are a lot of Android tablets that have an amazing screen. The Huawei Mediapad M3 is a great example. A 2560×1600 display is awesome for a lot of things, but it’s really great for watching movies. It’s like holding a cinema in your hands.

There are also a lot of movies to watch! Places like Netflix, or Google Play Movies or HBO are filled with movies you can stream or download, but a lot of us have movies on disc. While you can attach some portable DVD players to the USB port on some tablets, that’s a pain to set up and makes for another thing to carry around. There’s an easier solution. Rip the movies you already have so you can watch them on your tablet. And the easiest and best way to do it is absolutely free.

Handbrake

If you have done any searching about ripping DVDs for Android, you’ve seen people talk about Handbrake. It’s a free, open-source program for Windows, Mac or Linux that can convert video from one format to another. There are a ton of options if you’re the type who likes to fiddle with things, but it has a built-in setting to take a DVD (either an actual disc or an image of one) and convert it into a file that plays on your Android. It also works great!

To get started, you need to install Handbrake on a computer. A faster computer is better, but it will work on almost any PC or laptop. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on a Chromebook unless you’ve installed Linux on it.

Your computer will need a DVD drive. Since the people who make laptops would rather they be thin than have a DVD drive built-in, you might need to pick up an external USB DVD drive. The good news: they’re cheap! There are plenty to choose from, and I can recommend LG’s Super Multi Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer Drive. It has a ridiculous name but a low price, and I use one with my MacBook Pro because it was $50 cheaper than the one from the Apple Store. You can snag it, or any of the hundreds of other models, at Amazon.

See at Amazon

Next, you need to download and install Handbrake. You’ll find a bunch of different websites that you can get it from but stick with the official site because most of the others have added garbage programs in the installer. Nobody wants or needs browser toolbars or ad filled video players. Once it’s downloaded, you install it like any other program.

Download Handbrake from its official site

Now you need a DVD. And you need to know that the companies who distribute movies think copying a DVD you paid for shouldn’t be legal. I think those companies need to stay out of my business and can stuff it if they think they get to tell me what to do with things I paid for.

I can’t decide what you think, so I’m just telling you that a guy in a $1,000 suit might say you’re stealing if you copy a $15 DVD you bought. You can also use a copy of a DVD (the ones with folders and a bunch of files) or a previously ripped DVD video. I don’t want to know where or how you got those, but they work just as well as the original.

Now the easy step-by-step:

Put the DVD in the drive, and close any video player that might have opened.
Open Handbrake. On the screen, you see when it starts, it asks you for a source file. That’s your DVD.

On the right side of the Handbrake window is a list of presets to transcode the DVD into playable formats. Scroll down and you’ll see several presets for Android.

Choose the quality you want your copy to use. I suggest you use 1080p at 30 fps. The copy will look almost as good as the original does with this setting.

In the middle of the Handbrake window, you need to tell the program where to save the copy. Click the Browse button and choose a place on your computer. This is just like saving any other file so you can save it anywhere.

At the top of the Handbrake window is a Green play button that says Start Encode. Click it.
Wait while Handbrake converts your DVD into a movie you can watch on your tablet.

There are a few things you should know. For starters, this might take a while. Some of it depends on the computer you’re using and how powerful it is, but it just takes time to go through every frame of a video and convert it to another format. You can still use your computer while Handbrake is doing its thing, but if you try something like playing a game or working with big files in Photoshop, you can cause Handbrake to error out.

For reference, I used my gaming rig to test things. An 84-minute DVD (Cloverfield, if you’re curious) took about 18 minutes from start to finish. The computer has an overclocked Intel Core i7, 32 GB of RAM, and two NVIDIA 980Ti video cards. A better computer will be able to transcode a DVD a little faster, and a computer with specs that aren’t as good will take a little longer. But don’t worry, even something like a MacBook Air will be able to do this. It will just take five or ten more minutes.

There’s a setting in Handbrake that tells the computer what to do when the transcoding is finished. You can set it to shut everything down so you can go do other stuff while it’s working. When you come back you’ll have a copy of your DVD to play on your tablet and your computer will be shut off.

Handbrake also has a ton of settings. If you use one of the Android presets, you don’t need to touch any of them. Unless you want subtitles, that is. Before you start encoding, click the tab in the center of the Handbrake windows that says Subtitles and look through the dropdown list to see what choices your original DVD offers. Choose one and you’re good to go.

All that’s left is to copy the new video file to your tablet or an SD card so you can watch it with your favorite video player!

See at Amazon

Huawei Mediapad M3 vs. Mediapad M3 Lite: Which should you buy?

ZTE Blade Force launches on Boost Mobile for $130

Available now on Boost Mobile for $130, the ZTE Blade Force offers HPUE connectivity, a 5.5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 427 processor, Android Nougat, and more.

Devices like the Google Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and LG V30 might be the hottest and flashiest Android flagships on the market, but they’re also some of the most expensive. If you’re looking to pick up a new handset that does everything you ask it to and won’t cost an arm and a leg, the all-new ZTE Blade Force just might be for you.

On the front of the Blade Force is the phone’s 5.5-inch IPS display. The 1280 x 720 resolution certainly isn’t the highest around, but it should be perfectly serviceable for browsing Twitter and watching YouTube videos. That activity will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 427 processor and 2GB of RAM, and to get you through a full day of use, there’s a 3,000 mAh nonremovable battery.

There’s also an 8MP rear and 5MP front-facing camera, 16GB of storage that can be expanded up to 128GB, 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.2, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

In addition to all of the above specs, the ZTE Blade Force also features something called “High Performance User Equipment” (or HPUE for short). Sprint introduced HPUE last December as a way for extending its 2.5GHz coverage by up to 30-percent compared to phones without this tech, allowing for a stronger signal wherever you go.

The ZTE Blade Force is available for purchase starting today (October 10) for $129.99 from Boost Mobile.

ZTE first introduced its popular Blade series into the U.S. earlier this year with the remarkably good V8 Pro, and although the Force may not be quite as impressive as the V8 Pro from a specifications point of view, it still manages to offer a compelling package for not a ton of cash.

See at Boost Mobile

Deal: Get the Chromecast Ultra at Meijer for $35 (50% off)

Meijer is slashing the price of the Chromecast Ultra from $69 down to just $35, but there’s no word on how long the deal will last.

Everywhere you look, it seems like the phrases “4K” and “HDR” are being thrown out like there’s no tomorrow. Televisions and media streaming boxes are all jumping on the 4K train, but these gadgets tend to be quite pricey.

Google’s Chromecast Ultra is one of the more affordable products for getting ultra-crispy videos streamed right to your TV, and although the regular price of $69 USD is already quite affordable considering what the little gadget can do, it’s currently on sale for just $35.

This deal is available in-stores only at Meijer, with branches scattered throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconson in the U.S.

The Chromecast Ultra might not be as robust or feature-rich as devices like the NVIDIA Shield TV or Roku Ultra, but being able to cast 4K Ultra HD and HDR content to your television for just $35 is a steal – especially when you consider that this is the same MSRP for the regular Chromecast.

There’s currently no word as to how long this deal will last, so if you happen to live in an area near a Meijer location, be sure to check and see if any are in stock at your local store before heading out to buy one (or two).

See at Meijer

Get Zippo lighters, fuel canisters, and the inevitable emergency fire kit on sale today only

Are you Drew Barrymore? Cause you’re starting a fire in my heart!

Is this deal for me?

Amazon’s Gold Box deal of the day features a selection of Zippo products up to 25% off, including classic lighters like the Zippo Chrome lighter for $7.55 and accessories like the Zippo 12-hour hand warmer for $9.75.

The lighters normally sell between $10 and $11, and they have sold as high as $13 recently. The Satin Chrome lighter, for example, hasn’t sold below $8 since 2015, which makes this a great deal.

Here’s a few of the products discounted during this sale:

• Satin Chrome lighter for $7.55 (from $10.54) – Street Chrome is the only other color also on sale
• Paracord Pouch for $10.97 (from $15)
• Street Chrome Lighter and Paracord Pouch set for $17.34 (from $22)
• 12-hour Hand Warmers for $9.75 (from $13)
• Key-ring Fuel Canister for $6.79 (from $9) – This is an add-on item, which means you need an order of $25 or more to get this price
• Emergency Fire Kit for $8.96 (from $12) – For the inevitable

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – Zippo products are really popular and are known for quality, so it’s extra special to also find them going for such low prices.
• Things to know before you buy! – Only you can prevent forest fires. Also, you can buy this Zippo lighter fluid for $6.24 to refill empty containers for any of the products above.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter

• How to prevent your kids from making purchases with Alexa
• How to save money using Target’s Cartwheel coupon service

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

Google paid $7.2 billion last year to have its apps installed on your phone

Of the $19 billion Google spent in total traffic acquisition costs last year, $7.2 billion went towards mobile products.

Google is one of the most well-known companies in the world, but even so, the search giant still pays a nice chunk of cash each year to maximize profits and visibility as much as possible. Money that Google pays to have Google-served ads on websites, the default search engine on iOS, and Google apps preinstalled on Android phones is referred to as “traffic acquisition costs”, and the company pays $19 billion each year for it.

That’s no small amount of money by any means, and it’s steadily growing for Google’s total Internet properties. Money spent on traffic acquisition costs was around seven-percent in 2012, but now in 2017, it’s reaching up to eleven-percent.

These costs naturally go up as Google’s traffic increases, and when looking at mobile-centric partners, Google has already paid $7.2 billion in the past year (three times more compared to what it paid in 2012) to ensure that its name is consistently represented across smartphones, tablets, etc.

What exactly does that $7.2 billion go towards? Owners of virtually any Android phone know that the Google search bar is typically set at the top of the home screen by default and that an assortment of Google’s many first-party apps are preinstalled out of the box, including the likes of YouTube, Photos, Duo, etc. These are things that come as a result of those fees paid by Google, and it helps to keep the company’s search platform and many services in front of users eyes from day one.

A lot of money goes into crafting what you see on your phone as soon as you take it out of the box.

When a company like Samsung or LG wants to add the Play Store onto their Android devices, they have to voluntarily agree to install other Google apps on their phones in order to do so. This is how things have been for years now, but antitrust authorities in Europe are currently investigating to determine whether or not Google is abusing the power it has over these companies with its ownership of Android.

It’ll more than likely take years before a final verdict is reached on this matter, but even before it does, this has the chance to further increase fees that Google pays to have its search bar on home screens and have so many of its apps preinstalled from day one.

These rising costs don’t’ seem all that surprising as Google continues to increase in popularity and size, but in any case, it’s still interesting to better understand just how your smartphone came to be. You might not have thought too much about what apps were installed on your Galaxy S8 or LG G6 when you powered it on for the first time, but Google paid billions of dollars to ensure that certain elements were in place upon turning that screen on.

Just some nice food for thought for your Tuesday morning.

Google is spending $1.1 billion to hire HTC’s best smartphone talent

How to request a refund on Gear VR games

If you don’t like that new Gear VR game, just request a refund!

Gear VR gives you access to tons of greats games and experiences available for download. Let’s face it though, not every game is fun for every player. Previously if you purchased a game, and it was a dud, you were stuck with that purchase whether you wanted it or not. However, Oculus has recently introduced a new refund policy which makes it easy to request a refund. We’ve got all the details for you here!

Read more at VRHeads