Apple Releases tvOS 11.2 for 4th and 5th Generation Apple TV Models

Apple today released tvOS 11.2, the second major update to the tvOS operating system designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 11.2 comes just over one month after the release of tvOS 11.1, the first tvOS 11 update.

tvOS 11.2 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System –> Software Update. Apple TV owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 11.2 automatically.

According to release notes provided during the beta testing period, tvOS 11.2 enables a new AVDisplayManager feature for developers, which is designed to allow the device to automatically switch video display modes to match the native frame rate and dynamic range of video content.

tvOS 11.2 brings a new Sports section to the dedicated TV app, which offers up access to live sports games through integration with the ESPN app. The Sports app can be accessed through a new “Sports” tab at the bottom of the app, and it offers up custom content based on team preferences and current sports seasons.

The update also includes support for switching the Apple TV 4K display output to SDR for apps that are GPU-bound when running in HDR and it re-introduces the Unwatched category in Home Sharing for Movies, TV Shows, and Home Videos.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

A little elbow grease goes a long way: How to change your car’s oil

When it comes to the integral functions of your automobile, engine oil is as important to a motor as blood is to our bodies. Without engine oil, none of the internal parts would be properly lubricated for long-term function, which is what enables most cars these days to travel hundreds of thousands of miles. Engines house a considerable amount of oil that sits at the bottom of the motor (or in a separate feeding tank in a dry-sump case). It’s then pumped throughout the motor to lubricate everything from the crankshaft to the valvetrain.

Because of the importance of engine oil as crucial fluid, it’s equally important to make sure the oil inside an engine is kept fresh, demanding replacement at intervals recommended by the manufacturer. Through constant use and time, oil degrades and gets dirty and thus, loses some of its ability to keep things slick. That’s why it’s necessary to change your engine oil when it’s time to do so.

Generally, the average interval of changing your oil typically happens every 7,500 miles or every couple of years, which ever comes first and is typically set by the factory. It also depends on whether you’re using traditional organic “dino” oil or artificial synthetic oil—synthetic tends to last longer than “dino” oil and is usually preferred in most cases.

Changing the oil on your car can be a grimy task to say the least. For that very reason, many individuals simply shell out the extra cash and let any number of mechanics handle the dirty work for them. Taking on the task yourself, however, can save you plenty of money over the lifetime of your vehicle and will add to your ever building list of life skills learned.

So here’s our quick crash course on how to change your engine oil.

First, you’ll need to buy the supplies needed to conduct this maintenance job, which means you have to buy replacement oil and some other simple tools.

You will need:

• Car jacks or floor ramps
• A basic socket wrench set
• An oil filter wrench
• A couple of rags or a roll of paper towels
• Rubber or latex gloves to make washing your hands easier
• An oil drain catch pan
• A clean funnel

Identify the oil weight required by your engine, typically found in the owners manual. Some new cars have it stamped into the oil cap. Then purchase the required quantity of oil as indicated in the manual. For instance, as indicated by the engine oil recommendation for a 2002 Jaguar XJ8, its 4.0L naturally-aspirated V8 takes 7.4 quarts of 5W-30 or 0W-40 weight oil if the car is operating in a generally mild ambient temperature range. In the second photo of the oil recommendation for a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL, the use of 10W-40 or 10W-50 weight oil is ideal for most year-round operating temperatures for its 4.5L V8. Lastly, the 2017 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe indicates its oil weight requirement on its engine oil cap for its 3.6L V6–5W-30.

You’ll then have to purchase an oil filter at your local auto parts or department store. They often have dedicated aisles for motor oil and associated filters. Typically, a buyer’s catalog is available next to the shelves with oil filters. There, you can look up your vehicle in this catalog, find its oil filter part number, and locate the item on the shelf so that you can purchase it.

Step 1 – Park your car on a flat surface with plenty of room to work

You’re most likely going to have to raise the end of your vehicle where the engine sits. So you will want plenty of space to work and most of all, your car to be on a flat surface so that when you jack it up, it does not roll.

Note: Be sure to let the engine and subsequent oil inside to sufficiently cool before starting the draining process.

Step 2 – Raise the end of your vehicle where your engine sits.

For most, it’s at the front and for some unique and exotic cars, like on a Porsche Boxster, the engine sits at the middle. See our guide on how to jack up our car, here.

Although many SUVs and trucks have enough clearance beneath their frame for you to perform an oil change, the majority of smaller vehicles have minimal clearance and must be elevated — using either a ramp, lift, or jack — before you can get started. If you use the latter method, ensure the vehicle is securely positioned on a level surface (using a wheel block or another method) before climbing beneath.

Step 3 – Locate the oil pan and drain plug

Now that you’re under the car, the next step is to locate the oil pan and drain plug. If you’re unsure of where the oil pan and drain plug is on your vehicle, refer to your owner’s manual.

Here is the location of the oil drain plug at the bottom of the motor on our 1974 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL restoration project. It requires a 14mm hex socket bit in order to be removed.

Once correctly identified, place your oil drain pan directly under the drain plug and position it to be ready to catch the oil directly beneath and a few inches ahead of the plug. Remove the engine oil cap from the top of the motor so that the engine can drain its oil easier by displacing the flowing oil with air.

Step 4 – Open up the the oil pan’s drain plug and allow the oil to drain

Turn the plug’s screw in a counter-clockwise motion (remember, right-tighty, lefty-loosey) with the appropriate sized socket or bit.

It may take a few minutes for the engine to drain entirely, but when the steady stream of oil has become a sporadic drip, you’re now ready for the next step. Screw the oil plug back into place with a clockwise motion, along with the washer if it needs replacing.

Step 5 – Remove your old oil filter and replace with a new one

Once most of the oil is drained from the engine and the pan plug is refitted, locate your engine oil filter. It’s normally a cylindrical piece that extends out from either the side or the bottom of the motor. On some automobiles, like on certain Subarus, the oil filter is accessible from the top of the motor. However, it’s important to note that it varies greatly by car and what engine it comes with. Therefore, it’s much easier to just identify what an oil filter looks like so you can find it on any engine.

On some older vehicles, like our restoration Mercedes, the oil filter is an interchangeable element locked into a sealed container housing and all you have to do is remove the container to replace the element that sits inside. Most new cars these days utilize cartridge filters, which screw in and out of the motor very easily.

Using either a pair of wide-grip pliers or an oil filter wrench, unscrew the oil filter from where it sits (righty-tighty, lefty loosey). Be sure to position your drain pan under the oil filter’s location as oil contained in the filter will leak out and need to be drained. Once unscrewed completely, just allow it to drop into your pan so it can continue emptying.

Replace the old filter with the one you just purchased at the store, making sure you replace the gasket that usually comes with the filter. Do not over-tighten the new filter as you run the risk of stripping the threads on the filter housing, creating a much bigger problem than you ought to have. Typically tightening it as best you can with your hand is as tight as the oil filter needs to be.

Before adding the new filter, apply a little oil to the rubber ring along the filter’s edge. This will help create a better seal and should also make it easier to remove the filter when it comes time to change your car’s oil again.

Step 6 – Add the new oil

Rest easy, the hardest part is now behind you. Simply pour in the oil per your vehicle’s requirements and make sure nothing leaks from the drain plug or the oil filter housing. If this does occur, tighten the necessary components.

If your engine requires seven quarts, remember to only put seven quarts in! Too much or too little oil can mean the premature death of your motor, turning your car into one very expensive paperweight. Oil is sold in either single-quart containers or five-quart jugs. So if you need seven quarts, you can buy seven individual containers or buy two five-quart jugs, which equal 10 quarts. Buying the jugs often comes at a discount to individual quarts and there’s no harm in having a little extra left over for times you need to top off the motor in between changes.

Both types of oil containers feature scales that help you measure the oil quantity remaining in a container as you’re pouring it in.

Step 7 – Check your oil level, replace engine oil cap, start engine

Once you’re done filling the correct amount, check the oil level with the engine’s dipstick. It protrudes out the side of the motor with a hook. Wipe off the dipstick, replace it until it’s completely seated down, and remove once more. Make sure the oil level is in between the indicators on your dipstick, which tells you that there’s enough oil in the pan.

You’re now ready to start the engine. Let the motor run for a moment and then recheck the oil levels using the dipstick to ensure a proper fill. It’s also important to monitor the oil pressure gauge on the gauge cluster (if equipped) to make sure everything is copacetic. On newer cars, just make sure it doesn’t throw up any warning lights or signals on any of the displays regarding low engine oil pressure.

If everything checks out, wash your hands and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.

Don’t forget to recycle your oil. Most drain pans allow you to pour used oil back into spent new-oil containers for safe transport. Pour your old oil into a sealed and transferable containers and take it to your local auto parts store or mechanic shop. There, they will dispose of your used oil safely, free of charge.

With most new cars today, manufacturers simply decided to make oil changes easy, convenient, and affordable at their dealership locations. Alternatively, it’s also just as easy, convenient, and affordable to have it done any any reputable mechanic shop. Additionally, paying someone else to do it also buys a little bit of security. If the shop screws up and ends up killing your engine by accident, it’s on them to take responsibility. If you change your oil yourself, the responsibility is on you doing it correctly.

While changing out your engine oil is a very easy process and one that isn’t hard to mess up, a mess up can mean catastrophic failure. So just remember there is some risk involved, but it is unlikely as long as you follow these steps.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Want to be your own mechanic? Here’s how to jack up a car (and do it safely)
• A bit of patchwork: Here’s how to fix a flat tire
• Feeling drained? Here’s how to charge a car battery and get on your way
• How to deep fry a turkey without killing yourself in the process
• Learn how to change spark plugs and save money on your next tune-up

The best ebook readers you can buy, no matter your budget

Over the past decade or so, how we read and consume books has changed drastically. Books don’t always come on paper anymore, and are often read on ebook readers and tablets that allow you to churn through as many titles as you want, whenever you want. Ebook readers are better than tablets for reading in a number of ways. Most of them now utilize epaper technology, which is better for your eyes, your device’s battery, and for reading in direct sunlight. Most of the tablet-like devices only sport a black-and-white interface, but you don’t need color when you’re reading anyway.

Of course, there are plenty of ebook readers out there. So which one should you get? If you’re willing to spend the money, the Kobo Aura One is the best for those who use EPUB ebooks and the Kindle Oasis is best for those who’ve always used a Kindle. Here are the best ebook readers money can buy.

Our pick

Kobo Aura One

Why you should buy this: You want a waterproof ebook reader with a big screen that supports more ebook formats

Our Score

The Best Ebook Reader

Kobo Aura One

With a waterproof design, long battery life, and 8GB of storage, the Aura One is our favorite ebook reader.

$229.99 from Kobo

Who’s it for: Readers who buy books, use EPUB ebooks, borrow ebooks from the library, or like to read near water

How much will it cost: $230

Why we picked the Kobo Aura One

Kobo may not be a well, boasting a 7.8-inch E Ink HD touchscreen. It also has 300ppi resolution, so letters appear as crisp and clean as they do in print. Since even ebook readers cast blue light, which can keep you up at night, Kobo offers a night setting you can use to eliminate blue light from the screen. When it’s all the way up, the display takes on a warm, yellowy hue devoid of blue light.

The Aura One is also fully waterproof, with an IPX8 rating, so you can read in the bath or at the beach. The battery should last a month and is powered by a 1GHz chip. The Aura can even handle a large number of ebook formats, so you can download your books from Google Play, your public library, or elsewhere. Overdrive library borrowing is built right into the Kobo store, so getting library books on your ebook reader has never been easier. You can add thousands of books to the Aura One, too, thanks to a commendable 8GB of storage.

You’ll still prefer the Oasis (see the next entry) if you’re deeply embedded in Amazon’s Kindle ebook system, but if you don’t, the Aura One is objectively a better ebook reader. It stifles blue light, supports more ebook formats, has a larger screen, and has built-in borrowing from your public library. Oh, and it costs less.

Our full review

The best Amazon Kindle

Amazon’s All-New Kindle Oasis (2017)

Why you should buy this: You already have a library of Kindle ebooks and you want the best Kindle that exists, damn the money

Our Score

The Best Kindle

Kindle Oasis (2017)

It isn’t waterproof, but it has amazing battery life and we love the cover. This is, by far, the best Kindle.

Who’s it for: A Kindle user who doesn’t mind spending big on an ebook reader for a fresh design

How much will it cost: $250-plus

Why we picked Amazon’s All-New Kindle Oasis (2017)

Last year’s Kindle Oasis was tough to beat, but this year’s All-New Kindle Oasis builds upon its outstanding features. It’s currently the best Kindle available, though it’s also the most expensive. So what makes it such a great device? The All-New Kindle Oasis revels in an excellent design — featuring a beautiful 7-inch display, a pixel density of 300 pixels per inch, and well-placed page turn buttons. That’s more than many tablets.

While this year’s Oasis doesn’t come with a battery cover, the battery life has improved and can last up to six weeks on a single charge. That’s assuming you’re only reading half an hour a day and not extensively using the Bluetooth or backlight, but it only took about an hour to fully charge. This type of battery life is still impressive, especially given how thin the device is. There are also built-in ambient light sensors, which adapt to your surroundings so that you don’t have to constantly adjust the screen.

Ebooks are pretty lightweight, so internal storage isn’t generally as important for an ebook reader as it is for a tablet or smartphone. The All-New Kindle Oasis now offers 8GB of storage, which is enough for thousands of books. If you read more than one book a month, you can sign up for Kindle Unlimited and read as many books as you want for $10 a month. It’s possible to get library books on your Kindle, too. Overdrive has a simple interface that lets you send ebooks to your Kindle over the internet — no plugging in required. You can also highlight passages from your favorite books and share them on social media.

As far as new features go, this year’s All-New Kindle Oasis is a long-awaited waterproof version with an IPX8 rating, which means it’s protected against immersion in up to 6.5 feet of fresh water. It’s also the first to support audio books from Audible. If you own both the audiobook and ebook of a certain title, you can easily switch back and forth between formats.

Sadly, it still only accepts select ebook formats  and, as previously mentioned, is pricey. Regardless, it’s our favorite Kindle and the one you should buy if you don’t mind shelling out extra money for this innovative ebook reader. more affordable options follow.

Our full review

The best Kindle for less than $150

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

Why you should buy this: You have a lot of Kindle ebooks, but you want a cheaper Kindle

Our Score

The Best Kindle Under $150

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2015

If you’re a normal buyer, the Kindle Paperwhite is a great mix between affordability and top-notch features.

Who’s it for: If you can’t splurge on the Oasis, the Paperwhite is the next best thing for a Kindle user

How much will it cost: $120-plus

Why we picked the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite was introduced last year and is still an excellent choice for the bookworm. Ebook readers generally have a longer life span than smartphones or tablets, largely because they’re built for one thing and one thing only — reading. The Kindle Paperwhite delivers on that front.

First off, the Kindle Paperwhite offers a beautiful high-resolution display, with a 300 pixel-per-inch pixel density — the same one that’s on the Oasis, in fact. It is inset, however, so there are rubbery bezels around it. Those can be good for gripping while reading, but they make the Paperwhite a tad bulkier. Even so, this 6-inch ebook reader is light and easy to hold with one hand while reading. There aren’t any page turn buttons, sadly, but if you prefer using the touchscreen instead, you won’t be bothered.

Like the Oasis, the Paperwhite also has 4GB of storage, which should hold thousands of ebooks. You have access to Kindle Unlimited, the ability to download library books, and the option to share your favorite passages on social media.

As far as battery life goes, the Paperwhite will last for up to six weeks on a single charge. The Paperwhite isn’t waterproof, though, and remains limited to select ebook formats, so no EPUB files unless you want to get into the file conversion process. Regardless, it’s the best midrange option for anyone who wants a Kindle.

Our full review

The best ebook reader for less than $150

Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight Plus

Why you should buy this: You don’t want a Kindle and you want a waterproof alternative that’s less pricey than the Kobo Aura One

The Best Cheap Ebook reader

Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus

The Barnes & Noble Nook is still a great ebook reader, and it’s affordable, despite B&N’s many difficulties competing with Kindle.

$79.99 from Barnes & Noble

Who’s it for: If you use Barnes & Noble ebooks or EPUB files and you like to read near water

How much will it cost: $130

Why we chose the Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight Plus

Sure, Amazon is the go-to for ebook readers, but it’s not the only company that makes them. In fact, Barnes & Noble has made quite a name for itself with its Nook series of ebook readers. The GlowLight Plus, the company’s flagship, offers many of the same specs as some of Amazon’s ebook readers, with a price to match the Kindle Paperwhite. So why go for a non-Kindle ebook reader? There are a few reasons, but perhaps the most important one is that you aren’t tied to Amazon’s ebook library. Instead, you can download ebooks from a host of other places, including Barnes & Noble’s store.

Barnes & Noble makes it easy for you to find good books, and with B&N Readout, you can preview them before you buy. Each day, the GlowLight Plus will show you a selection of different excerpts from books you may like in the hopes that you splurge on new titles. It’s an unobtrusive feature, so you don’t feel like you’re getting hit over the head with ads.

The GlowLight Plus also has a 300ppi display, 4GB of storage, and the ability to read most standard ebook formats. The aptly titled GlowLight Plus also has an adjustable ambient light, which will automatically cater to the amount of available light.

This ebook reader is the only one on this list that has an aluminum metal casing instead of a plastic one. The bezels on the front are made of plastic and have a nice grippy texture, but the back is made of smooth metal like an iPad. It’s a sleek-looking ebook reader, and it’s waterproof to boot, with an IP67 rating. So if you like to read near water or in the bath, this is the one for you.

The best cheap Kindle

All-new Amazon Kindle 

Why you should buy this: You want a cheap ebook reader with no frills, or maybe you just like the white color option

The Best Cheap Kindle

Kindle E-reader

If you can do without a light-up screen, this Kindle is still decent in most ways.

$79.99 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: Kindle users on a budget who want the best deal

How much will it cost: $80 to $100

Why we chose the All-new Kindle

Amazon offers a wide range of Kindles to accommodate different budgets, so you don’t have to pay $200-plus to own one. The basic Kindle has the same 6-inch screen as every other Kindle, but it doesn’t have a built-in light. As such, it’s good for daytime reading, but at night, you’ll still need your reading light to see the words on the page. It comes packed with 4GB of storage, which should hold a fair amount of books, though not as many as other Kindles.

Amazon recently updated the basic Kindle with an improved design that comes in both black and white color options. It weighs just 5.7 ounces — which means it’s 16 percent lighter, but also 11 percent thinner than the previous model. It doesn’t have page-turning buttons, but the screen is touch sensitive. There is not much else that has changed in design, but internally you’ll find double the RAM at 512MB. It features Bluetooth audio, which can boost accessibility with VoiceView — a tool that reads out everything on your screen.

You’ll pay $80 for this Kindle if you don’t mind ads, but there’s always the $100 ad-free model for those of you who can’t stand them.

How we test

Testing ebook readers is one of the best parts of the job. It’s every bookworm’s dream to get paid to read! Testing is about more than just reading, though. To put an ebook reader through its paces, we test the screen’s brightness in different lighting conditions, we test its toughness in a variety of environments, and if it is waterproof, we dunk it in the tub to see how it handles a spill into a bubble bath.

We go through the process of buying ebooks from the provided stores, borrowing ebooks from public libraries, and transferring existing ebook files onto the ebook reader itself. We’ve also gone through the pain of converting ebook files to different formats to fully understand just how annoying exclusionary ebook file types are for readers.

But most of all, we read, just like you would at home, so we can tell you what it’s like for a book lover to go digital.

Which ebook readers support which ebook formats?

One of the most annoying things about ebooks is that there are many file types, and certain ebook readers don’t support certain formats. Here’s a breakdown of which ebook readers support which formats.

Kindle

• Kindle Format 8 (AZW3)
• Kindle (AZW)
• TXT
• PDF
• unprotected MOBI
• PRC

HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP files are only supported through conversion. EPUB files are not supported, and conversion requires breaking Digital Rights Management, which is a real hassle. Apple iBooks are not supported either.

Kobo

• EPUB
• EPUB3
• PDF
• MOBI
• JPEG
• GIF
• PNG
• BMP
• TIFF
• TXT
• HTML
• RTF
• CBZ
• CBR

Kindle files and Apple iBooks are not supported, however, Kobo supports the most file formats natively of any ebook reader.

Nook

• EPUB
• PDF
• Adobe DRM ePub and PDF
• JPG
• GIF
• PNG
• BMP

Kindle files and Apple iBooks are not supported.

Update: Added the All-New Kindle Oasis (2017).

Editors’ Recommendations

• Amazon’s $80 Kindle ebook reader is about to get Audible support
• Kindle Oasis (2017) review
• 5 of the best Kindle Paperwhite cases for easy reading on the go
• Ebook company Kobo set to go head-to-head with Audible in the audiobooks market
• Kobo’s limited-edition Aura One offers extra storage for a crazy number of books

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. 

LifeList

LifeList will help you be more productive, organized, and realistic about what you can really get done in a day. It will help you go to bed every night feeling accomplished, motivated, and excited about what you got done.

Available on:

iOS

mini-U

The mini-U app allows you to take a photo of yourself, shrink it down, and send it to friends over text. Add in your photos from your camera or library, then tap to send in a text.

Available on:

iOS

Scored

This app is great for keeping score of those regular Friday night card games, your child’s high school basketball games, or almost any game that involves a score keeper.

Available on:

iOS

Listaway

Listaway: To-Do List, Task Manager, and Reminders is an outstanding planner app that helps you organize your life on your terms.

Available on:

iOS

VisuCaller

VisuCaller scans and calls printed phone numbers. It can also scan contact information, which can be saved to your device’s contacts or an app list. Simply move the viewfinder over information and once scanned it appears in the list.

Available on:

iOS

AURA

These powerful and beautifully designed tools will help you add beautiful frames, filters, text, and so much more to your photos, in the most creative and playful way.

Available on:

iOS

Editors’ Recommendations

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

Casper’s mattresses may be comfortable, but its alleged data collecting isn’t

Casper may want its customers to get a good night’s rest on its mattresses, but no matter how comfortable these beds might be, Casper’s alleged practice of illegally collecting customer data may make it hard to sleep soundly. The bed in a box company is now facing a federal lawsuit that accuses it and software company NaviStone of collecting information from visitors to the Casper website to try to determine their identities.

The lawsuit, which is seeking to be granted class-action status, claims that New Yorker Brady Cohen visited casper.com “several times over the past six months while he was shopping for a new mattress,” as CBS reported. But what Cohen (and most customers) didn’t realize was that Casper utilized NaviStone’s technology to figure out Cohen’s personally identifiable information (PII), such as his name and postal address, all without his explicit consent. The lawsuit alleges that Casper can keep tabs on a user’s keystrokes, mouse clicks, and more, helping the company obtain detailed data on user habits.

As the filing asserts, “…when connecting to a website that runs this remote code from NaviStone, a visitor’s IP address and other PII is sent to NaviStone in real-time. This real-time interception and transmission of visitors’ electronic communications begins as soon as the visitor loads casper.com into their web browser.” It continues, “The intercepted communications include, among other things, information typed on forms located on casper.com, regardless of whether the user completes the form or clicks ‘Submit.’”

Casper, for its part, has denied the charges, branding them as nothing but a “blatant attempt to cash in on and extort a successful, high-growth startup.”  And for its part, NaviStone also seems surprised by the lawsuit. The company readily admits on its site that it allows clients to reach “previously unidentifiable website visitors,” but that it still complies with privacy laws.

“The first NaviStone heard of this lawsuit was when it was filed,” NaviStone said in a statement. “As a result, we have not had the opportunity to speak to the plaintiff or his attorneys about their concerns. We are hopeful that, once that conversation takes place, we can clear up any misunderstandings they may have regarding what NaviStone does — and does not.” All the same, NaviStone has come under fire this year, particularly after Gizmodo published a story on the 100-plus companies that appear to use the company’s code. Since that piece ran, companies including Wayfair and Road Scholar have revealed that they no longer use NaviStone, and just maybe, Casper will follow.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s Waymo vs. Uber: Everything you need to know
• Here’s how to clear cookies so your browser doesn’t get fat from the munching
• Apple AR glasses: News and rumors about ‘Project Mirrorshades’
• This real-time map of antivirus fails is roasting MalwareBytes’ competitors
• Amazon’s patent for 1-click buying just expired, so hold onto your wallets

How’s the Pixel 2 treating you after the honeymoon phase?

Two months on, the Pixel 2 is still an incredible device.

With each new smartphone release, there’s a honeymoon period that begins as soon as you take your new gadget out of its box for the first time. The initial excitement and hype surrounding it can sometimes make it easy to overlook shortcomings that you’ll start to notice later on down the road, and this is often what makes or breaks a phone.

It’s been two months since Google first announced the Pixel 2, and now that a lot of folks have had multiple weeks to use it, it’s possible that thoughts and opinions have changed.

One of our forum users posed the question of what people are liking/disliking about the Pixel 2 now that the honeymoon phase is over, and these are some of the top responses.

nelamvr6
12-01-2017 09:25 PM

“

I haven’t had any issues, and I flat out love this phone! It’s the best phone I’ve ever had.

I am using the Google Assistant way more than I thought I would, and I’m usually using the Active Edge to summon her.

I had Google Assistant on my previous Samsung S6, like all Android phones. But I find the implementation on the Pixel 2 to be way more useful.

I also really like the Now Playing…

Reply

Ca_lvn
12-01-2017 10:04 PM

“

Very happy overall with the phone!
Lots of Pros no regrets.
If I share pictures with somebody or show them pictures im constantly asked what phone that is they’re impressed with the clarity of the pics.

The assistant is definitely one of my favorites

Hopefully a future update will allow my S3 watch to receive calls without creating issues with the phone speaker.

Reply

Orion78
12-01-2017 11:19 PM

“

I’ve had mine since October. 19th. It’s basically the first batch that got shipped and no issues like every writer and their mom are posting. I absolutely love this phone. It’s fluid and in my opinion the best combo of hardware and software today. Guess what? I actually love the screen. The camera is so great that I have to take pics constantly to believe it’s so great lol. It’s scary to think…

Reply

djepperson1
12-02-2017 08:20 AM

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this phone has been my favorite phone I’ve had. I’ve gone through so many phones over the past couple years each time I get a itch try something new because there is always that one thing that keeps me from keeping it long term. now that I’ve had the phone I have no itch to get a different phone even in the slightest even with it supposed flaws it’s the perfect phone for me.

the features I…

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Best ASUS Phones

• Best overall
• Best for photography
• Best for AR

Best overall

ASUS ZenFone 4 Pro

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ASUS’s latest flagship, the ZenFone 4 Pro, packs a lot of power into a well-built metal and glass phone. It features the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset, along with 6GB of RAM, up to 128GB of internal storage, and an impressive 3600mAh battery. The ZenFone 4 Pro also has a dual camera setup, offering a 2X telephoto lens alongside the primary f/1.7 lens.

Bottom line: The ZenFone 4 Pro is ASUS’s top offering at the moment, combining powerful specs with premium design.

One more thing: There are many different flavors of the ZenFone 4, so if the Pro doesn’t resonate with you, you can choose from a number of other options.

Why the ZenFone 4 Pro is the best

From the specs to the performance and design, everything about the ZenFone 4 Pro feels high-end.

The ZenFone 4 Pro comes as part of the broader ZenFone 4 lineup, and stands as ASUS’s current top dog. Its 2.5D glass melts into the metal frame for a premium look and feel, and the new ZenUI 4 software running on top of Android 7.1.1 is fast and responsive. That’s aided by its top-tier specs, including Qualcomm’s ever-popular Snapdragon 835 chipset.

The dual camera layout allows for 2X optical zoom, as well as portrait mode to help you achieve that artificial bokeh effect. The ZenFone 4 Pro is also one of ASUS’s only phones with an AMOLED display, and though it doesn’t have the fancy 2:1 aspect ratio of many of today’s flagships, the bezels are still relatively small and make room for a fingerprint sensor built into the home button on the front.

Best for photography

ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom

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The Snapdragon 625 processor and 1080p screen may not be top of the line, but they’re perfectly serviceable for the average consumer. Instead of having an optical zoom kit like with the original ZenFone Zoom, ASUS outfitted the ZenFone 3 Zoom with two camera sensors, the lenses of which have different focal lengths. This allows for optical zoom without the added thickness of its predecessor, and the artificial bokeh effects that have since become standard in modern flagships.

Bottom line: The ZenFone 3 Zoom takes the DNA of the excellent ZenFone 3 lineup and adds superlative specs and a fantastic dual-camera setup.

One more thing: With the larger focus on cameras with the entire ZenFone 4 lineup, it’s likely that this will be the last ZenFone Zoom.

Best for augmented reality

ASUS ZenFone AR

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The ZenFone AR is interesting not because of its specs, but because it is the first device to combine Google’s Tango and Daydream platforms into one device. The specs are nothing to sneeze at, either: a Snapdragon 821 processor and either 6GB or 8GB RAM makes it pretty powerful, and the 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display is covered with Gorilla Glass 4.

Bottom line: The ZenFone AR isn’t just one of the best ASUS phones, it’s the best phone for virtual and augmented reality.

One more thing: Though Verizon briefly carried the ZenFone AR, it’s no longer being offered on their site, so your best bet is to buy the unlocked model.

Conclusion

ASUS has a habit of releasing a handful of nearly identical phones all at the same time, leading to a wide range of confusing options, but a lot of those options are truly great phones. The ZenFone 4 Pro is an all-around heavy hitter with powerful specs and speedy performance, and the combination of a 1080p display and a large battery makes it an endurance champ, too. At the same time, the ZenFone 3 Zoom lets you get closer to your subject than almost any other phone with 2.3X optical zoom, and the ZenFone AR is one the company’s more ambitious projects with support for the most popular AR and VR platforms on Android.

Best overall

ASUS ZenFone 4 Pro

See at Amazon
See at Best Buy

ASUS’s latest flagship, the ZenFone 4 Pro, packs a lot of power into a well-built metal and glass phone. It features the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset, along with 6GB of RAM, up to 128GB of internal storage, and an impressive 3600mAh battery. The ZenFone 4 Pro also has a dual camera setup, offering a 2X telephoto lens alongside the primary f/1.7 lens.

Bottom line: The ZenFone 4 Pro is ASUS’s top offering at the moment, combining powerful specs with premium design.

One more thing: There are many different flavors of the ZenFone 4, so if the Pro doesn’t resonate with you, you can choose from a number of other options.

Update, November 2017: Removed some older devices from the list and crowned the ZenFone 4 Pro as the top ASUS smartphone.

HTC U11+ review: The best phone you can’t buy

HTC rounds off a turbulent year with an excellent Oreo-powered phablet

The quick take

HTC’s new 6-inch phone takes everything we loved about the U11 and augments it with a more up-to-date design, the latest Android software, and a huge battery.

The Good

• Beautiful glass chassis
• Fast, up-to-date software
• Solid camera performance
• Dependable battery life, even with heavy use

The Bad

• Incredibly slippery
• Display lacks the brightness and punch of competitors
• Design not as svelte as rivals

HTC U11+ Full Review

It’s become something of a sad cliche to preface an HTC review with a refresher of the company’s current monetary woes, contrasting what have generally been quality products with what has generally been a grim financial performance. Sure, HTC as a company has indeed seen better days, but it still knows how to make great Android phones, as evidenced by the quality of devices like the U11.

Now, as the year draws to a close, there’s a new model on the horizon — at least for some of us. The HTC U11+ boasts a larger, taller screen, a souped-up battery, and Android Oreo out of the box. The U11+ won’t be launching in the United States, possibly due to lack of carrier interest, possibly thanks to the woeful performance of the U Ultra just nine months ago. In the UK, it’s being sold only through HTC’s website, with none of the major networks or high street retailers picking up the device. And it’s a shame to see such a limited release, because this is a really good phone — perhaps the most competitive HTC handset since the days of the M7 and M8.

About this review

We’re publishing this review after twelve days with an unlocked Asia-model HTC U11+ (2Q4D100). I (Alex Dobie) used the U11+ primarily in Taipei, Taiwan in dual-SIM mode, with a Taiwan Mobile SIM and an EE (UK) SIM roaming on Chunghwa Telecom. I also used it in single-SIM mode (with the TWM SIM only) for two days during this time, in order to judge any performance or battery life differences without the second SIM.

The phone was running software version 1.05.709.12, based on Android 8.0 Oreo, with the October 1, 2017 Android security patch.

HTC U11+ Video Review

Liquid surface

HTC U11+ Hardware

For the HTC faithful, the most notable change in the U11+ is its move to a taller aspect ratio, and with it, a welcome reduction in screen bezels. With its latest flagship, HTC finally joins the 18:9 club, with a display more in keeping with current flagship trends. The front face of the device isn’t exactly bezelless — there’s still both a forehead and chin to be seen here — but the borders have been trimmed down significantly from older HTC offerings, like the decidedly bezelly (non-Plus) U11. Accordingly, from the front, it no longer looks anywhere near as dated as its forerunners. Were it actually being sold in carrier stores in the West, it wouldn’t look entirely out of place alongside a Galaxy S8 or Pixel 2 XL.

Of course, this is still an HTC U phone, and fittingly there’s a gorgeous “liquid surface” curved glass panel around the back of the U11+, which is every bit as eye-catching as the other models in this series. This isn’t just any old Gorilla Glass 5 panel — HTC uses multiple layers of the substance to give the rear of the U11+ a unique shimmer. I’ve been using the black version, which has more of a reflective gunmetal finish than the pitch black you might find around the back of a Samsung phone. There’s also a blue model, which is more or less identical to the blue U11, and really unique translucent color option that won’t be on sale in Europe until 2018.

HTC finally joins the 18:9 club.

HTC has changed more than just the dimensions in its latest phone. There are redesigned brushed aluminum side walls too, which are reminiscent of the old HTC 10, and as a result more angular, and a little easier to hold onto. Despite these design tweaks, this is still a supremely slippery phone. Between the 6-inch display diagonal and the very slick finish of the glass back, you may well want to take advantage of the protective case bundled in the box. And like all glass-backed phones, hairline scratches on the rear of the U11+ are basically an inevitability if you go without any sort of protection.

Incidentally, the taller screen means the fingerprint scanner now lives around the back of the phone, just below the single rear camera, and HTC has also reintroduced on-screen keys to its Android UI. For me, both are welcome changes.

There’s a fair amount of heft to the U11+, in terms of both size and weight, but I don’t really mind that. The phone feels solid and well-made, and a little more grown-up than the regular U11, which was trying a little too hard to be curvy. Unlike just about every other HTC phone, these extra-large proportions are filled out by an extra-large battery. Personally, I’m absolutely fine carrying a less svelte handset if it means I also get a gigantic battery.

The extra heft of the U11+ is filled out by an extra-large battery.

The front of the U11+ is featureless except for the earpiece, and a 6-inch SuperLCD 6 display at 2880×1440 resolution. (SuperLCD, like SuperAMOLED, is largely a meaningless marketing term; the “6” just signifies that HTC feels this screen is a generation above that of the regular U11’s SuperLCD 5.) These 6-inch, 18:9 panels are increasingly becoming the new normal — the industry seems to be settling on this size as the new go-to standard for larger Android phones, and that’s great. It works well on the U11+ just like it does on the Pixel 2 or LG V30 — though with significantly more heft than the LG phone. The panel itself is attractive, if not spectacular. It lacks the awesome daylight visibility of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and the punch of OLED in general, but on the whole, it looks good — there are no glaring issues here. The panel is tuned to DCI-P3 by default, but you can monkey with colors in the settings, including tweaking white balance and switching to sRGB mode for more accurate color reproduction.

More: HTC U11+ specs

Under the hood, HTC takes the core specs of the U11+ and layers on a few key upgrades, which means this is another rock-solid Android phone running Qualcomm’s proven Snapdragon 835 platform. In the UK, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is the standard loadout — in some other places, like Taiwan, there’s a 4GB-plus-64GB version as well. (As mentioned above, I’ve been using the 6+128 version.) The battery jumps to a whopping 3,930mAh, putting it in the same league as the Huawei Mate 10, at least in terms of the numbers. (More on that later.) And the water resistance spec steps up to IP68 from the U11’s IP67. Other specs are unchanged — Snapdragon 835, microSD expandability and Quick Charge 3, but no wireless charging.

There’s still no headphone jack to be found, which I hate having to deal with in every phone that omits it. But alongside the standard 3.5mm dongle, HTC does include its pretty great USonic noise-canceling earbuds in the box, which impressively dampen background noise whether you’re walking down the street, on a busy train carriage, or dealing with turbulence on a long-haul flight. Compared to some manufacturers, I at least feel like there’s a decent trade-off for HTC’s omission of the increasingly rare 3.5mm jack.

When you’re not using earbuds, a U11-style BoomSound Hi-Fi setup, combining the earpiece speaker and a bottom firing woofer, provides about the very best on-device playback outside of the few phones that offer front-facing speakers. Audio quality is about on par with the U11 — reasonably loud, but sometimes lacking in bass. That’s fine overall, though perhaps slightly disappointing for some — I do feel like there’s probably room for front speakers in this design, particularly given the size of the top and bottom bezels.

Freshly-baked cookies

HTC U11+ Software

New phones shipping with Oreo are still relatively few and far between, so it’s great to see the HTC U11+ arriving with Android 8.0 out of the box. HTC’s Sense customisations are still around too, and look mostly the same as on the U11 — as Android “skins” go, this remains a relatively light touch, with most of the underlying design direction appearing to have come from Google.

The most obvious change from earlier Sense versions can be seen on the home screen. New “squircle”-style icons (which I can take or leave) borrow a few visual cues from Samsung’s current phones. Other core HTC Sense features remain largely unchanged from the U11. BlinkFeed fills the leftmost home screen panel with news and social updates. And the Sense Home launcher inherits a couple of fashionable features from other phones, letting you swipe up for the app drawer, or down for notifications. (Bafflingly, though, there’s no option to swipe the fingerprint scanner to bring down the notification shade.)

HTC’s UI combines mostly stock Oreo with one or two differentiating software tricks.

These few changes don’t do much to alleviate the general staleness of Sense, however. Many Sense apps haven’t changed in years, whether it’s the Dialer and Messages apps unchanged from the 2015’s One M9, or the weather animations that date all the way back to 2011’s Sensation. The combination of Sense-plus-Oreo looks fine and is perfectly pleasant to use, with pastel colors, light accents, and clean lines. But this is far from the overhaul that I think HTC’s UI really needs.

HTC has at least built out its squeezy ‘Edge Sense’ capabilities — the function introduced in the U11, which lets you perform certain actions by squeezing the sides of the phone. More actions in specific apps are now supported, including Google Calendar, Facebook, Instagram and Google Photos. And there’s also a way to map specific functions of other apps to a squeeze as well, through a kind of recording function, which tells Android to simulate a tap in a certain area when you squeeze in a particular app. This feels a little clumsy, particularly because it creates complications when you’re in landscape mode, but overall it works well enough.

The new Edge Launcher feature is another Edge Sense addition. Similar to Samsung’s Edge Panels, it gives you a couple of wheels of shortcuts, alongside a quick calendar view. Wheels of shortcuts — either apps or quick settings — can be realigned to either edge, accommodating both right-handed users and lefties.

Personally, I’ve found Edge Sense works pretty well as a quick camera shortcut — it’s really helpful to not have to fumble around and double-tap that power button. But I’ve mostly ignored all the other stuff it can do. In other apps, it’s usually easier to just tap the screen, as opposed to adjusting your grip and clumsily squeezing. (I’ve also noticed fewer instances of blurry shots when I do use Edge Sense to take a photo — the software will wait a second to make sure everything’s stable before shooting, which is a welcome improvement from the U11.)

More than nine months on, HTC Sense Companion still isn’t anywhere near useful.

At the same time, Sense Companion, which was useless on the U Ultra and useless on the U11, is just as much of a waste of space on the U11+. HTC’s on-device AI thing didn’t show me a single useful piece of information in a week or so of use. And any utility it might offer is undone by occasional crazy suggestions, like telling me to wake up early for a co-worker’s doctor’s appointment on another continent, or telling me tomorrow’s weather in my home country while I’m traveling overseas. It’s tripped up way too often by travel, or shared Google calendars, and should either be given the engineering work it sorely needs, or be scrapped entirely.

HTC’s software still has the fundamentals down, though. It’s insanely fast — every bit as performant as Google’s Pixel phones — and doesn’t add too much cruft on top of stock Android. To me, that speed and clarity are worth the one or two superfluous features that I can easily disable.

A few additional software nuggets:

• HTC Boost+, the company’s dubious performance-boosting app, now appears to come with adds enabled by default on the U11+. Not great.
• HTC’s touch response continues to rank among the best on any Android phone.
• The hacked Google Pixel 2 HDR+ camera app works great on the U11+, about matching the performance of Google’s handsets in the challenging situations where it shows.
• … But of course as we’ll get to later, HTC’s own camera app also does a fantastic job on this phone.

Lots of juice

HTC U11+ Battery Life

The U11+ boasts the kind of battery capacity which basically guarantees you solid longevity. And in its latest phone, HTC takes advantage of an almost 4,000mAh cell ensure a full day between charges, even with heavy use. The only time I needed an evening re-charge was in dual-SIM mode, using the phone continually for YouTube streaming over LTE, occasional music playback and social networking, and a few hours of 4G tethering. With lighter use, you’ll manage a day and a half with ease. This isn’t really a two-day phone, though. I still feel like Huawei’s Mate 10 Pro gets slightly more mileage from a similar sized battery, possibly due to software tuning, or its use of a lower-res OLED display.

I should also point out that I noticed higher than average standby power draw in dual-SIM mode — noticeably more than with other Snapdragon 835 phones. It’s possible this was due to the quirks of roaming on a UK SIM on a Taiwanese network. Using the phone in single-SIM mode, with just a Taiwan Mobile SIM installed, produced standby times more in line with dual-SIM contemporaries like the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and OnePlus 5T.

Unsurprisingly, it’s really hard to kill off the U11+’s almost 4,000mAh cell in under a day.

When I was really pushing the U11+ in dual-SIM mode, I’d get between 18 and 19 hours per charge, with screen-on times between four and seven hours. As always, it depends on what you’re doing.

In any case, if you’re caught short, HTC still offers both regular and extreme power-saving modes, the former of which saved my bacon on one occasion, while out recording video after a long day of general use.

When it’s time to recharge, the bundled Quick Charge 3 brick will quickly bring you out of the danger zone if you forget to charge overnight, and the phone also supports quick charging over USB-PD. Charging speeds aren’t quite up to the level of OnePlus’s Dash Charge or Huawei’s SuperCharge, but you’ll still be able to pull enough power to see you through the day in the time it takes to take a shower and eat a quick breakfast.

HDR Boost, boosted

HTC U11+ Cameras

The U11+’s main camera packs the exact same hardware found on the standard model — a 12-megapixel Sony sensor with 1.4-micron pixels, and optical stabilization, behind an f/1.7 lens. And like the regular U11, the Plus leans heavily on HTC’s HDR Boost technology, which helps it capture more color detail in night shots, and gather more dynamic range from most scenes in general. This is basically, HTC’s answer to Google’s HDR+ cameras.

Fittingly, HTC’s HDR Boost-equipped camera the closest I’ve seen another manufacturer come to matching the HDR+ features of the Pixel 2. Google is still unchallenged when it comes to noise reduction and extreme low-light photography, thanks to that computational edge. (Google’s Panorama mode is also infinitely superior to HTC’s, for what that’s worth.) Nevertheless, the U11+ is a very close competitor, and for my money, it’s essentially a coin toss between the U11+ and the Huawei Mate 10 for the number-two spot.

Basically, this is the U11’s camera with slightly upgraded software.

As a particular point of strength, HTC’s camera is superb at pulling lots of color out of night scenes, and pulling more dynamic range out of challenging light in general. And unlike the early days of the U11, the camera no longer tends towards over-exposing darker scenes quite so much. HDR Boost also seems a little quicker than I remember it being on the U11, possibly thanks to software enhancement, or the extra couple gigs of RAM compared to the 4GB U11 I was using earlier in the year.

And although at first I made fun of HTC’s ability to take photos with a squeeze of the bezel, I was actually able to capture few unique angles with HTC’s squeezy shutter shortcut — shots that would’ve been almost impossible to capture while reaching for the on-screen shutter key. (See the shot of the cat in the gallery below.)

In every other way, this setup is identical to the camera of the U11. The main thing you don’t get here that many competing phones do offer is portrait mode, which may or may not be a big deal for you. Personally, I can live without it. But in the coming year, expect this to become a table-stakes feature for all high-end phone cameras.

Around the front, an 8-megapixel camera and f/2.0 lens aims to up the U11+’s selfie game, particularly in darker conditions. I’ve found the results closely match the very similar setup used in the Google Pixel 2, though obviously without that phone’s front-facing portrait mode option. Once again, in selfie mode, the U11+’s squeezy shutter shortcut comes into play, allowing for easier captures when contorting your thumb towards the on-screen controls isn’t an option.

The bottom line

Should you buy the HTC U11+? Yes, if you can

The U11+ is almost certainly the flagship HTC should’ve released six months ago. This phone looks more modern than the regular U11 — and with a bigger battery, higher specs, a sharper design and more fleshed-out Edge Sense options it’s way more competitive in the market in general. In the UK, its 699-pound price point — or 629 if you can find it on sale — makes it comfortably more affordable than the Pixel 2 XL, and a genuine competitor to the more widely-ranged Huawei Mate 10 Pro.

The worst thing you can say about the U11+ is that it’s yet another excellent phone in a year overflowing with great new Android handsets. It’s tough to stand out, and the U11+’s true differentiating features — battery life, software quality and day-to-day performance — don’t make for an easy sell.

This is the phone HTC should’ve released six months ago.

Nevertheless, the U11+ makes the strongest case yet for HTC’s continued presence in the smartphone market. For the first time in a while, I feel like HTC kinda has its mojo back — at least on the product side.

Availability is another question altogether, though. If you’re in the UK, the only place to buy a U11+ is direct from HTC, and in the U.S., there are no launch plans at all. For that reason, it’s unlikely this phone will do much to move the needle for the company.

But assuming you can buy it, the U11+ is a top-notch Oreo-powered flagship with solid construction, a beautiful glass design whether you go mirrored or translucent, and differentiation through clean software, a fantastic camera and dependable battery life. It might not be as exciting as a Note 8 or a Pixel 2 XL, but it’s just as worthy of your attention, and your money.

See at HTC

Niantic announces huge Ingress update for 2018

Ingress Prime is a modernized version of Niantic’s first AR game.

Like Angry Birds, Pokémon Go is one of those mobile games that just about everyone and their mother has played at one point or another. Being able to go out and capture virtual Pokémon in the real world is something that struck a chord with millions upon millions of players, but in 2018, developer Niantic will be taking some time to focus on its first AR game – Ingress.

Ingress was released all the way back in 2012 when Niantic was operating under Google’s leadership as a subsidiary, and while Pokémon Go would later go on to adopt many of the same game mechanics that it introduced, Ingress’s darker sci-fi theme of tapping into futuristic technology to possibly contact aliens is very different from the bright and colorful world of its successor.

Ingress in its current version (left) and Ingress Prime (right)

This overhaul is called “Ingress Prime”, and it’ll be released as an update to the existing Ingress game when it’s ready for primetime. The game will still play mostly the same as the current version, but it’ll come with upgraded visuals and new angle of storytelling that should offer enough for even long-time players to find something new to sink their teeth into.

Ingress Prime will tap into Google’s ARCore and Apple’s ARKit to allow for the best augmented-reality experience possible, and the update will also be joined by a new anime series that’ll help to flesh out the game’s world for fans that want even more.

It’s unclear when Ingress Prime will be released next year, but with the team at Niantic also working on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that’s slated for a 2018 release as well, expect to brush up on your waiting skills.

Pokémon Go developer announces Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Best MVNOs that use Verizon’s network

Verizon MVNOs aren’t quite as popular as ones powered by other carriers, but if you know where to look, there are still some solid choices to be found.

The four big wireless service providers in the United States are AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Each one has their own unique set of deals and features, but these aren’t the only options you have to choose from.

Which unlimited plan should you buy?

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (or MVNOs for short) are other providers that harness the network of the Big Four carriers so you can still choose the one that has the best coverage in your area while having more flexibility over what you spend. If you’re in the market for an MVNO that’s powered by Verizon, these are the top ones we recommend the most.

Note: No matter which Verizon MVNO you choose, you’ll need to have a phone with the following CDMA bands:

• 3G: 800Mhz (BC0), 1900Mhz (BC1)
• LTE: 700Mhz (Band 13), 1700/2100Mhz (Band 4), 1900Mhz (Band 2)

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Straight Talk

If you live in a town that has a Walmart, it’s kind of impossible to not hear a thing or two about Straight Talk Wireless. Straight Talk plans are sold in-stores at Walmart and online, and similar to another pick on this list, it uses the service of all four major carriers to cover as many customers as possible — including Verizon.

There are four unlimited plans to choose from, with the cheapest one costing $35/month for 2GB of 4G LTE. Jumping up to $45/month will give you 10GB of LTE to use, and if you want to go big with the $55/month plan, you’ll have unlimited LTE speeds. Also, if you want to be able to talk to friends or family overseas, Straight Talk has an international plan that comes with 10GB of LTE and unlimited calling/texting to Mexico, China, Canada, and India for $60/month.

You can buy a phone directly through Straight Talk, including devices like the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8, or bring your own and just pop in a SIM card.

See at Straight Talk

Total Wireless

Another great option to consider when looking for Verizon MVNOs is Total Wireless. Plans start out as cheap as $25 for unlimited talking and texting if you don’t need any data, but if you’re like us, you’ll want to spend the extra $10 for the $35/month plan that comes with 5GB of LTE data.

Unlike Straight Talk, Total Wireless has the option of signing up with family plans, and they work out as follows:

• 2 lines with 15GB of shared data ($60/month)
• 3 lines with 20GB of shared data ($85/month)
• 4 lines with 25GB of shared data ($100/month)

Total Wireless lets you add 5GB of Carryover Data for $10 no matter which plan you choose, and with Carryover Data, any that’s unused carries over to the next month without any hassle. The most notable phones in Total Wireless’s lineup include the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 7, but thankfully, you can just order a SIM card for your own device.

See at Total Wireless

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Page Plus Cellular

For our last pick, we recommend checking out Page Plus Cellular. I actually used Page Plus some years back when I used to rely on Big Red’s service to communicate with the outside world, and while there’s nothing here that’s groundbreaking, it’s a solid MVNO with some good plans worth checking out.

Page Plus plans start out at just $10/month with automatic billing turned on, and while you’ll only get 500 minutes and texts with 100MB of data, it’s a dirt cheap option that just may work for some folks that only use their phone here and there for basic communication.

Unlimited plans start out at $36/month with auto-billing, and this includes 3GB of 4G LTE data before being slowed down to 2G. That’s 2GB less of LTE speeds compared to what you’ll find with Total Wireless’s comparable plan, but what’s nice with Page Plus is that this also includes unlimited international texting and a $10 credit for international calling.

You can purchase all of Samsung and Apple’s biggest phones from the past couple years through Page Plus, or pick up the company’s SIM card for your own phone for $0.99.

See at Page Plus

Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile just launched this past August, and while it’s only available for subscribers of Comcast’s home internet service, it’s a pretty good deal for those that are. Xfinity Mobile comes with unlimited nationwide calling and texting, access to more than 18 million Wi-Fi hotspots, and 100MB of shared monthly data are included by default with your regular Internet plan. If you need more data (which you likely will), you can either pay $12 per 1GB that you use or pay $45/month for unlimited 4G LTE speeds.

Unlike the other MVNOs on this list, Xfinity Mobile doesn’t let you bring over your existing phone. All of the big Samsung and Apple devices are here to choose from, including the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X, and Xfinity Mobile offers financing to make the devices as affordable as possible.

See at Xfinity Mobile

Your pick

What would you choose if you need Verizon’s coverage without having to pay Verizon’s prices? Let us know!

Alternative carriers (MVNOS)

• What is an alternative mobile carrier?
• What are the advantages of going with an alternative carrier?
• How to make sure your phone works on a prepaid alternative carrier
• 8 Important Considerations When Switching To An MVNO
• These are the cheapest data plans you can buy in the U.S.
• Mint SIM vs. Cricket Wireless: Which is better for you?