You can now mute more annoying ads with Google’s new ad controls

There’s not much worse than a specific ad following you around the internet. We’ve all been there; you search “left handed weed wackers” once, for your great uncle at Thanksgiving, and suddenly you’re seeing them on every website you visit. Thankfully, your weed-whacking hell may be over, as Google is rolling out even more ways for users to control the ads they see, and to mute annoying ads from specific advertisers.

Announced via a post on Google’s safety & security blog, the Mute This Ad feature launched way back in 2012 has been buffed up, giving users the option to mute specific “reminder” ads — the ones that remind you to go back to a store you’d previously visited. While those ads may function well when someone does genuinely need reminding of a purchase, it can also be rather annoying to be constantly reminded of something you have no intention of buying. From today, users will be able to mute specific ads from specific advertisers to ensure unnecessary ads won’t inflict themselves on you again. And thanks to another small change, your preferences will be carried over to any other devices, so any ads you mute on your laptop also won’t show on your tablet, smartphone, or desktop PC.

It’s the latest in Google’s ongoing drive to ensure that users are only seeing the ads that they want to see. While an ad-free existence might be tempting to some (and attainable), Google would obviously prefer it if we choose to live with them. For that reason, the search giant has been quite liberal with ad preferences, launching Google Dashboard back in 2009, and consistently improving it so everyone has access to the same data that Google holds on them. From the dashboard, users can view and turn off access to Google searches, viewed YouTube videos, and more — it all comes down to how happy you are to let Google have your data.

It’s a win-win for Google — more relevant ads means that Google’s ad algorithms can really zero in what each user really wants, which means a better return on investment for anyone looking to invest in Google’ ad services. Because the only thing worse than an unwanted ad, is an unneeded ad.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best ad blockers for Chrome
• Pandora opens its Premium features to all in exchange for watching a short ad
• Facebook will soon make it easier to see who paid for political ads
• 8 things you need to know about the Russian social media election ads
• Is Facebook spying on your conversations to target you with ads?

Grovemade Wireless Charging Pad review

Relying on organic materials like American walnut and vegetable-tanned leather, Grovemade’s accessories are both stunning and understated. The company is known for its wooden iPhone chargers, monitor and laptop stands, and other accessories for electronic devices. That makes its latest product a natural follow up: A wireless charging pad for smartphones. In our Grovemade Wireless Charging Pad review, we take a look at whether the circular puck is worth its hefty price tag.

The pad supports the Qi wireless charging standard, which means it can charge the latest iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, as well as a wide variety of Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, Note 8, and the LG V30. All you need to do is place your phone down, and it will start charging.

Blends into your home

Unlike most wireless charging pads, Grovemade’s pad doesn’t look like a tech product. At a first glance, the natural cork top reminds us of a coaster placed under a mug or cup. It quickly blends into the home, and if you look closely, it’s easy to see how the company sweats over the details.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Instead of opting for a glossy base, the company went with a brushed stainless steel finish. We think it’s  attractive, and it’s less likely to show nicks and scratches. The natural cork top is completely flat, creating a beautiful and slip-resistant surface for your phone. We especially like its size, providing enough space that you don’t need to double check you’re placing the phone in the correct spot.

The cork top comes in both a light and dark option, with the latter being hand-stained with Japanese Sumi calligraphy ink. Though we tested the light option, we think the dark would be even more subtle, and it likely won’t show minor blemishes as easily as the natural cork color.

The dark option is hand-stained with Japanese Sumi calligraphy ink.

If you flip the pad over, you’ll see three cork pads on the base to prevent slips. It keeps the pad in place when you place your phone down. There’s also a circular gap under the base so you can wrap the six foot-long cord that attaches to the wall outlet, allowing you to choose your desired cord length.

Oddly enough, the cord itself doesn’t try to blend with your furniture. It’s a thick, nylon-wrapped cord in a very vibrant red. It’s a nice accent for the pad, but it may be a little too flashy for some.

Charge output is disappointing

While the aesthetics of the Grovemade Wireless Charging Pad is spot on, the charging speed is puzzling given the price of the pad. Instead of opting for 7.5 or 10 watts of output, Grovemade’s pad has a paltry 5W output. That means your phone won’t charge as fast as it can wirelessly.

Although the pad is marketed for iPhone users, we tested it with both an iPhone 8 Plus and a Samsung Galaxy S8. We tested to see how long it would take to charge a depleted battery to 50 percent.

The iPhone 8 Plus took about two hours and twenty minutes to charge to 50 percent. The phone did not heat up much as it charged. The Galaxy S8 took about two hours and five minutes to charge to 50 percent. This result is a little surprising since the S8 has a bigger battery than the iPhone 8 Plus. With the Galaxy S8, however, we did notice the phone heated a little.

Design is a priority

The point of wireless charging is convenience. You can place your phone on a pad beside your bed, without having to fuss with cables in the dark, or you place it by your computer, so it’s constantly charging up when you’re not using it. How the charger looks may be a bigger priority for some, and if that’s the case, the $79 Grovemade pad is easily the most attractive wireless charger on the market. But if you want something that will top up your phone faster at a cheaper price, there are plenty of other options.

The Nomad Wireless Charging Hub is an excellent alternative, with an output of 7.5W. That means your iPhone will charge faster, and better yet, it comes with 3 additional USB-A ports, and one USB-C port, so you can charge multiple devices. It doesn’t look as attractive, but the $80 Nomad is far more about utility than style.

The absolute fastest charger we’ve tested for the iPhone is the 10W RAVPower Alpha Series Fast Charge Wireless Charging Pad, which costs $45. It’s also a great choice for Android phones that support wireless charging. Mophie and Belkin also have cheaper options over the Grovemade, and they also will charge your phone slightly faster. You can check out our guide to the best wireless phone chargers for more.

If the natural cork pad is appealing to you, then you won’t be dissatisfied with the Grovemade Wireless Charging Pad.

DT Editors’ Rating: 3/5

Editors’ Recommendations

• Grovemade unveils a beautiful new Wireless Charging Pad
• Charge up your iPhone or Android with the best wireless phone chargers
• From Belkin to iOttie, these are the best wireless chargers at CES 2018
• Apple iPhone 8 review
• Apple iPhone X review

Dell teases new rugged Chromebooks, daring young students to roughen them up

Dell introduced a new “5000 Series” family of Chromebooks during the Bett Show 2018 education-themed convention. The first model in the series is the Chromebook 5190 packing an 11.6-inch screen relying on the traditional clamshell hinge, or a 360-degree 2-in-1 hinge enabling notebook, tent, stand, and tablet modes. Both are designed to specifically withstand the rough handling of students. 

“Dell is the first Chromebook manufacturer with the ability to claim its devices can withstand 10,000 micro-drops,” the company boasts. “With 4-inch drops performed in multiple angles, Dell could replicate student device damage seen at two to four-year usage.” 

Dell essentially applied what it’s learned and designed over the years with its “ruggedized” laptops and tablets for business to its new line of Chromebooks. Dell says the main ingredients include scratch-resistant screens, spill-resistant keyboards, sturdy hinges, and a solid shell to help protect the innards from frequent drops. 

Unfortunately, we don’t have any hardware specifics for now. The company merely states that its new Chromebooks feature a world-facing camera on some configurations, USB-C connectivity, a battery promising up to 13 hours, and support for electro-magnetic resonance pens. These peripherals support direct input on the screen without the need for cables or a battery. 

According to Dell, all units will be based on two- and four-core Intel Celeron processors. Again, we don’t have any specifics, but Dell’s older 11.6-inch Chromebook 3180 relies on the two-core Celeron N3060 chip with a base speed of 1.6GHz and a maximum boost speed of 2.48GHz. Dell may stay within the Celeron “N” processor series by possibly using the recently released four-core N4100 and two-core N4000 chips. 

Dell serves up the current Chromebook 3180 with four customization starting points. Options include 2GB or 4GB of system memory, 16GB or 32GB of storage, and a 42WHr battery. The port complement consists of two USB-A 3.1 Gen1 ports, a full HDMI port, a headphone/microphone combo jack, and a Micro SD card slot for additional storage.  

Dell will likely offer a 13.3-inch 5000 Series Chromebook in the near future, too. Dell’s current model, the Chromebook 3380, relies on an older two-core Intel Celeron C855U chip, 4GB of system memory, and between 16GB and 64GB of storage. This larger unit includes the same port count as the 3180 but relies on a larger 56WHr battery.  The updated version will likely be the Chromebook 5390 if and when it hits the market this year. 

Finally, Dell says Google will automatically keep the Chrome OS platform up to date until November 2023. Dell’s new Chromebook will also likely support Google Play and Android-based apps given the 3180 and 3380 Chromebooks reside on Google’s Chrome OS “Stable Channel” list regarding Android support. That means the Chromebook may offer up to 64GB of storage, and a Micro SD card slot if the internal capacity isn’t enough for your student’s needs. 

The various Chromebook 5190 configurations will be made available sometime in February for a starting price of $289. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Eight new Intel Coffee Lake CPUs could replace chocolate this Valentine’s Day
• HP embraces USB-C with the new Chromebook 14 G5 and Chromebox G2
• Lenovo’s updated ThinkPads include T480s with Nvidia MX150, affordable X-Series
• Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 vs. Microsoft Surface Book 2
• Asus Zenbook UX330UA review

Google introduces new controls for muting and blocking online ads

Now, muting an ad on your phone will also mute it on your desktop.

Online advertisements are essential for keeping the internet free to use, and while this is important to keep in mind, there’s no doubt that they can sometimes become an annoyance. Google first started offering users controls over the ads that they see back in 2009, and now it’s kicking things up a notch with a couple key improvements.

For starters, Google now lets you mute reminder ads. Reminder ads are advertisements that encourage you to revisit a website you were previously on, and while these can be legitimately useful, they can also be a pain in the rear if you’re getting bombarded with reminders to visit a website you have no intentions of going to ever again.

The ability to mute reminder ads is first being introduced with apps and website that have partnered with Google to use this tool, but there are plans to expand this to YouTube, Search, and Gmail over the coming months.

In addition to this, Google is also making its Mute This Ad feature more powerful. Along with Mute This Ad being used by even more apps and websites, muting an advertisement on your phone will now also mute that same ad on your tablet, laptop, and desktop (as long as you’re signed into the same Google account).

Security flaw lets anyone access a locked Prime Exclusive Moto G5 Plus

Best Leather Bands for Samsung Gear S3

Looking for the perfect leather band for your Samsung Gear S3? Then look no further than this list!

Having a Samsung Gear S3 means that you can do a ton of awesome things with your fancy-schmancy wearable, but you know what you can’t do straight out of the box?

Look stylin’ with a leather band.

Luckily for you, there are a couple of leather bands for your Samsung Gear S3 that are totally worth picking up and putting on your wrist!

Here are the best leather bands out there for your Samsung Gear S3.

• KADES Genuine Leather Retro Cowhide Smart Watch Band
• Austrake Replacement Leather Strap Classic
• TOROTOP Leather Strap Replacement Band
• Katrice Genuine Leather Strap
• Swees Classic Genuine Leather Band with Buckle

KADES Genuine Leather Retro Cowhide Smart Watch Band

Keep it stylish, comfortable, durable, and most importantly, 100% genuine cowhide leather with the KADES Genuine Leather Retro Cowhide Smart Watch Band.

This particular replacement band for your Samsung Gear S3 can easily be installed with quick-release pins, while the timeless, classic look makes it perfect for a day at the office, a night out on the town, or a quick run at the gym.

You can pick up your KADES Genuine Leather Retro Cowhide Smart Watch Band for between $10 to $14 depending on the type of style.

See at Amazon

Austrake Replacement Leather Strap Classic

Looking to add a bit of class n’ leather to your Samsung Gear S3? Then look no further than the highly rated Austrake Replacement Leather Strap Classic.

The Austrake Replacement Leather Strap Classic is made from a super comfortable leather, meaning that you can wear it throughout the day without any rubbing or chaffing (plus you can easily adjust the band based on your wrist size).

This specific band comes with a stainless steel buckle, meaning you don’t have to worry about it snapping off if you’re doing some more rigorous activity, like travelling or hiking.

The Austrake Replacement Leather Strap Classic comes in five different color combinations, including a black band with a black buckle, a black band with a silver buckle, a brown band with a silver buckle, a brown band with a black buckle, and a gray band with a silver buckle for between $12 to $13.

See at Amazon

TOROTOP Leather Strap Replacement Band

Adding a leather strap to your Samsung Gear S3 is one way to turn heads and take away from that chunky, clunky, techy, wearable vibe: and the TOROTOP Leather Strap Replacement Band does a great job helping with that look!

The TOROTOP Leather Strap Replacement Band is a band that’s made to easily be adjusted, so whether you have really large wrists of smaller wrists, this band’s got your back — er, wrist.

This leather band is made from a soft, genuine leather, and is also super easy to install and uninstall with its one button removal.

You can pick up the TOROTOP Leather Strap Replacement Band in a number of colors and patterns including crocodile skin red, plain black, plain brown, crocodile skin white, plain red, and plain navy blue for between $6 to $16, or you could pick up a duo pack of the black and brown for $26.

See at Amazon

Katrice Genuine Leather Strap

Super highly rated, beautiful to look at, affordable, and designed to be worn through a plethora of situations, the Katrice Genuine Leather Strap is a phenomenal leather strap option for your Samsung Gear S3.

This specific watch band has nearly 250 5-star reviews on Amazon, so you know there’s gotta be something good there: with its stainless steel buckle and genuine leather design, the Katrice Genuine Leather Strap combines both form and function into one fabulous package.

The Katrice Genuine Leather Strap makes adjusting the strap easy depending on the size of your wrist, while easy to remove pins make it simple to install and reinstall this particular watch band.

You can pick up your very own Katrice Genuine Leather Strap in a number of different varieties and styles, including black braided leather, coffee, brown leather with rainbow stitching, black, black with white stitching, plain brown leather, brown leather with white stitching, and orange leather with white stitching for between $16 to $18.

See at Amazon

Swees Classic Genuine Leather Band with Buckle

Swees up your life with this genuine leather replacement band for your Samsung Gear S3 that’ll deliver the comfort, the style, and the function you deserve in a watch band.

The Swees Classic Genuine Leather Band with Buckle is designed to be adjusted to fit a variety of wrist sizes, so whether you have a larger wrist or a smaller one, you won’t have to worry about this band slipping off you as you go about your busy day.

This particular band is made from a soft, comfortable genuine leather, while the strap is designed from a tough stainless steel. You can you quick release pins on both ends to clip the band on and off your S3 without a tool.

You can pick up the Swees Classic Genuine Leather Band with Buckle in a number of colors, including black, brown, coffee, dark brown, alligator skin black, alligator skin blue, and alligator skin coffee for between $15 to $17.

See at Amazon

What are your top picks?

Is there a particular leather band that you have in mind that didn’t quite make my list?

Let me know what your top options are in the comments below and I’ll be sure to take a peek at ’em!

Eufy’s Alexa-compatible smart plugs are down to their lowest price yet

Can’t go wrong with either option!

Eufy’s basic smart plug is down to just $19.54 when you clip the on-page coupon for 15% off. This plug has more of a square shape and in some situations can prevent something else from being plugged into the other outlet at the same time. To avoid this issue, you’ll need to spend a little more and go for the company’s compact smart plug, which will set you back $25.49 with the discount. You can stack two of these on top of each other without any issue, which is something you’ll probably end up doing at some point down the road.

You can control either of these using the free Eufy Life app on iOS or Android, and you can also use your voice to control them through something like the Echo Dot or Eufy Genie.

Take a deep dive into Python 3 with this boot camp bundle!

Python is one of the most popular programming languages out there thanks to a fast edit-test-debug cycle and wide versatility. Jumping into Python from a beginner’s standpoint isn’t exactly easy, as there are many routes you can take. The training required to become a Python expert is also generally quite expensive.

What if there was a bundle of courses that included teaching for beginners as well as advanced users? What if, instead of paying over $800, you could pay under $50 and have access to the bundle for lifetime access?

Right now, Android Central Digital Offers has a great deal on the Python 3 Boot Camp Bundle includes seven courses that will take you from amateur to expert. Instead of paying the regular price of $810, you’ll pay just $19. That’s over 90 percent off the regular price!

Included in this bundle are hundreds of lectures in the following nine courses:

• Learn Python 3 from Beginner to Advanced
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Django
• Python for Programmers
• Python Scrapy
• Python Scipy
• Python Numpy
• Learn iPython
• Python BeautifulSoup
• Python Object Oriented Programming Fundamentals

Even if you’re a complete beginner to Python, this bundle has what’s needed to become a true expert. At over 90 percent off, there’s no better time to get started on a new career. Don’t wait too long; this deal won’t last forever.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

How to use Oculus Video on your Gear VR

So you have a Gear VR, but what can you actually watch on it? Quite a bit if you know where to look.

Oculus Video allows you to watch all sorts of content within a virtual cinema. You can browse content by categories such as news, entertainment, and horror. You can also check out your own videos in a gigantic virtual screen.

It’s not that hard to jump in and start watching content, but it’s important to know where to look. Not that long ago it was called Oculus Cinema, but has since had its name changed to Oculus Video.

• How to open Oculus Video
• How to view content

How to open Oculus Video

Go to the Oculus home menu where you usually launch apps and games.
Select Video (the tile for the app is purple).

You’re now able to browse categories of content including new videos, entertainment, travel and nature, news and documentary, horror, thrills and your own videos. The categories of content are populated by a large number of sources ranging from CNN to MTV to Animal Planet.

How to view content

There are different types of content you can view, primarily split between how immersive they are. If you open up a 360 video you’ll be jumped into the middle of it and can simply look around. If it’s 2-D content, such as your own recorded videos, you’ll be placed inside the virtual cinema. Here’s how to browse and view 360 content.

Select a category from the left menu.
Scroll through content and select a video you want using your controller.

You’ll be immersed and can just look around naturally.

If you want to view your own videos there aren’t many more steps but there are some more options.

Select My Videos.
Browse to the video you want to view and select it.
Select the video type button.
Select if the video is 2-D, 3-D, 360 degrees, or 180 degrees.
Select the Theaters button.
Select the *theater** you want to view it in.

That’s pretty much it! You can now view content ranging from full 360-degree immersion to just watching your favorite videos on a massive screen. It’s worth noting that if you want to view your own videos, you’ll have to download them directly onto your device. The Gear VR supports using USB drives to view videos but Oculus Video does not. If you want to view videos off of a USB drive you can use Samsung Video.

Protect your Privacy with IPVanish — Save 25% on a 1-year Subscription

January 28 is Data Privacy Day, a day commemorating the signing of the first legally binding international treaty on privacy and data protection. It’s an important day, and it grows more important all the time, since so much more of our personal, private data is stored online.

IPVanish is one of over 300 organizations who are pledging their official support of Data Privacy Day as Data Privacy Champions. And what better way to show true support than to make that privacy protection more accessible to all? That’s why PVanish is offering 25% off of 1-year subscriptions from now until January 29, 2018.

You’ll pay only $4.87 per month (billed as $58.49 up front) for a quality VPN that can help you take back control of your online information. We love data privacy, we love IPVanish as a VPN provider, and we love a great deal.

Take advantage of this limited time offer and start protecting your data, browsing habits, and privacy with IPVanish. Save 25% off of 1 year of data protection from now until January 29, 2018.

See at IPVanish

How to Mount a Google Home Mini

The Google Home Mini is small and lightweight, making it easy to mount on a wall.

The Google Home Mini is an impressive little puck that can play music, automate your home and tap into the search powers of Google for only $49 — or $29 if you get it on sale. At either price, it’s not hard to buy a few to have them placed at different spots through your house.

You could have the Home Minis placed on different tables or shelves, or you can go a step further and have the speakers mounted on your walls. These are the best options for mounting a Google Home Mini!

• Double-sided tape
• The Mini Back Pack by Dot Genie
• Incipio Wall Mount

Double-sided tape — quick and easy

This method firmly falls into the “If it looks stupid, but it works, it isn’t stupid” category. But this is the cheapest, fastest and easiest mounting method. The Google Home Mini is pretty light, so just grab some double sided tape (I used some mounting squares from 3M), stick one side to the Home Mini and then just stick the Home Mini to the wall. Done!

If you want to go one step further, you can get a custom length micro-USB power cable to reduce clutter.

See at Amazon

Mini Back Pack by Dot Genie — best for renters

This solution is a lot more elegant. The Mini Back Pack features a plastic clip for the Home Mini itself, then the USB power supply slides in. A tiny micro-USB power cable completes the ensemble, and the whole thing is light enough that a power jack has no problem supporting it. The user still has easy access to the side touch controls and the physical mute switch.

This is the better option for renters and apartment dwellers who can’t drill into their walls, or someone who isn’t entirely sure which rooms they’d like the mount the Home Mini in.

See at Amazon

Incipio Wall Mount — a mix of both worlds

This last method is a combination of the previous two. A plastic piece clips onto the back of the Google Home Mini, this time with two holes for nails. This lets you place the Home Mini at any height you’d like, but also have something much more permanent than tape. Again, you can use any micro-USB cable with the Home Mini, so feel free to buy one that’s the perfect length or color to match your decor.

See at Google

What say you?

Have you mounted your Google Home Mini? Let us know how you did it in the comments below!

Google Home

• Google Home review
• Google Home Max review
• These services work with Google Home
• Google Home vs. Amazon Echo
• Join our Google Home forums!

Google Store Best Buy Target