Samsung Max is a new VPN that’s replacing Opera Max

And it’s only available for Samsung phones.

A few years back, Opera Max was one of the most popular VPNs designed to help you save as much data as possible while using your phone. The service was discontinued by Opera last August, and now Samsung is digging it out of its grave and relaunching it as Samsung Max.

Similar to Opera Max, Samsung Max will help users cut back on their monthly data usage while also ensuring their online connection is as secure as can be. As such, Samsung Max consists of two primary modes — Data Saving Mode and Privacy Protection Mode.

As the name suggests, Data Saving Mode is all about helping you use less data and potentially save money with your wireless carrier bill. Samsung Max will notify you when it detects applications that are using considerable amounts of data, it can compress images, videos, and music files for lighter web-browsing, and users can choose to automatically block background data from being used by certain apps.

On the other hand, Privacy Protection Mode gives users a one-tap solution that protects them with encryption, tracker blocking, and a DNS mask when using public/unsecured Wi-Fi networks.

Samsung Max is being launched as part of Samsung’s “Make for India” program, but it’ll come preinstalled on Galaxy A and Galaxy J devices in Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam, in addition to India. Users in other countries with Samsung phones can also download Samsung Max through both the Play Store and Samsung’s Galaxy Apps.

See at Google Play

How to fix the incorrect time on your Android phone

It’s.. time… to learn how to fix your phone’s wrong time.

Most of us depend on our phone to keep track of the time. Whether you need to use it as an alarm or timer or just want to have a look and see what time it is, our phone has become the de facto watch of the 21st century. That means it’s not fun at all if your phone won’t keep the correct time. And having the time blip in and out of being correct can wreak havoc on your calendar or another app that needs to stay in sync.

Android and almost every other smart operating system on your electronic things use what are called time servers to keep track of the time and date. These can be dedicated standalone servers or a software component on another server and there are plenty of them out there. Most likely, your phone synchronizes its time and date with a network tower through your carrier who uses a time server to stay in sync.

For people who live at the edge of a time zone, that means things can be a little tricky. If you connect to a server or tower on the other side of that imaginary line your time can be an hour off. Things can be even worse when you live in a place that splits away from one of the zones in a small island like parts of Arizona, Illinois, or the Florida panhandle.

This all sounds unnecessarily complicated, but luckily there is an easy solution — set your time manually.

How to manually set your phone’s time

Sometimes your phone just won’t connect to the time server and you’ll just keep getting the wrong time. In that case, you should go rogue manual.

Jump into your phone’s settings.
Head to Date & Time.

• Your phone’s settings may have this slightly different depending on your manufacturer and Android version.

Find Automatic date & time and disable it.
Find Automatic time zone and disable it.
Set your time and time zone manually.

Of course, if you’re traveling through different time zones this isn’t going to update. You’ll have to keep your time synchronized manually in that case.

How to force your phone to get the right time again

If your phone isn’t connecting to the time server, you may be able to force it to connect by disabling and re-enabling the connection.

Jump into your phone’s settings.
Head to Date & Time.

• Your phone’s settings may have this slightly different depending on your manufacturer and Android version.

Find Automatic date & time and disable it. Re-enable it again.
Find Automatic time zone and disable it. Re-enable it again.
Set your time and time zone manually.

Apps like Atomic Clock can keep the correct time in a widget (or set your actual clock if you are rooted. Thankfully, most equipment in use is able to work with your location and make sure your time is right. But if it’s not, at least there’s a relatively simple fix.

Awair Glow air quality monitor review: Wonderfully informative if not a bit worrisome

Are you curious about the air quality in your home? The Google Home- and Alexa-compatible Awair Glow can help you breathe easy.

I’m an allergy sufferer. I’m allergic to dust, pollen, mould, trees, grasses, an assortment of barnyard animals, cats, dogs, smoke, and more. And like an idiot, I have both a cat and a dog in a rather small home that’s over 65 years old.

I’ve long wondered about the air quality in this house: we have a newer furnace and replace the filter fairly frequently, but it’s always so dry in here and you can’t eat anything without it being peppered by dog or cat hair.

When I was offered the Awair Glow to review, I was surprised it existed, excited to see what the air in my house was like, and worried that it’d reveal something sinister. If you’ve been looking for a way to monitor your home’s air quality, you’re gonna wanna check this out.

See at Amazon

Design, setup, functionality, oh my!

I love the Awair Glow’s design. It essentially looks like an oversize Glade plug-in air freshener. For some, it may be an eyesore, while for others it may just melt in with the rest of their smart home products. The thing you have to remember is that this is more than just an air quality monitor.

The thing you have to remember is that this is more than just an air quality monitor.

The first thing you notice is the big power button right on the front — that’s because the Glow doubles as a smart plug, á la TP-Link or iDevices. You plug it into your existing power outlets without losing a spot to plug something in. It does, however, bulge over into the bottom outlet spot (if you plug it into the top socket), so it’s a bit cumbersome to plug in a larger adapter beneath it.

On the top is a faux-wood piece with the air quality LED indicator in it. If it’s green, your air’s good. Yellow is fair, and red is unh-unh, no good, here, take this gas mask and get out. Surrounding the wood plate is actually a nightlight, which is wonderfully bright and just plain looks cool.

On each side of the Glow is a vent, which is presumably where the air gets in, mingles with the Glows parts, and the magic happens. All in all, this is a lovely, if not derivative-looking air monitor/smart plug, and I like it.

Air, I took you for granted

Let’s talk about Awair’s app. It’s elegantly designed and straightforward, which is exactly what you want when dealing with something that can be as complicated as air quality. When checking out your current air status, or “Score,” you’ll see a measurement of the room’s temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide level, and “chemicals.” Each has a graded scale from green to red, and depending on the color, is given a rating from good to poor. The one thing I’d like to see here that I don’t is what kinds of chemicals the “chemicals” reading refers to. The term is dubious and when you see the value climb higher than the “good” range, it can be a bit troubling.

Down the bottom of the app are tabs that let you check out tips on improving air quality, historical trends in your air quality, your other devices, notifications, and your air quality score. I love that you can break down your historical trends into the four subcategories that you see in your score. That’ll let you know if the improvements you choose to make are helping at all.

Another awesome feature of the app is the ability to change your air quality preferences to match what concerns you. So I, for instance, have my preferences set to “Allergy”, which gives me a reading and recommendations based on improving the air quality for an allergy sufferer. You can also choose General, Sleep, Productivity, and Baby. Changing these preferences won’t change the actual readings of each of the four air quality categories, but it will change how these values affects the type of air quality you’re looking for. For example, the Productivity setting really focuses on the carbon dioxide levels in your home, since elevated levels of carbon dioxide have been shown to negatively affect productivity. The Allergy setting focuses on the chemicals in the air and the humidity.

What’s really made me appreciate this app is how the readings change in real time. We decided to give this thing a good test one day, so we vacuumed and cleaned up thoroughly. For the first little while after, the chemicals were quite high, so we had obviously disturbed pet dander and whatnot while cleaning up. But after a short time (once things had settled, presumably), the chemical levels started to drop and readings changed.

The push notifications are actually handy and not just, “hey, it’s cold in here, do something.”

The push notifications are quite handy, and they aren’t just “hey, it’s cold in here — fix it”; they’re actually helpful. You’ll get notifications along the lines of “carbon dioxide levels are climbing; adding plants to your home can help bring those down and up productivity.” For some reason, it also never occurred to me that having a more humid home would cut down on the amount of allergens in the air.

Connectivity: Hey Google, turn on the living room lamp and turn off the night light

I recently (finally) purchased a Google Home mini and a TP-Link smart plug. I wanted a second smart plug, but figured I could do without in my small home. Then I realized the Awair Glow had one built-in and was over the moon. It pairs with Google Home excellently, and has not failed once. I have my living room floor lamp plugged into it, and it works like a dream.

The smart plug aspect is probably meant more for an air conditioner, humidifier, fan, or some other air-affecting device, but I like it for the lights. You can actually schedule your devices right in the Awair app, or you can trigger a device with the air quality or motion. Getting too humid? Dehumidifier will turn on. Don’t need the fan while you’re not in the room? It’ll shut off after 10 minutes without motion. You can even set the nightlight to turn on when there’s motion, making it perfect for a hallway or bathroom.

Should you buy it? Absolutely

For roughly $100, you get a multi-use device that, paired with the app, gives you helpful tips and insight into your home’s air quality (something not many folks likely think about on a given day), a smart plug that’s both Alexa- and Google Home-compatible, a nightlight, and peace of mind (or an intense feeling of paranoia). Having not realized what humidity means for air quality, I’ve decided to purchase a humidifier thanks to the Awair Glow, and I’ll likely be better off for it (I’ll update this when I buy one).

If you’ve ever wondered about your home air quality, have a newborn, suffer from asthma or allergies, or simply want a healthier, more comfortable home, then the Awair Glow is the perfect tool to help you monitor and master your home air quality.

See at Amazon

Grab a three-month subscription to Amazon’s kid-friendly FreeTime Unlimited for $4

Gain access to thousands of books, games, movies and more with FreeTime Unlimited.

Through February 28, Amazon is offering customers three months of FreeTime Unlimited for just $3.99. This subscription would generally cost you $30, as a Family plan is $10 monthly or $7 with a Prime account. If you enjoy the service and have just one child using it, you can subscribe for as low as $2.99 monthly with Prime.

FreeTime Unlimited offers unlimited access to kid-friendly apps, games, books, TV shows, movies and more, many of which are educational and can help teach your child. Much of this content is by Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS and other well-known brands. There are also “best-in-class” parental controls that can let you restrict what your child will see and set usage time limits. The content provided is best suited for kids aged 3 through 12.

FreeTime Unlimited content can be accessed on a variety of devices, including Fire TVs, Android phones and tablets, and Kindle e-readers. You can even download content for offline viewing. For more info, check out our review of the service.

See at Amazon

Android P may launch with a native dark theme

Our relentless nagging has worked.

Over the past few months, there have been a handful of indicators suggesting that Android will soon offer native theming support. Android Oreo allows users to customize their phones with the Substratum Theme Engine with the use of a simple desktop app, the Pixel 2 introduced white and dark themes that change based on the wallpaper you have set, and now it looks like Android will soon get a native dark mode.

Last November, one user took to Google’s official Issue Tracker asking for a “Dark Mode or Night Theme in Android 9.0.” Google responded a day later saying that it’d shared this suggestion with its engineering team, but after that, things went dark.

However, during the wee hours of the morning on February 23, 2018, Google updated the thread once more with the following response:

Our engineering team has added this feature. It will be available in a future Android release.

AKA, a dark/black theme is finally coming to Android 🙌

Google’s comment doesn’t offer any insight as to when this feature will be launched, meaning it could debut as soon as Android P or it may not. This seems like a fairly small addition considering that Pixel and Nexus devices already offer this with accompanying wallpapers, so we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for this during Google I/O in May.

Android P wish list: What I want Google to add

Best Arlo Pro Mounts

Put your Arlo Pro camera anywhere with one of these fantastic mounting options.

Netgear’s Arlo Pro cameras are some of the best security monitoring cameras you can buy. They’re weatherproof, the battery lasts for months so you can place them without a cord if you like, and they’re built tough. We love them.

We also love that there is a great selection of accessories from Netgear and third parties that are actually useful! You’ll find a slew of mounting options, which makes deciding on which are best a little difficult. No worries, we have you covered. Here are the five best mounts for your Arlo Pro.

• Dropcessories Table/Ceiling mount
• Smart Security Suction Cup Wall Mount
• Skylety half-dome magnetic mounts in black
• 7-inch Magic Arm Mount
• Quadpod Mount

Dropcessories Table/Ceiling mount

Dropcessories’ Table and Ceiling Mount is both versatile and simple — two things that go great together. Using the same magnetic mounting method as the half-dome mounts from Netgear, these mounts will hold your Arlo Pro cameras in place indoors or out. They also solve the biggest problem the Netgear half-dome mounts can have — placement. By raising the ball away from the base you have more space and can position your camera to see more places.

Installation is simple; attach the mounts to any flat surface using the mounting holes and screws. For a less permanent option, the mount’s base is wide enough to use as a stand and your Arlo won’t tip over. A pair of these mounts cost about $17 and are a great solution for almost anywhere you need to put your Arlo.

See at Amazon

Smart Security Suction Cup Wall Mount

Sometimes drilling mounting holes isn’t an option. If you need to mount your Arlo Pro on a window or in your greenhouse or anywhere that’s glass, these suction cup wall mounts can be a lifesaver.

Available in black or white, these mounts offer 360-degree rotation and the ball mount gives w really wide tilt angle so you’ll be able to position your camera where and how you need it. And of course, the lever-action suction cup mounting mechanism means no tools are needed to install them!

You can grab a pair for $12.

See at Amazon

Skylety half-dome magnetic mounts in black

Want an easy mounting solution using the same half-dome magnetic mount that Netgear offers, but don’t want it to be shining white? These mounts have you covered.

They attach to any wall or ceiling using mounting holes and screws and your Arlo snaps in place and is easily adjustable. If you need to make your cameras a little less conspicuous, putting them on white mounts probably isn’t going to work. these are a simple solution and you can buy three of them for just $9.

See at Amazon

7-inch Magic Arm Mount

Positioning your Arlo is easy as long as you have a surface that’s relatively unobstructed. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. If you need to do a little twisting and moving to get around the eaves of your house or a tree branch or anything else, these articulated mounts are just the ticket.

Using ball joints at the base, the camera attachment and in the middle of the arm these mounts can swivel and turn in almost any direction. Mounting is easy, mount the base using the included screws and attach the arm and your Arlo Pro camera. After you get everything positioned just how you need it, tighten the locking nut at each ball joint and you have a sturdy mount that puts your camera just where you need it.

You can pick one of these up for $19 and save a million dollars worth of headaches.

See at Amazon

Quadpod Mount

These reinforced silicone mounts may look a bit strange, but they can come in handy!

Mount your Arlo camera through the hole in one of the legs of the mount, and the bendable but sturdy material can shape the other three legs to wrap around just about anything. You can even use it as a tripod if you need a portable or less permanent mounting method. Using these mounts is quick and easy and they’re perfect if you need to put your Arlo somewhere that’s not flat.

Grab one in black or white for just $15.

See at Amazon

Google takes ARCore mainstream, brings Google Lens to hundreds more phones

Great news for those who live in an augmented reality.

Since its debut at 2017’s Google I/O conference, Google Lens has been impressing users with its ability to parse actionable and useful information from existing photos on the company’s own Pixel phones. It rolled out in October within the Photos app, and then expanded to Google Assistant in November.

At the same time, Google has been touting its augmented reality platform, ARCore, as a simplified and more accessible version of Tango, requiring less specialized hardware.

Now, Google is making big changes to both ARCore and Google Lens, bringing the former out of preview with ARCore 1.0. The final SDK means that developers can publish AR apps directly to the Play Store, and they can currently run on 13 phones, including:

• Google Pixel 2
• Google Pixel 2 XL
• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
• LG V30 (Android Oreo-only)
• LG V30+ (Android Oreo-only)
• OnePlus 5
• ASUS ZenFone AR

Later this year, phones from almost every manufacturer, including Huawei, Motorola, and others, will support ARCore apps. Google is also updating its developer tools to make building AR apps much easier, but at launch companies like Snapchat, Porsche, OTTO, and others, will have ARCore experiences.

To date, ARCore’s most impressive features can be seen in the Pixel Camera’s AR Stickers section, which was recently updated with a set for the Winter Olympics.

Google Lens is also receiving a big update at MWC this week, expanding to Google Photos for all English-language users, while also coming to Google Assistant for “compatible flagship devices from Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Sony, and HMD/Nokia.” While the specific list of devices isn’t clear, it stands to reason that if the phone runs a Snapdragon 835, it should be compatible with Google Lens.

Lens is getting some new features, too, including “support for recognizing common animals and plants, like different dog breeds and flowers.”

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi

Google Assistant gaining 30 new languages, multilingual support, and more

Routines will also be available in the coming weeks.

Shiny new hardware like the Galaxy S9, LG V30S, and other handsets will be the stars of the show during MWC next week, but those aren’t the only things we’ll be keeping an eye out for. A few days before the trade show gets underway, Google’s announced a heap of new goodies that are coming to the Google Assistant throughout the year.

Perhaps the most important announcement is the Assistant’s expansion to even more languages. Google says the Assistant will support 30 new languages by the end of 2018, including Hindi, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Indonesian, Thai, and Swedish. On that same note, the Google Assistant is also becoming multilingual later in the year. This will allow users to fluently speak to the Assistant in multiple languages on the fly, and it’ll first work with English, German, and French.

Google will also be using 2018 to double-down on its Assistant Mobile OEM program. The purpose of this is to allow manufacturers to create better integrations with the Assistant into their phones, including things like device-specific commands and ensuring the Assistant responds even when your phone’s screen is off. Perhaps more exciting, Google notes that “we’ll also have new integrations from LG, Sony Mobile and Xiaomi.”

Routines will combine multiple actions into just one command.

As for user-facing changes, there are a couple big things in the works. You can currently set location-based reminders on your phone with the Assistant, but in the next few weeks, you’ll be able to do the same with a smart speaker like Google Home. For example, you can say something like, “Ok, Google, remind me to buy eggs at Walmart”, and then get a reminder on your phone when you arrive at the store.

The coming weeks will also see the launch of Routines in the United States. Google first announce Routines last year, and they’ll allow you to perform multiple actions with just one command. Six Routines will be available at first, and one will allow you to say “Ok, Google, I’m Home” to turn on your lights, hear any reminders you have, and start playing music.

Android P may launch with a native dark theme

Adhere the iOttie One Touch 2 car mount to your dash or windshield for just $13

Navigate and take hands-free calls safely with an iOttie One Touch car mount.

The iOttie One Touch 2 car mount is now on sale at Amazon for just $12.57. This is its lowest price ever and a $6 drop from what it sells for on average.

The One Touch 2 features a mounting system which locks and releases your device with a single push. The One Touch line is pretty well-rated, and this version is no exception. It uses a sticky gel pad to adhere to most surfaces, while still being easily removable. It won’t work well with leather or vinyl dashboards though. It can rotate 360 degrees and has a telescopic arm which can adjust out two inches for closer viewing.

This car mount is suitable for devices up to 3.2 inches in width. Over 14,400 reviewers on Amazon left this product with a collective 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Other iOttie One Touch car mounts are on sale, including the CD player model for $12.57, and the iOttie One Touch 3 for $16.

See at Amazon

Google Assistant will soon recognize the language you’re speaking

In advance of the Mobile World Congress, Google has announced some exciting new language features for Assistant. Later this year, Google Assistant will have multilingual features. This means that people who speak different languages over the course of their day can switch seamlessly between languages. Google Assistant will be able to identify the language you are speaking and follow along. The feature will be available first in English, German and French, but support for more languages is planned.

While Google Assistant is currently available in eight languages, the company is planning on expanding that number significantly in 2018. By the end of the year, Google plans on making Assistant available in over 30 languages, which will encompass 95 percent of Android phones worldwide that can use Assistant. Planned languages include Dutch, Hindi, Danish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai on both iPhone and Android.

Source: Google