You can now buy that dancing hot dog plush toy from the Snapchat Store

After trying out hardware in the form of Spectacles camera glasses, Snap Inc. is now experimenting with a different form of sales — in-app merchandise. That’s right, now you can buy that dancing hot dog plush toy you never knew you wanted, all without leaving the app. On Thursday, February 1, Snapchat added the Snap Store to the Discover section, allowing for in-app purchases on anything from plus toys to sweatshirts.

The Snap Store is inside the app’s Discover section. Tapping on the new Snapchat Store opens up a Story-like Store experience. The first images tell users how to use the store, with a warning that items can disappear at any time.

After the intro, the Snapchat Store continues with the Story Style format by displaying animations of the product. Users can swipe up to see the full product description and price in the storefront. Tapping and holding on the image allows users to send the product to friends, while a single tap moves on to the next item. True to that Stories format, users can also subscribe to the Snap Store to stay up to date on the store’s latest items.

The Snapchat Store currently only features Snapchat-themed merchandise from a “hot streak” hat to a winky face sweatshirt. The in-app option makes shopping feel more like using Snapchat rather than a long process of shifting through products online.

Snapchat hasn’t said whether or not the store will eventually feature products from third-party companies, though Stories-like shopping could be a way for other companies to get their merchandise in front of Snapchat’s younger audience. With the storefront programming built, it’s not too difficult to imagine launching shop-able Stories to advertisers, but again, Snap Inc. hasn’t suggested any expanded plans for the store. The app does save payment information to use on later purchases inside the Snapchat store.

Snap Inc.’s Spectacles was the company’s first move toward physical products. While initially well-received, and generating lines around the exclusive vending machines at the initial launch, the company later overestimated demand and took a loss on unsold camera glasses.

The store option comes as Snap Inc. is looking to please investors after a disappointing first year on the stock market. The company is also rolling out a redesign intended to make the platform easier to understand for new users. A new option to share Stories outside of the Snapchat app could also help expose the app to more potential new users — and of course, seeing a Snapchat t-shirt could possibly do some of the same.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Will Twitter be the next network to focus on camera integration?
• Snapchat’s redesign lets you share public Stories outside of the app
• Could Snapchat finally get a web browser version? Leak suggests the possibility
• Snapchat is assisting your search for the perfect filter with ‘computer vision’
• Heads up, sports fans — ESPN is debuting a Snapchat version of ‘SportsCenter’

Here’s how to go live on Facebook with your Android or iOS device

Following in the footsteps of Periscope, Facebook launched Facebook Live in 2015, which — as the name suggests — lets you live-stream video directly from your Android or iOS device. While initially limited to celebrities, now anyone can make their own live-stream. Creating and streaming live content might sound like a challenge, but setting up a live-stream within Facebook’s mobile app is a fairly straightforward process. For those curious about live-streaming video from your desktop, there are also a handful of solutions for doing so, but Facebook doesn’t officially support any of them at the present (although, broadcast studios should check out the Wowza ClearCaster, an officially supported bespoke piece of hardware for streaming to Facebook Live). That being the case, we’ll stick with the mobile solution in this article, as that’s what most people will be using.

Step 1: The first step to setting up a live-stream is to launch the Facebook app as you would normally. From the News Feed tab, locate the Live button just below the “What’s on your mind?” section at the top of your display. (Note: The screenshots below are from the iOS version, but the steps also apply to Android.)

Step 2: Next, tap either the Live button or the “What’s on your mind?” field at the top, the latter of which will bring up a host of additional options including a Live Video button.

Step 3: If this is your first time live-streaming content on Facebook, the app will ask for permission to access your device’s camera and microphone. You’ll want to grant permission, otherwise, you won’t be able to stream video from your device. Once done, watch the brief introduction video to see how the feature actually works.

Step 4: Once the introduction has concluded, it’s time to get started. Describe your video at the bottom of your screen and, if desired, geotag your location or tag other Facebook users in your live- stream. Here, you can also add other information to your live-stream, including your mood.

This is also where you can adjust your live-stream’s privacy settings as you can choose who can view your video. You can even choose the “Only Me” option if you want to test a recording a live- stream and don’t want anyone to watch just yet.

When everything is set up and ready to go, press the blue “Go Live” button in the lower-right corner of the screen to share your scene with the world. Or, at least your friends, family, and followers. When you’re ready to sign off, simply tap “Finish” to end the stream — Facebook will automatically save and publish the video on your profile page so that anyone who missed it can watch it later. You can also change privacy settings to control who can see the video, or remove it entirely if you no longer want it to appear in your feed.

And there you have it — you’ve just made your first live-stream to Facebook! Not too shabby. Going Live on Facebook is actually pretty easy, but if you’re interested in taking your content further, you may want to consider upping the quality of your audio with an external microphone (Rode has options for both iOS and Android devices). Improving stabilization with a smartphone gimbal, like the DJI Osmo Mobile, is another way to stand out from the crowd. These accessories certainly aren’t required, but they will let you take your streams to the next level if you’re interested in doing so.

Editors’ Recommendations

• A crash course in how to make your own memes
• How to use Apple Clips, the perfect video app for your social feeds
• Facebook will no longer pay publishers to create Facebook Live videos
• Facebook Instant Games gets live-streams so you can show off your skills
• How to lock a Mac

Let’s be honest, 64GB of internal storage is plenty in 2018

It’s an argument we have every single year: how much storage in your phone is ‘enough’ for most people?

It wasn’t long ago we were talking about whether 8GB of internal storage was still acceptable on the Nexus 4, particularly in light of its lack of an SD card slot. And it didn’t take long before we slowly ratcheted through 16 and 32GB up to modern high-end phones regularly having 64GB internally. Even most of today’s mid-range phones offer 32GB without breaking the bank.

And apparently, that’s not enough. We’ve reached the point where people are now questioning the efficacy of having 64GB of storage in an Android phone in 2018. That seems crazy.

So why would you need more than 64GB of storage? Well, it starts with understanding how much free space you actually get out of that. After formatting and installing the operating system, a 64GB Galaxy S8 has 40GB available to use as you wish. Still, how do you fill up 40GB of storage? Typical concerns fall into three categories: big games, 4K video recordings, and local music/video storage.

Most people can fit into 40GB just fine, with plenty of room to spare.

Yup, games are big. If you’re an avid gamer, installing perhaps five games at 2GB each (or more likely 10 at 1GB each) at any given time, that’s 10GB right there. 4K video recording is a concern, filling up about 5MB per second recorded. Quibbles aside about whether you should record in 4K versus using stabilized 1080p, how many 1-minute (300MB) clips are you going to save on your phone at any given time? Let’s be audacious and say you record 20, that’s 6GB in total. (Also, please back up your video — the phone itself is the least safe place for it to be.)

Now, audio and video. Unlike Vlad Savov over at The Verge, the average user doesn’t have 24GB of local music — or anywhere near that. We use streaming music apps. Even with local caching on those apps to save on data usage, we’ll maybe save 5GB of music at any given time. Avid podcast listeners may have 1GB of audio saved. TV show episodes on Netflix are about 100MB each — let’s say you download 10 at a time to get through on your lunch breaks, totaling 1GB.

Then you add in apps. I’m not a mobile gamer, and have 110 apps installed — and let’s be honest, about a dozen haven’t been touched in months. Still, they total only 7GB. Half of that is just four apps: Google Chrome, Netflix, Pocket Casts and Google Photos. (Of course, Netflix and Pocket Casts are already accounted for above, but I’ll toss you a bone.)

In sum: 10GB games + 6GB 4K video + 5GB music + 1GB podcasts + 1GB video + 7GB apps. Total: 30GB, leaving you with 10GB free for anything you wish, even though by this calculation your phone is already well-appointed with my apps, games, media, and data. And that’s the case on a Samsung phone, notorious for having a very large system partition leaving you with less free storage than most.

Don’t blame your data packrat tendencies on your phone’s internal storage size.

So maybe it turns out you don’t need more than 64GB right now, or even in the near future. Streaming media apps and cloud-based services have reduced our dependency on internal storage, while the typical size of an app, photo or video file hasn’t dramatically increased in the past couple of years. And yet, typical internal storage on phones has doubled in that time period.

Naturally, there will be edge cases where people feel they need far more than this amount of data on their phone. But again, I’m not addressing edge cases. I’m talking about the bulk of the market. If you’re not willing to do some storage management, nothing short of 500GB will be “enough” for you. At some point, every phone is going to require you evaluate what to keep and what to delete or store elsewhere. I feel that for 2018, 64GB of internal storage is a sufficient amount so that all but fringe cases can easily fit into it.

Of course, smartphone companies could remove all doubt and address everyone’s issues for the next 5 years by including a minimum of 256GB in every single phone they ship. But unfortunately, even at the flagship price level, it becomes prohibitively expensive to do so, even in 2018.

So what if companies just offered that 256GB version in addition to its base model with, say, 64GB? Well, history shows we just don’t buy them. Samsung infamously dropped SD card support in the Galaxy S6 in favor of offering 32, 64 and 128GB storage options. Apparently, nobody was interested: a year later, the Galaxy S7 offered 32GB internal (and an SD card) with no other options. The Galaxy S8 stayed the course, moving up to 64GB with no choice. The HTC U11 has 64 and 128GB choices, but even this more enthusiast-focused U.S. unlocked phone sold 20% of its units in the higher storage model.

Time has shown that people aren’t willing to pay more just to get storage — they want other features.

Time has shown that consumers’ elasticity of demand is (of course) negative for phones. As price goes up, demand goes down. Simply adding storage is such a small portion of a phone buying decision that it has almost no effect aside from increasing price, thus lowering demand for the phone. Consumers are far more willing to pay extra for a larger screen, longer battery life, better materials or a more powerful camera — things they can actually see and experience as part of a buying process.

Further to that point, recent phone launches show the minimum amount of storage people are willing to accept in a phone isn’t dramatically affected by the cost of the phone. Even the $950 Galaxy Note 8, widely deemed extremely expensive, comes with 64GB of storage — same as the $725 Galaxy S8 and $499 OnePlus 5T. The $999 iPhone X has 64GB of storage, same as the $699 iPhone 8.

The economics of this situation makes the whole argument unnecessary to begin with.

It truly seems as though consumer demand just hasn’t reached the point of requiring more than 64GB of internal storage, regardless of price. And that clearly doesn’t mean that companies are short-changing consumers for no reason. At this current level of 64GB of internal storage, a vast majority of people can use their phone without spending any time worrying about it.

So really, it’s the economics of the situation that makes this whole argument unnecessary. Yes, some people need more storage. But that group is so small it makes no sense for companies to address it by increasing storage to 128 or 256GB, thus increasing price and leading to fewer phone sales. Even offering separate models with more storage is a dubious proposition for companies (and retail stores) trying to reduce overhead, as historically a small portion of people will buy them.

Buy the phone that has the features you want, and place as much weight as you wish on the amount of storage it has. But don’t expect storage offerings to outpace the demand of general consumers. Over time, the market will eventually offer 128GB of base storage, and we can have this argument all over again in 2020.

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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Project Fi

Should you switch from iPhone X to the Galaxy Note 8?

The iPhone X is Apple’s best phone to date, but the Note 8 is even more impressive.

Samsung and Apple wowed last year with the release of the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X. Both phones are two of the absolute best (and most expensive) that money can buy, and as you’d expect, there’s a heated debate about which one is truly supreme.

One Android Central forum user recently shared that they’ve had an iPhone X for about a month and are thinking about jumping to the Galaxy Note 8 as a result of iOS feeling a bit stale.

After reaching out to the community to get input about what they should do, we got the following responses:

B. Diddy
02-01-2018 11:33 AM

“

You’re posting on an Android forum, so the answer will be a definitive YES.;) But if you’re entrenched in Apple’s ecosystem, there might be some annoyances with switching (like transferring music from iTunes, lack of iMessage, etc.).

Reply

cwbcpa
02-01-2018 01:08 PM

“

I’ve had the iphone X. The Note 8 is a better device in many ways. If I’m picking an iOS device it would be the 8 Plus. We have a couple 8 Pluses in the house. Nobody was interested in the iPhone X after trying it.

It really comes down to ecosystem. If you are not tied to the Apple ecosystem, then absolutely get the Note 8.

Reply

NiffiIsenguard
02-01-2018 03:30 PM

“

honestly used to have an iPhone. still a solid iPad user. some things about iPhone now a days I don’t mind. but I always feel like there’s a better thing for Android..

can make it feel more like my phone which I love. not a “Here’s your phone that you can’t change anything.

where as android even if you and three guys have the same phone they’ll all be different . its a steap learning…

Reply

maf113
02-01-2018 01:21 PM

“

if you do move to the Note 8 there are some things you need to do first from what I have read. unless you have another Apple device like an iPad you will have issues due to imessenger. don’t remember all of it but I am sure there is a thread here that discusses all the issues Apple imposes.
I have the Note 8 and an IPad Pro. IOS is boring for sure. you will enjoy the Note 8 once you make…

Reply

Now, we’d like to hear from you – Would you recommend switching to the Galaxy Note 8 from the iPhone X?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8+
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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Get these games free with your PlayStation Plus membership this February

These are the free games you can get right now with your PlayStation Plus membership.

One of the biggest perks of having a PlayStation Plus membership is the free games you get every month. I’ve got a list of the games PlayStation is offering this month, and I’m very happy to see some VR and Vita games on this list. Start downloading these games, and enjoy your free games for the month of February!

• Starblood Arena
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• Batman: The Telltale Series
• Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness
• Uncanny Valley
• Warframe

Starblood Arena

Starblood Arena is a PSVR game where you go through a universe in a spaceship and take on aliens in different worlds. It’s great to see PlayStation giving out free games for the VR, and this is a great one.

See on the PlayStation Store

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Mankind Divided is the sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and it follows the story two years after the last game ended. Take on the people who are trying to stop you, and explore the beautiful open world this game has to offer.

See on the PlayStation Store

Batman: The Telltale Series

Batman: The Telltale Series takes place after the Dark Knight, and it follows the story of what happens afterwards with Bruce and all his companions. It was created by the same people who created the Walking Dead game for PS4, so the art style is the same but the game play is completely different.

See on the PlayStation Store

Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness

This game is a graphic novel game that takes place in 2119 Tokyo following Nadeshiko Kugatachi, who has forgotten her past. Getting this beautiful graphic novel, which is available for both the PS4 and the PS Vita, score! You will have to get two separate versions of the game for both consoles, but they’re free so you won’t have to spend extra on one or the other.

See on the PlayStation Store

Uncanny Valley

Another game available for both PS4 and PS Vita, Uncanny Valley is a beautifully made pixel-art game where you play as a security guard investigating creepy happenings in his place of work. Play this on either platform, but you only have to download one version of the game!

See on the PlayStation Store

Warframe

Warframe is a gorgeous, open world game that follows your character who joins the Tenno as they take on the Grineers. Follow your lotus throughout the galaxy to get to the signal that has been calling you to the Tenno, and win the war you were destined to win!

See on the PlayStation Store

Which is your favorite game you’ve gotten for free with PlayStation Plus?

Let us know which game you’ve loved and which one you’re excited for this month!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Keep track of your blood pressure at home with the $55 Omron Series 10 Bluetooth monitor

We haven’t seen a deal on this monitor in months!

The Omron Series 10 wireless Bluetooth blood pressure monitor is down to $54.99 when you clip the $10 off on-page coupon on the Amazon product page. That brings the price down to the lowest we’ve seen since September. The Omron 10 has been selling for $65 or higher since that time.

Bluetooth definitely makes the whole setup a lot easier, but if you don’t need that and want to save a few dollars, you can get the non-Bluetooth version of the Omron Series 10 on sale for $50.82 by clicking the 20% off on-page coupon right now.

This blood pressure monitor allows two different users to review up to 100 readings and receive those readings by smartphone using the Omron app. The integrated Bluetooth makes the whole process very simple. On the screen it automatically displays the last three readings taken within 10 minutes and compares them to normal blood pressure levels.

It includes four AA batteries, but if you need more you should get an 8-pack of AA rechargeable batteries for $14 so you don’t have to worry about replacing them for a while.

See at Amazon

Want one a little more high-tech? the Omron Evolv — which Modern Dad took a look at last year — is also on sale for $69, down from $99. This one hooks into your phone and works alongside an Android or iOS app.

See at Amazon

Spotify vs. Google Play Music: Which should you subscribe to?

Which music service is right for you?

Music subscriptions can help set the tone for your life, as the music you listen to day in and day out can help keep your energy up, your mood stable and bright, and your fingers tapping out a rhythm. As someone who never, ever leaves home without headphones, I’ve taken a deep look at Google Play Music and Spotify so as to help you figure out which service is more deserving of you and your jam sessions.

Here are the perks and pitfalls for Spotify and Google Play Music, by category.

Look and Layout

• Spotify’s dark theme beats Play Music’s retina-searing white. Spotify’s dark theme gives the app a cleaner, crisper look, and makes the app far easier on the eyes during late night jam sessions or nightly drives.
• The tabs at the bottom of the Spotify app make it easier to jump between sections of the app than Google Play Music.
• Google Play Music’s playback screen features zoomed in album art, which looks awkward and obscures some of the playback controls for albums with busier artwork. Spotify’s playback screen shrinks the artwork a bit, but slivers of other album art give hints at the next and previous songs.
• Play Music’s Now Playing Queue is standard and straightforward, and you can see ahead several songs on radio stations, and you can swipe away songs you don’t like. Spotify doesn’t show you what’s coming up on a radio station outside that sliver of album art we just mentioned, and the only way to get them out of the radio station is to Thumbs Down them.

Sound Quality and Device Limitations

• Spotify offers audio streaming qualities up to 320 kbps when Spotify Premium users set their quality up to “Extreme quality”, and audio quality up to 256 kbps while playing on Chromecast. Google Play Music offers audio streaming qualities up to 320kbps on both the streaming library and uploaded music, though the quality of uploaded music is dependent on the quality of tracks uploaded.
• Google Play Music offers to option to stream at a lower quality while on mobile data to conserve data; Spotify has the same audio setting for streaming on both Wi-Fi and data. Google Play Music also features a Stream only on Wi-Fi to help further preserve your precious mobile data.
• Spotify lets you stream Spotify on as many devices as you like but you can only download music for offline playback on three devices, and only up to 3,333 songs. Meanwhile, Google Play Music has a 10-device limit and a four-device de-authorization limit per year.
• Google Play Music has an app for Android TV, both Play Music and Spotify have apps for Android Wear, and both support Google Cast. Spotify uses Spotify Connect to connect to a wider variety of speakers and devices than just Google Cast, including Sonos and car systems.

Library and Features

• Both Google Play Music and Spotify have over 30 million songs available to their users to stream. Google Play Music offers links to music videos for millions of songs on YouTube. Spotify offers a handful of Spotify Original Video Series, which highlight local music, exclusive performances, and more. Both services have also expanded their podcast offerings in recent years, and Spotify can even help you find upcoming concerts in your area.
• Spotify only lets you rate music while listening to radio stations, not when listening to playlists or albums, so you cannot rate your library. Google Play Music lets you thumbs up and down music in every playlist, radio station, or in your library. Both services keep an automatic playlist of ‘Thumbs Up’ songs.
• Spotify doesn’t let you upload your own music library, but you can 10,000 songs from the streaming catalog to Your Library. Google Play Music lets you upload 50,000 songs to your Play Music library and stream them wherever for free, and you can add as many subscription songs to your library. If you are a paid subscriber, Google Play Music lets you mix and match uploaded content and subscription songs.
• Spotify’s automatic stations and suggested songs seem to be slightly more accurate in their predictions than Google Play Music’s. Spotify also offers up Discover Weekly playlists to help you keep your music fresh.

Playlists and Sharing

• Google Play Music’s playlists are private by default; Spotify’s playlists are public by default. Spotify also offers collaborative playlists, letting multiple users contribute to a playlist.
• Every song you add to a playlist in Spotify, everyone can hear. Google Play Music only shares subscription songs in public playlists, not uploaded songs.
• Spotify doesn’t allow users on Android (or web) to reorder songs within a playlist without deleting them and re-adding them in the order desired. Spotify doesn’t even allow web users to rename playlists, either. Google Play Music allows you to edit, reorder, and rename playlists on all platforms.
• Playlist sharing on Spotify lets users listen to the playlist directly on some websites and social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit. Google Play Music’s playlist sharing is just a normal hyperlink.
• If you have friends on Spotify that you follow, you can see what they’re listening to and what playlists they’re building. If you want to listen to something on the down-low, you can start a Private Session and what you’re listening to won’t be shared.

Plans and Pricing

• Spotify Premium for Family and Google Play Music family plan are both $14.99 a month and give up to 6 users their own premium subscription account. You can’t change addresses on a Spotify Premium for Family Plan; if you move, you have either go to individual plans or delete your accounts and start over.
• Google Play Music’s family plan does not require everyone to live under the same roof, which Spotify Premium for Family not only requires, but enforces.
• Google Play Music comes with YouTube Red in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, eliminating ads on YouTube and allowing you to save YouTube videos for offline playback.
• Spotify offers a student discount (and Hulu access) for college kids for $5 a month; Google Play Music does not offer any student discounting.

Where Spotify is better

Spotify is for shufflers and sharers that don’t buy music and just want Spotify to serve up what’s popular or stations based on their genres and artists of choice. It’s great for users who just want a bit of music to fill their lives and tech fiends that switch devices too frequently for Google Play Music’s device limit policy. The app’s dark theme and easy layout are easier for casual listeners to browse. It’s also good for students who need a cheap solo plan.

Sign up for Spotify

Where Google Play Music is better

Google Play Music is good for families, users with well-established music libraries, and those with particular playlist tastes that they can satisfy between purchased, subscription, and uploaded music. Google Play Music’s family plan doesn’t have nearly the strings that Spotify’s does, and is a better bargain.

Even if your family isn’t big on Google Play Music, everyone can ditch the ads on YouTube, which is almost worth the subscription price by itself.

Sign up for Google Play Music

What’s your choice?

Which streaming service do you prefer?

More: Spotify Free vs. Spotify Premium vs. Spotify Premium for Family

Razer Phone gets a limited gold edition in honor of Spring Festival

I mean, at least the box looks cool.

The Razer Phone is not a perfect smartphone, but for Razer’s first attempt at entering this market, it could have been a lot worse. The 120Hz display and ridiculously good front-facing speakers are the Razer Phone’s two highlights, but when you turn the device over, you end up with a pretty bland design. However, in honor of the Spring Festival / Chinese New Year, Razer is launching a limited gold edition of the phone.

As exciting as they may sound at first, this new version of the Razer Phone is mostly unchanged from the original. The Razer logo on the back now features a gold paint job as opposed to gray, but aside from that, everything else about the phone is the same.

Razer is also including a red and gold box that’s awfully eye-catching, and it’s unfortunate a similar paint job didn’t make its way to the Razer Phone itself. Along with this, Razer’s also throwing in a few gold stickers with the company’s logo if you’re into that sort of thing.

On the plus side, the limited gold edition costs the same $699 as the regular version. That’s still a pretty penny to spend, but I’m at least thankful Razer didn’t increase the price just for the tweaked paint job.

The limited gold edition of the Razer Phone will be sold at retail stores for wireless carrier 3 in Hong Kong, in addition to the Razer Store for both Hong Kong and the United States.

See at Razer

20 minute games for under $20 on PlayStation VR

Sometimes your VR time is limited, so here are some games you can play in those 20 minutes gaps.

We all know that the greatest fun to be had in the PlayStation VR is from those epic AAA titles that stretch out infinitely ahead of us, vast games like Skyrim and Star Trek that takes hours to complete, but they are not the only fun to be had. Many times I find myself with fifteen to twenty minutes of free time and all I need is some VR fun to fill the time.

I’ve compiled a list of games that while not necessarily beatable in 20 minutes, can certainly be enjoyed for 20 minutes stints. Mindless fun, short levels and lots of replay value are whats on offer here.

Eagle Flight

Eagle Flight is one of the more unique games to come to PSVR. You take on the persona of a young Eagle chick, or Eaglet to use the proper name, living in post-apocalyptic Paris, and learning to fly for the first time. the world around you has been reclaimed by Mother Nature and it looks like the animals that lived in the zoo, elephants, zebra, giraffes, and wolves, have flourished in a world without people.

Graphically this game is breathtaking. Flying around with a literal birds-eye view of a city destroyed by neglect is a visual treat, while the assorted trials and challenges the game throws your way only heightens the splendor around you. If like me, you are lucky enough to have spent some time in Paris it’s really enjoyable to be able to pick out spots and places you have seen in real life.

What makes Eagle Flight a twenty minute game is the nature of the challenges. Each one is its own little chapter so its very easy to do one or two then walk away. The alternative is even better, just fly! You can enter free fly mode and for twenty minutes you can just soar around Paris and soak in the sights. Go chase vultures, or follow the elephant march, it’s up to you, and the relaxing atmosphere is perfect after a long day.

Buy Eagle Flight on Amazon

Dick Wilde

From the majestic Eagle Flight, we take a sharp turn to the rather ludicrous. Dick Wilde is essentially a First Person tower defence game, waves of enemies doing their best to eat you up while you fend them off with assorted weapons. Dick Wilde is a silly, frivolous, fun little game that is engaging from the start.

You star as the eponymous Dick Wilde, a hunter out in the southern wilderness, taming the crazy animals that come your way with a large range of homemade weapons. From nailguns to sniper rifles, your choice of weapons is one of the better parts of this game, and you can even use the AIM controller too! The AIM controller is one of the best accessories for any VR. The addition of it makes playing any first-person game so much more immersive and if you don’t own one I really do recommend picking one up.

Because of the tower defense style of Dick Wilde playing for just 20 minutes is super easy, just pick it up, choose a weapon, a keep playing against the waves. I promise, lasting more than 20 minutes is a real challenge so it should be a perfect little time waster. One interesting thing Dick Wilde does have is a “party mode”, you can swap the headset with friends and try to beat each others score, an idea so gross no one should ever do it. You should always clean your PSVR before sharing. But the party mode is somewhat unique so deserve a special mention.

Buy Dick Wilde on Playstation Buy the AIM Controller at Best Buy

Dead Hungry

Dead Hungry is very similar to Dick Wilde, in that it is a frantic, wave-based game where the enemies are relentlessly attacking you and all you can do is react to survive. Of course Dead Hungry has the most absurd premise of any game ever, but that’s why we love it. Zombies have taken over and the only way to save everyone is to feed them from your burger truck! Yeah, I know it’s dumb but it’s still super fun!

Using the motion controllers you have to pick up the ingredients of the burgers and cook, then assemble them into burgers to throw at the zombies, thus curing them of them zombieism, and proving that zombies are simply a metaphor for western civilizations greed and hunger for material things. Sorry I got a little deep there. Dead hungry Hungry has some really fun mechanics, like using soda to slow the zombies down and deep frying shrimp for a short fix to hold them at bay, that breaks the action up, and lets you get creative.

Like the previous game, Dead Hungry is great for short game times as it a huge story arc or have huge challenges. It takes about fifteen minutes to get through each wave set which is pretty much perfect for a quick game while waiting for something else to happen.

Buy Dead Hungry on Playstation

Rec Room

Rec Room is the game on this list that is cheapest, it’s free, and has the most potential for longevity. Based on the recreation centers of our youth, Rec Room lets you play multiple games with multiple people in VR. It’s one of our favorite games here as we can play with the team in so many different scenarios the gameplay is always new, funny and exciting.

The controls vary from activity to activity but always use the motion controllers. Some games require nothing more than batting a racket around or dodging balls, others require mimicking drawing a shooting a bow or drawing art in the air with a paint gun. Rec Room really does offer a huge variety of activities to do.

Almost all the activities are between 10-12 minutes long with the possible exception of the quests. The quests require a party of at least 3 people to stand a chance of completing so if you are looking to spend 20 minutes in something mindless you are better off sticking to disc golf or paintball.

Download Rec Room From Playstation

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Acer Chromebook 11 vs. Samsung Chromebook Plus: Which should you buy?

There are many Chromebooks to choose from, but in 2018 I think it’s going to come down to these two for many people.

If you’re in the market for a Chromebook, whether it’s your first or time to upgrade, 2018 is going to be another year with plenty of great choices to make. Add the late-2017 models that are still rock-solid and a great choice into the mix, and it can be tough to choose the best model.

We think the Samsung Chromebook Plus is the best Chromebook you can buy. It offers all the performance you would ever want or need, without the price tag of some other more “premium” models. It’s just the best all-around Chromebook,

The Best Chromebook

Acer has several new models coming that might change things. We really like what we see from the upcoming Acer Chromebook 11, and think the choice for most people will be between these two, so we’re putting the Acer Chromebook 11 against the Samsung Chromebook Plus. There’s just so much to love here!

The Chromebook 11 lines up tough and ready

Acer knows how to build a great 11-inch Chromebook, and you’ll find plenty of people who just love the R11 from late-2016, myself included. With good reason, too: it’s dependable, light and easy to carry, runs Android apps, and does everything you expect a Chromebook to do without a huge price tag. It was one of the best sellers throughout 2017 because of all this. The Chromebook 11 looks like it will build on everything Acer did right with the R11 and add a couple new features that put it right at the top of our list of Chromebooks to watch for — a ruggedized MIL-SPEC build and LTE support.

Acer has been making some of the best Chromebooks since 2013’s C720.

The Chromebook 11’s IP41 rating means that it’s protected from objects larger than 1mm entering the body as well as protected against splashed liquid ingress. That means is you won’t have to buy another Chromebook if you spill a glass of water on the table beside it or if you get caught out in a downpour with it in your laptop bag or carry-on. In fact, the keyboard has Acer’s “spillproof” design and liquid will pour through the keyboard housing and drain from specially designed drainage holes.

Rugged phone ratings: Everything you need to know

Also important for a lot of folks, the MIL-STD 810G approved build was drop tested from 48-inches and was able to withstand 132-pounds of force sitting on the top cover. We don’t recommend dropping your Chromebook or piling over 100-pounds on top of it, but it’s nice knowing the Chromebook 11 can take it. Especially if you’ve ever seen baggage handlers at a busy airport or a cab driver in a rush and how your bags can get manhandled.

An LTE connection on a new Chromebook is a welcome sight!

Another welcome surprise is seeing LTE support listed for models in some markets. Chromebooks are mobile devices; they’re thin, light, and come with a full-day of battery life. The one thing missing on most models is cellular support. Tethering from your phone is an option for many people, but there is nothing like having an always-connected laptop ready for anything as soon as you open the lid.

We’re seeing these features because the Chromebook 11 is coming in both a “regular” model priced at $249 and a commercial model with a rugged build and LTE support that will start at just $279. Seeing a Chromebook built for the enterprise with a price under $300 is unheard of, and makes it the perfect choice for a consumer, too. Following in the steps of the Thinkpad and bringing a tough laptop built for a road warrior at a price anyone can afford is a good look, Acer.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus has a screen to die for

Samsung’s Chromebook Plus is a great all-around Chromebook as mentioned, but there is one thing that catches your eye and makes you say “wow!” as soon as you see it — the amazing 12.3-inch 2400×1600 display.

Samsung’s display panels are always excellent and the Chromebook Plus has a gorgeous screen.

This is no hype; the display on the Samsung Chromebook Plus is one of the best laptop displays available, and it stands tall beside products like Google’s Pixelbook and Apple’s MacBook that are a lot more expensive. We were surprised at how great it looks, though we quickly remembered that it’s a Samsung product and amazing displays are synonymous with the name. The screen is something you will always be using, and it’s nice to have the best available here.

The Chromebook Plus has more to love than a great display. Android apps are there, of course, and the Chromebook Plus was the first Chromebook to come with a stylus and OS support for it. This makes it perfect for taking notes, digital artistry of any sort and annotating documents or presentations.

It takes more than the best display to earn our Best Chromebook rating, though. The Chromebook Plus offers the right mix of performance versus price to meet the needs of almost everybody. Great battery life, the stability and security of Chrome OS, and a beautiful magnesium-alloy shell that’s thin and light made the Chromebook Plus stand above the rest.

See Samsung Chromebook Plus at Amazon

Which should you buy?

It’s important to remember that nobody has used the Chromebook 11 for more than a few minutes at a booth just yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t tell a few things about it based on other Chromebooks using the same hardware and a good feel for Acer’s previous products. The Samsung Chromebook Plus, on the other hand, has been a favorite since its launch.

• The Acer Chromebook 11 is rugged and has an LTE model coming. First, the obvious. If you want or need a Chromebook that is built rugged or has any level of water resistance, the new Chromebook 11 is probably your best bet. I’ve used an Acer Chromebook with these very same specs with 2017’s Spin 11 and did the dropping and the splashing and everything else myself and there was no damage of any type. The same goes for those who want a Chromebook with its own LTE connection. The Chromebook Plus doesn’t have one and USB LTE modems are finicky.
• The processors are different but not enough to matter. The 8th generation Intel CPU in the Chromebook 11 will probably outperform the ARM Rockchip CPU inside the Chromebook Plus, but we found the Plus’ processor and RAM more than enough so the extra horsepower might be a bit of overkill. When it comes to using it, ARM chips tend to do better with Android apps. We can’t say one processor is better than the other here.
• Samsung makes the best display panels, hands down. The Samsung Chromebook Plus has a better display in every way. The 2400×1600 resolution will make the 1366 x 768 screen of the Chromebook 11 seem dated and sub-par. Even if the display on the Chromebook 11 is high quality with beautiful color, and based on other Acer panels of the same design and specs we think it will be, it’s not going to compare to the Samsung panel.
• Price is always one of the most important factors. It’s always nice to feel that you get your money’s worth, and we think both of these Chromebooks deliver on that. The Chromebook 11 will start at $249, but you should probably look at the rugged and LTE models that start at $279. After you’ve picked a model with a touchscreen and a bit of extra storage space, chances are you’ll be looking at a price somewhere around $350. The Chromebook Plus pricing varies between $350 and $400, with deep discount sales sometimes dipping towards $325. Discounts and sales aside, $400 is still a really good price for a Chromebook built as nice as the Samsung Chromebook Plus, and the display is well worth a difference of $50 or so in price.

Our preliminary verdict here is to buy the Samsung unless you need ruggedness or LTE option. That’s probably not going to change unless we see something very unexpected (good or bad) from the Chromebook 11.

There are two noticeable differences here: the display and the rugged or LTE option.

The reason why is simple: the display. Recent Chromebooks from Acer have had very good panels with nice color, great viewing angles and everything else you would want from a laptop screen. None of that changes the fact that the Chromebook 11 will have the same 1366 x 768 resolution we’ve seen in utility laptops for 10 years. It’s perfectly usable, so those that go for the rugged or LTE options won’t be missing out on any content or not be able to perform the same tasks. But Samsung’s big win is that what you see on the screen is going to look better because the screen is better.

We’ll revisit this and have plenty to say once the Chromebook 11 lands in March, because as Chromebook fans it’s on our radar as the next purchase, too. It’s great to see choices like this from names we all know and trust when it comes to a Chromebook.

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
• Join our Chromebook forums