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.

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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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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

Google Assistant will get support for Routines ‘in the coming weeks’

Today’s Google Assistant is much, much more capable than the version that first debuted on the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Don’t expect that progress to slow anytime soon, either: Google laid out some new plans to improve the Assistant just in time for Mobile World Congress, and they extend far beyond just teaching it more languages.

Most importantly, Google confirmed it has been working with smartphone makers on ways to weave Assistant more elegantly into our smartphones. That work is being formalized in the new Assistant Mobile OEM program, and Google’s list of accomplishments with its partners is nothing to sneeze at: it helped make Assistant compatible with certain kinds of mobile AI coprocessor and worked to make sure devices can listen for the right wake-words even when their screens are off. It won’t be long before you start to see device-specific Google Assistant commands, either — LG touted a list of 23 new commands for its updated V30, and Google also cited close working relationships with companies like Sony and Xiaomi.

Google Assistant is also finally getting support for Routines, a feature first announced last year. Long story short, you’ll be able to string together multiple actions with a single command; saying “OK Google, goodnight,” for instance, could dim your Philips lights, dial down the temperature on your Nest thermostat and lower the volume on your Google Home Max. Routine support is expected to go live within the next few weeks, as will location-based reminders through Assistant-powered speakers. (Yes, you could do this through a phone already, but parity between different flavors of Google Assistant is always a good thing.)

Source: Google

Samsung Galaxy S9: What to expect from Unpacked 2018

Samsung is primed to unveil its latest flagship, the Galaxy S9. Fortunately for anyone desperate to hear what’s coming on February 25th, there’s been no shortage of leaks and renders before the big day. It’s not good news for the secret-keepers at Samsung but gives us plenty of threads to pull at ahead of the big reveal in Barcelona. How will the Galaxy series fare against the latest trio of iPhones? Can it best the talking-poop emoji?

Say hello to the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9 Plus

Multiple rumors (and common sense) point to a repeat of last year, namely two new phones, once again. According to specs from WinFuture, the main difference between the incoming S9 and the S9 Plus will still be screen size. However, it may not be the only thing separating the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 from the 6.2-inch Plus version. The bigger S9 Plus will apparently pack dual 12-megapixel rear cameras — a first for the Galaxy S family, even if the Note 8 picked up a second camera last year.

Judging by the leaked images from Evan Blass (AKA @evleaks), Samsung’s designers aren’t making any drastic stylistic changes.The new Galaxy S9 will apparently be all-screen, with just a lil’ bit of bezel. We’re not knocking it: Samsung’s 2017 flagships set a new standard for stylish smartphones, so we’re happy to see the same design. Early renders offered a silhouette with oddly thicker sides than last year’s S8, although last week’s blitz of leaks suggest “infinity displays” that once again stretch right from edge to edge, if not quite to infinity.

The latest shots also suggest slightly slimmer borders above and below the screen, which sounds good to us. And not a notch in sight. That said, there does appear to be a busier sensor and camera array above the screen, and it’s not the only thing that suggests the new Galaxy S phones will offer more in the way of security options and facial-tracking tricks.

Animated emoji

At the start of the year, Samsung’s chip division announced its latest Exynos mobile processor, and it made a big deal about how its new chip would improve future smartphones’ AI performance, face detection and image recognition. Real-time 3D scanning of your face, then, would be very possible. As the press release put it: “Hybrid face detection enables realistic face-tracking filters as well as stronger security when unlocking a device with one’s face.”

We know more than that, too. ETNews sources believe the S9 will pack a “3D emoji” ready to go head-to-head with Apple’s Animoji on the iPhone X. 3D faces will map your expressions to lil’ emoji — and we may have already glimpsed the animation through Samsung’s latest S9 preview video.

If this is a sign of what’s coming, we might be able to pin animated emoji to objects beyond your own grinning, karaoke-prone face.

New camera tricks

Let’s home in on those purported dual cameras. Beside the depth of field skills we’ve seen on other companies’ camera phones, Samsung might be planning something a little more remarkable: a rear camera that can switch between two different aperture modes.

Like Samsung’s Asia-only W2018 from last year, the camera may tap into an f/1.5 aperture for low-light shooting or macro photography, but also use an f/2.4 aperture to ensure more objects are in focus. F/1.5 is also an extraordinarily low f-stop for a smartphone — and means more light hitting the imaging sensor, more detail and less noise. A very early leak, involving a possible retail box for the S9, suggests this variable aperture camera will make it to both the new phones.

Reddit

The camera rumors don’t stop there, either: Samsung might be gunning for Sony’s own smartphone imaging tricks, with a new super slow-motion 960 FPS for silky smooth bounding puppies, frolicking children, birthday-cake-candle blowing and other cliched slow-mo examples.

If you were intrigued by Samsung’s DeX, the phone dock that turned the S8 into a desktop PC of sorts, then you can happily expect an updated model to go with your new Galaxy flagship. Sure, it looks like a Sega Genesis, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The phone will apparently nestle flat on this new device, rather than be propped — perhaps that touchscreen could come in useful?

Any other business

Last but not least, it looks like Samsung will fix one of our biggest issues with the Galaxy S8 — that terrible fingerprint sensor placement. Now, it’s graciously moved away from being right next to the camera sensor(s), looking a lot more like rival Android phones, at least on the back. We’ll discover which rumors turned out to be true in a few days. There’s a conspicuous absence of Bixby news, but we’re certain Samsung will have more to say about its beleaguered virtual assistant as it comes up to its one-year anniversary. Rest assured, we’ll be giving it a thorough hands-on testing as soon as we can.

Tesla wants to install charging stations at your office

Tesla has a pretty good track record when it comes to making its chargers more accessible, but it needs to step up its game now that it’s shipping more and more cars. One of the ways it plans to do that is by launching yet another charging program, this time for your office. The electric automaker is providing employers and commercial property managers with free Tesla Wall Connectors — and will also install them on company parking lots for free — so long as they apply and qualify for the program.

While Tesla’s Destination program installs chargers on restaurant, hotel and resort parking lots that anybody can use, the Workplace program focuses on company employees. According to Electrek, only people employed by a Workplace partner will be able to use the chargers, so don’t expect to spot them on Tesla’s navigation system. After all, the companies themselves will have to pay for the electricity Teslas use.

Tesla’s statement posted by Electrek reads:

“As Tesla’s fleet continues to grow, it is more important than ever for our customers to be able to easily charge their cars where they park. The most convenient way to charge is to plug in overnight at home, and for most people, this is all that is needed. For others, such as those who live in an apartment, Tesla is introducing its new Workplace Charging program. Charging at work is simple and convenient, just plug in and your car is charged by the time you’re done for the day.

For qualified employers or commercial property managers who choose to provide an EV charging option, Tesla will review, donate their Tesla Wall Connectors and provide installation assistance. Energy costs will be the responsibility of the property.”

Source: Tesla, Electrek