Google Contacts gets shortcut for sending money with Google Pay Send

Rolling out as a server-side update to v2.5.

This past February, Google finally started implementing its big “Google Pay” re-brand. Android Pay became Google Pay, and Google Wallet was turned into (the terribly named) Google Pay Send. Now, thanks to an update to Google Contacts, it’s getting a convenient integration with the latter of the two services.

First reported by Android Police, Google’s slowly updating its Contacts app with a new shortcut for quickly sending money to friends and family. It’s found in the row of icons for calling, texting, and emailing your contacts, and tapping it reveals the same UI found when sending money to someone within Android Messages.

After tapping the “Send” button, you choose how much you’d like to send off, choose “Send Money”, and you’re done. There’s currently no option for requesting funds from a contact, but it’s a nice integration nonetheless.

This was first seen in Google Contacts v2.5, and it appears to be rolling out as a server-side change.

Do you use Google Pay Send?

Google Pay Send now starting to replace Google Wallet

Upgrade your storage with one of these PNY memory devices on sale today only

Expand your memory.

One of today’s Amazon Gold Box deals of the day features a selection of PNY storage devices, including SD cards, flash drives, and solid state drives. The PNY Turbo 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive, for example, is down to $13.99 with this sale. That’s a drop from its $20 street price and the lowest price ever for that drive.

Some of the other devices on sale include:

• CS900 120GB solid state drive – $37.99 (from $45)
• Elite Performance 128GB SDXC card – $41.99 (from $56)
• Elite 64GB micro SD card – $19.74 (from $25)

Each of these comes in a variety of sizes on sale, if you need to step up or down. Check out the full sale here.

See on Amazon

Broadcom says it will move its international headquarters back to the U.S.

Broadcom will move its international headquarters back to the U.S. to allay national security worries over its Qualcomm deal.

Back in 2015, chipmaker Avago Technologies acquired Broadcom for $37 billion, with the ensuing entity — Broadcom Limited — incorporated in Singapore. The company is co-headquartered in Singapore and San Diego, but the chipmaker has now announced that it will move its corporate headquarters back to the U.S. before April 3 to avoid a potential review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

The CFIUS stated in a letter last week that it would review Broadcom’s $117 billion Qualcomm takeover bid for national security risks, and by redomiciling to the U.S., Broadcom is looking to avoid that.

The move comes as U.S. lawmakers are wary of an Asian company taking over Qualcomm’s and its vast trove of patents. For its part, Broadcom’s plans to move its headquarters back to the U.S. aren’t new — it announced last November that it would do so following its acquisition of Brocade Networks, which was cleared by the CFIUS.

By moving back to the U.S., Broadcom is looking to allay fears of a foreign entity seizing control of Qualcomm. Even if the deal with Qualcomm were to fall through, Broadcom has to redomicile to the U.S. as part of its Brocade acquisition.

The company has mentioned that it will complete redomiciliation by April 3. That date is interesting as it falls two days before Qualcomm’s annual shareholder meeting, which could see six Broadcom-nominated directors added to Qualcomm’s 11-member board. For now, it remains to be seen if Broadcom can avoid the CFIUS review by moving back to the U.S.

Broadcom Redomiciliation Now Expected to be Completed by April 3, 2018

Broadcom is in the final stages of redomiciling to the U.S. and now expects to complete redomiciliation by April 3, 2018. Broadcom’s proposal to acquire Qualcomm has always been premised on the completion of Broadcom’s previously announced plan to redomicile. In both the definitive merger agreement that Broadcom provided to Qualcomm and in the revised version that Qualcomm sent back to Broadcom on February 26, 2018, one of the closing conditions was that Broadcom redomicile to the U.S., and notably, in neither party’s draft was the closing of the proposed acquisition conditioned on CFIUS clearance. In short, U.S. national security concerns are not a risk to closing, as Broadcom never plans to acquire Qualcomm before it completes redomiciliation.

Broadcom recognizes the essential role the member agencies of CFIUS play in ensuring U.S. national security. Broadcom, which is in all important respects a U.S. company, has been repeatedly approved by CFIUS in its previous acquisitions of U.S. companies and has always engaged productively with CFIUS to ensure U.S. national security is protected. Broadcom believes the CFIUS process is an essential aspect of protecting U.S. national security and it is supportive of current efforts, including those of Senator Cornyn, Representative Pittenger, and many of their colleagues, to enhance the CFIUS process. In addition, as a company incorporated in the U.S., Broadcom looks forward to working directly with the U.S. government as a trusted supplier, and continuing Qualcomm’s existing engagements.

Broadcom’s plan to redomicile is and has been a matter of public record since last November and has been addressed multiple times in recent months. This plan was first announced in the White House when Hock Tan, Broadcom’s President and Chief Executive Officer, had the honor to announce the plan alongside President Trump in the Oval Office on November 2, 2017. Furthermore, CFIUS reviewed and cleared Broadcom’s acquisition of Brocade, which closed on November 17, 2017. As part of the clearance agreement, Broadcom agreed with CFIUS to redomicile to the U.S. The details are included as part of Broadcom’s 10-K “Risk Factors” and are also outlined in the Proxy Statement for Broadcom’s Special Stockholder Meeting. Given Broadcom’s public disclosures about the redomiciliation process since last November, as well as its direct communications to CFIUS, Broadcom has been fully transparent with CFIUS about the redomiciliation process, and believes it is in full compliance with the March 4 Interim Order.

Philips Hue is getting new outdoor options to light up your garden

Philips is rolling out a range of Hue outdoor lighting options.

Philips is introducing a range of new Hue lights for outdoor spaces. The new options include wall-mounted lights, spotlights, and a pedestal lamp, and the smart lights are offered in both color and white shades. The outdoor lighting options are weatherproof and can be hooked up to an existing Hue bridge.

Philips says the Lily spotlight can be used to “highlight the key design features in your garden, illuminating beautiful flower beds, or potted plants,” whereas the Calla bollard is ideal for “path lighting and can also be used to enhance your outdoor space.” Both models let you choose from 16 million colors.

You can also control them the same way as your indoor lights via Google Assistant and Alexa, and set automated schedules from the Hue app. With the Home & Away feature, you can set the lights to come on automatically when you’re approaching your house.

The new outdoor lighting options include three wall-mounted luminaires in the Hue white range: the 800 lumen Inara and Lucca at $49 and $59, and the 2600 lumen Ludere, which will retail for $129. The Hue line is also getting a PAR38 bulb that will slot into existing fixtures, with each bulb costing $29 and a double-pack available for $49.

Meanwhile, the Lily spotlight will retail for $279/€299, and the Calla bollard will go on sale for $139/€139. The outdoor range will go on sale in the U.S. and Europe starting this July.

Lenovo Chromebook 500e vs. ASUS Chromebook Flip C213

Which of these two rugged Chromebooks is the best buy?

2018 is turning out to be a stellar year for Chromebooks and it’s only the beginning of the year. This is even more evident when you look at the “ruggedized” education-focused models and see their prices. You used to need to spend an arm and a leg to get an educational Chromebook, but new products like the ASUS Flip C213 and Lenovo’s 500e bring these tough and capable laptops into the $300 range. At that price, buying one is a no-brainer. Choosing which one to buy is a little more difficult.

The Best Chromebook

Let’s start by comparing what’s the same. The Lenovo 500e and ASUS Flip C213 are both 12-inch Chromebooks (that means they have an 11.6-inch display) designed for the education sector. A Chromebook built for education isn’t that different from a standard model outside of how they are constructed. Educational tech hardware needs to be able to help teach the next generation, but it also needs to be able to take a lot more abuse than a standard consumer model does, and both of these products have what it takes to meet those standards:

• MIL-STD-810G compliance
• Spill-resistant keyboard tray
• Rubber bumpers and construction that will survive a fall

Both models run Chrome OS (of course) which isn’t subject to a manufacturer’s whims when it comes to the user interface, application support, or pre-install applications. You’ll see official support with automatic updates direct from Google for at least 6.5 years so a Chromebook you buy today will have the latest version of its software in 2024; long after you’ve stopped using it. After the AUP (Automatic Update Policy) period has finished, you’re free to install Chromium (the free and open-source operating system Chrome OS is based on) for as long as you would like.

One thing the same on every Chromebook is the software and 6.5 years of full support from Google.

Both Chromebooks also have access to all the apps you’ll find in Google’s Play store, as the Android app framework is now a part of Chrome OS. There is one difference in the software, though. The Lenovo 500e sold through retail channels will still offer the G Suite for Education and Google Classroom support. For most of us this makes little difference, but if you’re buying a Chromebook that a student or teacher will be using it would be nice to have access to everything on both a “work” and a personal Chromebook.

They’re also pretty similar when it comes to tech specs. You’ll find 32GB of storage (eMMC for those interested in the type), an outdated 1366 x 768 display resolution, support for an EMR stylus, a microSD card reader, 4GB of memory and an Intel Apollo Lake processor in each. The last two aren’t quite equal, though.

Internal hardware

Let’s start with the processor. Both are Apollo Lake (Goldmont) Intel Celeron processors. Apollo Lake is Intel’s 2016 platform for embedded, mobile, server and light workstation products and they are suited quite well in the coming ARM vs. Intel CPU wars in this segment. The Celeron series has several models to choose from and the N3350 we see in the ASUS C213 is identical to the N3450U inside the Lenovo 500e in some specs: 1.1GHz, 2MB of cache and a TDP of 6 watts. Where they differ is the burst speed and number of cores, with the N3450U in the Lenovo being the superior product with a 2.4GHz burst speed and four cores compared to the 2.2 GHz burst speed and two cores from the N3350 seen in the ASUS.

Both models also feature 4GB of DDR4 RAM thanks to the Intel Goldmont CPU architecture that brings DDR4 and other goodies like USB 3.1 support to mobile processors. But again, things aren’t quite equal because the ASUS C213 has 2400MHz RAM and the Lenovo 500e has 1600MHz RAM.

Small differences in specs aside, both of these models have hardware that’s very well suited for a premium Chromebook.

It’s unfortunate that the better memory isn’t inside the Chromebook with the better CPU because that would make deciding which has the better hardware an easy decision. From a performance standpoint, the Lenovo 500e will be better at any task optimized for the x86 Goldmont architecture when it comes to calculations, but the 2400MHz RAM makes the ASUS C213 better when it comes to memory utilization because of the higher clock speed. Chrome OS (and that includes the Android portion) will be optimized for the Intel chip on both models, but I would have to pick the ASUS as having the better hardware because of the faster RAM and the way Chrome uses RAM and sandboxes each process.

But really, this is a complete wash. You would see very little difference in how either of these Chromebooks operates in day-to-day use. Technically the Lenovo can calculate twice as much data per second (even more when the CPU clock is boosted) but the processor isn’t going to be the bottleneck here. Ditto for the RAM; the ASUS C213 can swap more data in and out of memory faster because the memory is 25% faster, but the 1600MHz memory in the 500e is more than fast enough. These are Chromebooks. Chrome isn’t designed to play intensive 3D games or compile a big software project or render a 50GB 3D CAD file.

Know that either of these models will be a good match form Chrome OS from a hardware perspective, and the minor differences really only matter if you plan to install another OS on them.

Pricing

Another thing that’s always important to consider is the price. Thankfully, both models look good here.

The Lenovo 500e as displayed at the announcement and currently listed on Lenovo’s website has a $309 price tag. The ASUS C213 comes in two flavors, and the model that compares with Lenovo’s offering can be bought right now at Amazon for $398. These models feature a display that’s not only touch-capable but also supports a Wacom EMR pen. If you’ve never used a stylus with Wacom’s EMR technology, know that it’s one of the few passive designs that work as well as an active stylus that needs a wireless connection and takes a battery. It’s a good thing to have if you think you might want or need stylus support.

All things being equal here, and despite minor differences in the hardware I think they are, the Lenovo is the easy winner if you want a Chromebook with stylus support baked in because the 500e is almost $100 less.

See the 500e at Lenovo

See the C213 at Amazon

Lenovo also has a model without a stylus, the 300e. It has an ARM CPU instead of the Intel we see in the 500e, but the look, the rugged MIL-STD design, and Chrome software with Classroom apps are the same. For models without a stylus, you’ll see the Lenovo 300e at $269 and the ASUS C213 at $299. The ASUS is the better choice because the Intel CPU is worth the extra $30. ARM chips work great for Chrome OS and Android apps, but the Intel will squeeze out a bit more performance.

See the 300e at Lenovo

See the C213 at Amazon

One thing is certain; seeing consumer sales of these education and enterprise-grade Chromebooks at these low prices is pretty awesome and I certainly hope the trend continues!

Chromebooks

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

This is your last chance to get YouTube TV for $35 a month

Today is the last day to subscribe to YouTube TV for $35 a month.

YouTube TV’s price hike is going into effect from tomorrow, March 13, with new subscribers having to shell out $40 a month, up $5 from the existing rate of $35. The service offers over 40 live channels — including the likes of ESPN, Disney, and Fox — and there’s a native app for Android TV along with support for Chromecast.

YouTube TV: Everything you need to know

You get access to your local stations as well as live sports, making YouTube TV a viable cord-cutting option. YouTube TV also comes with a seven-day trial, which gives you plenty of time to figure out if you want to go ahead with the monthly subscription.

The service is live in over 80 cities across the U.S., so if you’re interested in taking a look, hit up the link below to subscribe to YouTube TV for $35 a month.

Sign up for YouTube TV

Best Screen Protectors for Samsung Galaxy S9

Keep your Galaxy S9 display safe and scratch-free

With the release of a brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 comes the inevitable debate of the best way to keep your phone safe. Some people are content with just “being careful” with their phone to avoid scuffs and cracks, but the rest of us are better off staying safer than sorry.

But protecting the curved display of the Galaxy S9 is no easy task — tempered glass offers the best protection but a PET film can generally flex around to the edge of curved displays better. There’s also a price difference so there’s a lot to consider when you’re buying.

Whether you prefer tempered glass or a flexible film, these are the best screen protectors for the Samsung Galaxy S9.

• Whitestone Dome Glass
• amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector
• Spigen NeoFlex Screen Protector (2-pack)
• IQShield Case Friendly Film Screen Protector (2-pack)
• Ringke Invisible Defender Full Coverage Screen Protector
• GadgetShieldz Galaxy S9 Screen Protector

Whitestone Dome Glass

The Whitestone Dome Glass screen protector was another option that was getting people talking in the forums. The big selling feature for this wet install screen protector is its unique curing process, which uses UV light.

It’s proven to be a very popular screen protector and is currently on sale for $45, down from $60. Check out this review and installation guide to get an idea of how this tempered glass screen protector uniquely adheres like no other screen protector you’ve seen before. If the worst case scenario has already occurred and your screen is cracked, think of this as a second chance screen before dropping hundreds of dollars on a proper replacement screen. With a UV light packaged to complete the curing process, this is a pricier option than other screen protectors out there, but based on video review and reviews on Amazon it’s an early favorite. I guess time will tell how well the Whitestone Dome Glass holds up in real-life use.

See at Amazon

amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Whereas the Whitestone Dome Glass might require the most complicated installation process, amFilm has tried to simplify the process by providing an installation guide so you can line up the perfect fit.

The offering here is a curved tempered glass screen protector that adheres to the phone using a silicone gel along the edges and a dot matrix along the majority of the display. amFilm says if you properly install this phone you will get a perfet fit with no clicking, no rainbow effect, and a strong adhesion that won’t peel up. This is a case-friendly option that can be yours for just $10.

See at Amazon

Spigen NeoFlex screen protector (2-pack)

Spigen always makes great cases so it only makes sense that they’d also offer screen protectors that are compatible with cases.

If you’ve got the patience to take the time for a film screen protector with a wet installation, you should be more than satisfied with this two-pack of reliable screen protectors. Because it’s a flexible film, the NeoFlex can offer full protection for your screen without affecting the touch responsiveness. Spigen provides a comprehensive installation video that actually recommends installing the screen protector with your phone in a case to help like things up on the first shot. Didn’t get it quite right? Just peel it back off and try again.

It will take 12 hours for the screen protector to fully adhere so make sure you give it enough time. Get this two-pack from Amazon for just $9

See at Amazon

IQShield Case Friendly Film Screen Protector (2-pack)

IQShield offers a two-pack of plastic film screen protectors that have been updated to be completely compatible with even the most rugged cases. That’s in part due to these being PET film screen protectors rather than tempered glass.

This is a paper-thin screen protector that you will hardly notice after a clean installation. These screen protectors have an oleophobic coating to help prevent fingerprints and smudges and are easy to install. With over 100 5-star reviews on Amazon, you can buy with confidence. Get your two-pack of case-friendly screen protectors from IQShield for just $8.

See at Amazon

Ringke Invisible Defender Full Coverage Screen Protector (3-pack)

Ringke’s screen protector for the Galaxy S9 stands out from the rest thanks to its wings that wrap around the sides of your phone. There are a few benefits to this unique screen protector style. Since the film wraps around the edges, you have button cutouts to guide you for the perfect fit, while also helping to prevent the edges from peeling up with a case installed too.

These screen protectors are made of crystal clear urethane material and can be yours for just $10. The kit includes everything you’ll need for a clean installation, along with an extra screen protector in case your first one takes a beating and needs to be replaced.

You can also get a three-pack for the Galaxy S9+, too, if you’re rocking the larger device.

See at Amazon

GadgetShieldz Galaxy S9 Screen Protector

This one comes from the Galaxy S9 forums. GadgetShieldz offers an ultra-thin film protector that offers coverage for your entire device while remaining case friendly.

If you find the glass backing of Samsung’s phones to be a bit slippery, you can add the film to the back of your phone and it will remain virtually invisible while adding grip to the device.

You can get full-body protection for your Galaxy S9 for just $11 with free shipping from GadgetShieldz.

See at GadgetShieldz

Where do you land on the screen protector debate?

Are screen protectors and cases a must-buy for any new phone you own or do you prefer the naked look and feel? Have you had hands-on experience with a screen protector that others should know about? Let us know in the comments!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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SanDisk’s $63 200GB microSD card is a must-have for all Galaxy S9 owners

Don’t go without it.

This 200GB card normally sells for closer to $70 and this is the first price drop on it since Black Friday. You can use it to expand the storage in your phone, tablet, action camera and much more. It has transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s and it is shockproof, waterproof and can even withstand X-rays.

If you can sacrifice a little bit of speed, B&H has the older variant of this card for $60.95. It offers speeds of up to 90MB/s instead of 100MB/s.

See at Amazon

Panasonic designed blinkers for the digital age

There could be a whole category of recent devices labeled “technology to keep you from being distracted by technology.” From “dumb phones” to revivals of Ektachrome film, the same companies that contribute to our digital exhaustion are trying to provide the answer with… more tech.

Enter Wear Space, a prototype we spotted at Panasonic’s SXSW exhibition. A collaboration with Japanese fashion designer Kunihiko Morinaga, it embeds noise-cancelling headphones in what’s basically a glorified horse blinker. The idea is to keep you focused when working in open spaces like coffee shops or communal co-working spots.

Yes it looks sleek, and yes, it’s a positive development that product designers are becoming more mindful of our collective concentration deficit. But perhaps it also highlights how badly we need better solutions — whether in ethical software design, regulation or individual habits. There must be more dignified ways to sharpen our attention than a human pet cone, no matter how fashionably it’s designed.

Catch up on the latest news from SXSW 2018 right here.

You’ve got an hour to unsend messages on WhatsApp

Sometimes you need more than seven minutes to unsend a message on WhatsApp. Thankfully, with the most recent update, now we do. The most recent patch (2.18.31) extends the “delete for everyone” period to one hour, eight minutes and 16 seconds according to a tweet from the messaging service. Is that oddly specific amount of time a reference to anything? It seems like it is, but as far as we know, it isn’t. We do know one thing for sure: Telegram users have 48 hours to delete a message and save face before anyone else sees it, so WhatsApp still has some catching up to do. Both are still more generous than GMail’s 30-second unsend feature though.

A new WhatsApp for iOS update (2.18.31) is available on AppStore.
It is a bug fixes update, but it has the new “Delete for everyone” limit, that’s 1 hour, 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 8, 2018

Via: The Verge

Source: WhatsApp (Twitter)