The best projector for a home theater

By Chris Heinonen

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

The Sony VPL-HW45ES is the best projector for a dedicated home theater because it offers superb contrast ratios, accurate colors, plenty of light output, low input lag for gaming, and flexible setup options to help it fit almost any location. Typically selling for around $2,000, it costs about $1,000 less than anything else offering comparable performance.

Who should buy this

A dedicated home theater projector is meant for a room that offers complete light control. One of the major improvements in these projectors over entry-level models is the ability to produce much darker blacks, giving you better contrast ratios, but you’ll need to eliminate ambient light to appreciate this feature. You should also pair your projector with a good screen, which will give you brighter, more accurate images. Finally, you also need a surround speaker system. Projectors designed for a dedicated home theater room don’t have any speakers, so they need a separate sound system, usually with a receiver.

How we picked and tested

Photo: Chris HeinonenK

We looked for home theater projectors with 1080p resolution or higher, a pair of HDMI inputs, and flexible installation options. Some high-contrast projection screens require the projector to be centered to work optimally, and we imagine that many people dedicating a room to a home theater might not be custom-building it for that purpose, so DLP projectors that require mounting above or below the center of the screen didn’t fit our criteria. And since few people still care about 3D support, we didn’t require that in the projectors we tested.

Going by those criteria, we chose to test four projectors for our most recent update to this guide. To find out how the projectors stacked up against one another, we measured them ourselves using test equipment, including an i1Pro2 spectrometer and a Klein K10-A colorimeter, as well as test patterns from a DVDO AVLab TPG and an HDFury Integral. We tested for light output, contrast ratio, color and color-temperature accuracy, and more. To read more about our tests, see our full guide to home theater projectors.

Our pick

Photo: Chris HeinonenK

The Sony VPL-HW45ES is based on the higher-end VPL-HW65ES, dropping many of the advanced features that most people don’t need but keeping the performance nearly identical. For almost everyone, the VPL-HW45ES is the better choice, as it offers great contrast ratios, accurate colors, low input lag for gaming, a flexible lens for easy installation, quiet operation, and plenty of light output. At a price lower than that of last year’s excellent VPL-HW40ES (our previous pick), it’s a great bargain, as well.

The biggest reason to step up from an entry-level projector to the VPL-HW45ES is improved contrast ratios. This model also has a built-in Reference preset that gives you a very accurate image out of the box. Colors are rich and pure but not pushed, and textures display with vivid clarity. The darker blacks allow letterbox bars to disappear, make nighttime scenes much more realistic, and give the image far more pop.

In our tests, with input-lag reduction enabled, input lag fell from 106 ms to 22 ms. That’s one of the lowest measurements we’ve seen, better than what we’ve gotten from any other projector we’ve tested (and beaten only by one TV).

Upgrade for better connectivity and color rendering

Photo: Chris HeinonenK

We think the Sony VPL-HW45ES’s combination of user-friendliness and best-in-class image quality makes it an easy pick for most home theaters. But it lacks the advanced connectivity options that higher-end setups with some degree of automation require—namely, a 12 V trigger with IP control and an Ethernet port. If you need those ports, we recommend upgrading to the Epson Home Cinema 5040UB. The Epson gives you those features, along with an HDMI 2.0 input, slightly more accurate colors, the ability to display more of the HDTV color gamut, fully automated lens control (supporting screen aspect ratios other than 16:9 without letterboxing), the ability to display the expanded DCI/P3 color gamut used in Ultra HD Blu-ray and some streaming content, an analog D-sub 15 input, a pixel-shift feature that attempts to display more detail from 4K content, and a slight overall bump in image quality (which you may not notice).

The Epson 5040UB offers an improved contrast ratio over the Sony VPL-HW45ES, but not a gigantic leap: We measured about 25 percent more contrast. It also produces a brighter, sharper image than the Sony, putting out around 30 percent more lumens and creating a more uniformly sharp image with its larger lens. We could see this result in our test patterns and in real-world content. It has a slightly slower input lag, but at 31 ms, that’s still quite good.

Overall the Epson Home Cinema 5040UB provides improvements over the Sony VPL-HW45ES, but with standard content you might find the 50 percent price increase harder to justify.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

Apple Celebrates Earth Day With Ziggy Marley Concert, Apple Music Playlists, and $0.99 iTunes Movies Rentals

Today is Earth Day, and around the globe people are celebrating the annual event through demonstrations and gatherings aimed at showing support for the planet and protecting the environment. Apple began celebrations this past week in its retail stores, sending green shirts for its employees to wear and lighting up the Apple logo with a green leaf to mark the April 22 global event.

We’re celebrating Earth Day here at Apple. Thanks @ziggymarley for an inspired performance! 🎶 🌏 pic.twitter.com/cuNvbzdbiA

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 21, 2018

On Friday, April 20, Apple held one of its annual Beer Bash concerts with a performance by Ziggy Marley. In a tweet, the musician explained that his performance at Apple’s campus was his “first set fully powered by solar energy.” Marley continued by thanking Apple: “Thank you for the example you set for companies around the world.”

Also in attendance during the performance was Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy, and social issues. In a tweet this morning Jackson reminded Apple Watch users about today’s Earth Day Challenge, which requires you to do any workout for 30 minutes or more before the day ends, and record your activity within the Workout watchOS app or any other app that adds workouts to the Health iOS app.

It’s @ziggymarley performing at my office on 4/20. Not bad for a Friday afternoon at work. pic.twitter.com/08pdH2c4e5

— Etan Horowitz (@etanowitz) April 21, 2018

The company is also celebrating Earth Day across its services, with a few themed playlists, iTunes movies, and iBooks getting top-billing today on each respective platform. On Apple Music, you can find the “Mixtape for Mother Earth,” which Apple Music editors describe as a soundtrack for Earth Day with songs “inspired by our planet’s natural wonders.” Artists and songs include Radiohead’s “Bloom,” The Beatles’s “Sun King,” Tegan and Sara’s “Our Trees,” and more, totaling 30 tracks.

While “Mixtape for Mother Earth” is the main playlist currently being promoted on the Browse tab, if you search for “Earth Day” you can also find playlists like “What are Earth’s favorite songs?” and other curated collections from previous Earth Day events.

Over on the iTunes Movies store, Apple has a collection of $0.99 rentals for films that all include messages about the environment. The list of just over 40 films has a mix of scripted movies and documentaries, including “FernGully: The Last Rainforest,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Fly Away Home,” “Blackfish,” “March of the Penguins,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “A Plastic Ocean,” and more. There’s also a collection of Disneynature documentaries priced at $9.99, including topics like Oceans, Bears, African Cats, and Monkey Kingdom.

iBooks readers can also get in on the Earth Day celebrations thanks to a “Protect the Planet” section of the Featured tab within Apple’s digital books app. The books in the new collection “include meditations on Mother Nature’s delightful quirks, rallying cries for biodiversity, and blueprints for how to play a part in passing on a healthier planet.” The collection is split up into three sub categories called “Explore the Natural World,” “Get Informed & Inspired,” and “Do Your Part.” Books include “Unstoppable” by Bill Nye and Corey S. Powell, “Voices in the Ocean” by Susan Casey, and “A Hole in the Wind” by David Goodrich.

Earlier this month, Apple announced that its global facilities, including retail stores, offices, data centers, and more, are powered with 100 percent clean energy. Apple went into further detail about how it has lessened its overall environmental impact with the 2018 Environmental Responsibility Report, sharing stats about its reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lowered energy footprint, and more. The company also updated its trade-in and recycling initiatives into a new “GiveBack” program, and introduced a new iPhone disassembly robot named Daisy.

Tag: Earth Day
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SEC files fraud charges against co-founder of Centra Tech

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed charges against Raymond Trapani, the third co-founder of Centra Tech Inc., due to accusations of fraud surrounding an initial coin offering which raised $32 million and promised a crypto debit card.

“We allege that the Centra co-founders went to great lengths to create the false impression that they had developed a viable, cutting-edge technology,” said the SEC’s Robert Cohen. “Investors should exercise caution about investments in digital assets, especially when they are marketed with claims that seem too good to be true.”

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Trapani was the “mastermind” of the ICO that allegedly deceived investors with promises of partnerships with major credit card companies, misleading claims regarding the company’s product, false founder biographies, and manipulation of the company’s digital currency Centra Token.

The SEC also alleges that Trapani and the others knowingly engaged in fraud and point to a string of text messages as evidence of its claims.

“Text messages among the defendants reveal their fraudulent intent,” the complaint reads. “After receiving a cease-and-desist letter from a major bank directing him to remove any reference to the bank from Centra’s marketing materials, Sharma texted to Farkas and Trapani: ‘[w]e gotta get that s[***] removed everywhere and blame freelancers lol.’”  And, while trying to get the CTR Tokens listed on an exchange using phony credentials, Trapani texted Sharma to “cook me up” a false document, prompting Sharma to reply, “Don’t text me that s[***] lol.  Delete.”

In addition to the SEC’s complaints, Tech Crunch reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has announced criminal charges against Trapani.

“As alleged, Raymond Trapani conspired with his co-defendants to lure investors with false claims about their product and about relationships they had with credible financial institutions,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami. “While investing in virtual currencies is legal, lying to deceive investors is not.”

In addition to the alleged deception, Centra’s ICO was bolstered by endorsements from celebrities such as recently retired boxer superstar Floyd Mayweather.

Spending bitcoins ethereum and other types of cryptocurrency in Beverly Hill https://t.co/q9VZ3MzpK8 pic.twitter.com/BYyOFUnm8W

— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) September 15, 2017

Editors’ Recommendations

• Bitcoin market cap has already dropped more than $80 billion in 2018
• Theranos’ death knell? Founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes charged with fraud
• Companies, lawyers probed for selling cryptocurrency initial coin offerings
• Digital currency prices fall after SEC warns about exchange dangers
• Coinbase may register with SEC as brokerage firm

From robotic bees to bacteria, the tech that is making for a greener tomorrow

Freight Farms

We love when technology gives us new gadgets or entertaining features, but it’s even better when scientists get together and use technology for more noble pursuits… like saving the planet. That’s right: From biodegradable bullets to robot bees, today’s eco-friendly creations are literally changing the world for the better.

If you need a more optimistic look at the future, check out these promising pieces of modern tech, each of which is greening up everyday activities and fixing a problem we once thought unsolvable.

A sea net designed to clean up the GPGP

For those who don’t know, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a giant collection of trash — one made primarily of plastics and other materials that don’t disintegrate in water — that’s currently adrift in the middle of the Pacific. If you want to get technical, it’s called a marine trash vortice, and it’s larger than many countries.

Ocean Cleanup is an organization dedicated to finding innovative waves of getting rid of the GPGP before it gets even worse. Do you remember those floating, connected markers at the public pool? Ocean Cleanup has devised a heavy-duty version of those lines, except each float is actually a polyurethane trash collector that filters out and captures pieces of the GPGP.

The goal is to attach these lines to sea vessels and have them pass in and out of the garbage patch to help clean it up. Simulations show that this could reduce the GPGP’s size by almost 50 percent in five years, thus reducing its impact on aquatic life.

A graphene filter that makes salt water drinkable

Getty

The severe water shortages facing many parts of the world could be solved if there was an easy way to filter salt out of seawater and make it drinkable. Desalination plants do exist, but they are complex, expensive to build, and can’t be used everywhere. Now a team of scientists in the U.K. thinks it has a solution that could transform the world’s water needs.

Enter a carefully designed graphene filter made from a single layer of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice. This type of graphene layer can do all kinds of cool stuff, but scientists are currently using it to develop a graphene oxide sieve that could filter out salts — and can do it far more effectively than current desalinization plants, at a fraction of the cost.

The U.S. Army’s biodegradable bullets

In addition to all the other problems with war, bullets are actually really bad for the environment; they can leach toxic metals into the soil that can kill plants, harm animals, and build up in nearby communities, eventually causing medical problems.

Enter the U.S. Army’s plan to create biodegradable bullets. Basically, they want to use bullets made out of composite materials that can act as much like real bullets as possible, and can be fired using current weaponry. This will allow soldiers posted around the world to conduct typical training regimens without worrying about the impact of the bullets on the surrounding environment.

Even better, the final bullets chosen for the project may include hibernating seeds, which are designed to take root in the soil months later and sprout into environmentally-beneficial plants. How crazy would that be?

A chimney that gets rid of pollution

Image provided by David Y. H. Pui

China has been hard at work trying to reduce its sizable pollution problem and make cities safer to live in for years now. This involves traditional solutions such as solar and wind power, along with more innovative approaches — like this 200-foot chimney in Xi’an.

The chimney’s genius design uses solar heating to warm pollution particles drawn in at the chimney’s base, forcing them into a network of filters housed within the shaft. The particles are then trapped as the warm air continues to rise, creating a healthy cycle that pushes clean air into the city. The chimney can currently handle particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which is particularly impressive for this kind of project. If the creation is deemed a success, these towers could appear in cities around China.

A plane powered via fuel cells

Here’s a crash course (no pun intended) on the fuel cell: It creates an electrical current by utilizing a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Stack enough of these fuel cells together, and they become powerful enough to operate larger machines, including vehicles. The only byproduct of a fuel cell is, famously, water.

The problem is that fuel cells are difficult and expensive, at least when you’re dealing with larger vehicles. Plus, you need a handy source of hydrogen gas to keep the vehicle powered. That’s why you don’t see too many fuel cell cars on the road, though, there are a handful of car manufacturers that offer fuel cell variants.

All this makes this German plane even more impressive, because it manages to carry several passengers while running on nothing by fuel cells. In many ways, this four-seater is more suited for fuel cells than cars are, especially when it comes to refueling. The creators are hopeful that these planes could be used as eco-friendly taxis between nearby cities.

The “Leafy Green Machines” NASA wants to put in space

Freight Farms, by themselves, are already impressive eco-friendly constructs; these little grow rooms are manufactured using recycled freight crates with advanced hydroponics that allow them to grow racks of farm-fresh produce even in the middle of the city. Companies like Freight Farms are currently mass producing these “Leafy Green Machines,” providing cities that receive little daylight or currently face produce shortages with a better method for growing crops.

That’s already cool, but it gets cooler! NASA has given Freight Farms and Clemson University a grant to study how the Leafy Green Machines could be used in space travel. Basically, NASA wants to take these freight gardens to the next level and see if they can become entirely independent. If they can run on renewable energy and produce enough food to support humans, they may be ideal for growing in-flight produce.

A streetlight powered via used car batteries

Electric cars are becoming more and more common, but there are some issues when it comes time to replace their batteries, which often need to be swapped out while they’re still operational. Note: Electric cars require their batteries to be in peak condition in order to operate correctly.

Rather than let these batteries go to waste, Nissan decided to do something with them, and created The Reborn Light project. The project’s aim is to take used batteries from electric cars and attach them to LED-equipped streetlights, allowing them to run for years with little maintenance. Early reports say they can provide the same sort of visibility as traditional streetlights, though, they capitalize on a planet-saving approach we can all get behind.

The best solar roof on the market

Quick! What’s the big problem people have with installing solar roofs? For the average homeowner, the short answer is either “installation” or “appearance.” Most people simply don’t want a cumbersome solar panel on their roof, especially when it comes with additional structural concerns.

Thankfully, Tesla has developed a more discrete type of solar roof. The intuitive design utilizes tiles that look like shiny, ultra-modern versions of the same clay or stone tiles luxury homes have used for decades. Not only do these solar panels protect your roof from rain, pests, and so on, they are also great at producing energy. In fact, they are more efficient than the average solar panel that’s often marketed toward consumers, and they’re cheaper than a normal roof.

Although Tesla’s solar panels are only available under limited conditions in a few markets, there are plans to expand into new territories in the near future, and to offer a greater variety of tile appearances.

The machine that reduces carbon emissions (permanently)

The biggest problem with greenhouse gases is that once they’re out and about, it’s really hard to do anything about them. Carbon capture and storage is, at least currently, notoriously difficult and often temporary. Luckily, a startup called Climeworks and an Icelandic project called CarbFix have teamed up to change all of that.

Together, these researchers have developed a machine that has been attached to the Hellisheidi Power Station, which is being hailed as the greenest power plant in the world. In addition to using geothermal energy, the plant now takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and injects it into the basalt rocks beneath the plant. CO2 and basalt combine to form permanent carbonate rocks, which will house the carbon permanently. It’s still something of a prototype, though, so here’s hoping larger versions can be developed soon!

A bacteria strain that generates energy from sunlight and CO2

Yes, the field of “cyborg bacteria” is now a real thing. The term essentially refers to bacteria that have been engineered to coat themselves with nanocrystals. These nanocrystals are grown from cadmium and cysteine that scientists feed to the new bacteria, and they function as little solar cells that turn sunlight into energy.

The bacteria, in turn, use this solar energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into acetic acid, which they can use as a food source. Not only is this process more efficient than the chlorophyll-based method used by plants, it also shows great potential as a new C02-removal system, one that could help scrub our atmosphere and oceans. Scientists are also looking into ways to use the bacteria as a major energy producer, which, down the line, could lead to some exciting advancements in the solar field.

Robotic bees that are designed to pollinate

If you’re up to speed on your ecology news, then you’re probably already aware that bees are dying off at an unprecedented rate. Whether the cause is a changing climate, new diseases, pesticides, or a combination thereof, it’s bad news for anyone who depends on bees for pollination.

The good news is that this has led to some serious innovation, including the development of robotic bees, aka B-Droids. These robots aren’t just lab drawings, either. Prototypes were developed and launched in 2014, and more advanced versions of the B-Droid have continued to appear in the years since. The latest version functions like a mini quadcopter, and has successfully pollinated both garlic and strawberries via a set of cameras and algorithms that coordinate flight paths between flowers. Thanks for saving the planet, robots!

 Leather that doesn’t rely on animals

Human fabrics are rarely eco-friendly — leather, in particular. Unlike cotton or wool, animal skin isn’t exactly renewable, which means it takes a serious ecological toll to produce. And anyone who has tried cheap pleather products knows that the synthetic version isn’t exactly satisfying, especially in the long term.

Thankfully, Modern Meadow’s has developed a new solution. After years of research and millions of dollars in investment, the company has officially created a biofabrication technique that results in animal-free leather. How does this miracle work? It uses yeast cultures that are engineered to create collagen, the biological material that skin is formed from. Scientists then take that collagen and process it into leather, basically in the same way that real leather is created.

Not only is the new leather poised to revolutionize the clothing industry, it also apparently feels and acts just like the real thing. Scientists can even switch up the processing method to create different colors, new textures, or entirely new fabric types that rely on cotton and other materials.

Legos made from biodegradable materials

At first, “bioplastic” sounds like an oxymoron: How can plastic be biological or eco-friendly when it’s famously not? That said, Lego has found a way. The iconic company — you know, the one behind those colorful blocks you always step on in your living room — has just introduced a new line made entirely from biodegradable materials.

The secret is a new process that turns sugar cane into a plant-based plastic, one that acts like traditional plastic with a few advantages. The new Legos are eco-friendly and just as durable as the older models, for instance, and they’re softer to the touch.

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Best replacement bands for Samsung Gear S2

Give your Samsung Gear S2 a fresh look with a new wristband!

The Samsung Gear S2 is over two years old but still a fantastic smartwatch. You may be thinking it’s time to upgrade to the Gear S3 or an Android Wear option but if you’re really still loving the Gear S2 maybe all you need is a fresh look.

The price of replacement bands has dropped so low that you can completely revamp the look of your Gear S2 for as low as $10. Let’s dive in on the best replacement bands for the Gear S2!

• V-MORO
• Getwow
• Moretek
• MoKo
• FanTEK
• Henoda

V-MORO watch bands

If you’re a fan of giving your technology a bit of personal flair, then the V-MORO watch bands should certainly pique your interest. There are over a dozen different bands available, from multiple colors, floral patterns, leather, and even solid stainless steel links.

Depending on the style, these bands are available starting at $9.75.

See at Amazon

Getwow watch bands

Another great place to look is at the watch bands from Getwow. These rubber watchbands are each unique in their design. Though you won’t find anything particularly flashy in these rubber options, they do sport a number of different patterns.

Each one can be bought for around $7, with bright colors that are sure to catch the eye.

See at Amazon

Moretek watch bands

If you’ve got a Samsung Gear S2 Classic and want a watch band that will work well for fitness and prevents sweat from building up between your wrist and your watch,you want these Moretek bands might do the trick.

There are four color combinations that you’ll be able to choose from, and each sports a design with cutouts throughout the band and a two-tone color scheme. These watch bands are available for around $11.

See at Amazon

MoKo watch bands

If you want to avoid clasps, the MoKo band for Gear S2 Classic is a magnetic option that adheres to itself. This means that if you have a wrist larger, or smaller, than the norm you don’t have to worry about it not fitting correctly.

Styled after the Milanese loop bands that are super stylish, you can pick one up for around $11 although supplied are limited.

See at Amazon

FanTEK watch bands

Not everybody can afford to shell out $30 or $40 for a new watch band. Thankfully, FanTEK comes through with affordable watch bands that sport muted designs. Unlike the bright designs on many other watch bands, you’ll find dark colors and simple designs that draw your eye to the Gear S2 without being overwhelming.

Even if you’re not on a budget, the $7.88 price tag is a sweet deal.

See at Amazon

Henoda watch bands

Not everybody is looking for a flashy design, or really a design at all, for their watch bands. If all you’re looking for is a watch band with a splash of color, check out the Henoda watch bands.

Available for around $10 these silicon replacement bands come in a solid color. You can choose from one of ten colors to make your smartwatch pop without looking audacious.

See at Amazon

How to replace your Gear S2 watch band

Once you get your Gear S2 replacement band, it’s easy to change it out. Just follow along with our how-to video!

What caught your eye?

Did any of these watch bands look like a real winner? Let us know about it in the comments below!

Update April 2018: Refreshed the options on our list and updated pricing information.

Learn everything you need to know about web development for only $35!

So you’ve decided on a new career in web development, but you’re unsure where’s the best place to start. You could enroll yourself in a computer sciences course at a local college, but that means putting your life on hold to go back to school, and who has the time or money for that?

The fact is if you want to be a programmer who’s in demand, you need to be proficient in a multitude of different coding languages. The more varied your experience and knowledge, the more valuable you are to prospective employers. The problem, of course, is building and maintaining your knowledge of all the latest programming languages.

Maybe you’ve seen ads for intensive coding boot camps, but thought that might be a bit overwhelming. You’d be much better off learning at your own pace via online courses.

Android Central is here to help, with this amazing deal. You can get lifetime access to The Complete 2018 Learn to Code Bundle for just $35.

This bundle includes 9 distinct courses on all the most valuable languages and web development frameworks used by programmers today — including JavaScript, Python, PHP, and much more. Each course is broken down into digestible lectures, which have been put together by qualified and experienced experts.

You receive access to well over 200 hours of online course material, that you can always come back to when you need a refresher. This also makes it a valuable resources for those already working as a web developer, as you’ll have this well of knowledge to go back to throughout your career.

So what are you waiting for? To sign up for all these courses individually would cost over $1,000, but for a limited time you can enjoy a 94% discount on this bundle.

But again, this is only available for a limited time, so you’ll want to jump on it now and then enjoy the freedom to build out your coding skill set at your own pace.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Best Wireless Mice for Chromebooks

Which wireless mice are best for Chromebooks?

While your Chromebook’s trackpad works well enough for most situations, there are some tasks for which a wireless mouse is better.

Whether you need a wireless mouse to scroll through long documents faster, or to perform fine manipulations, there’s a great wireless mouse out there with your name on it. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse
• Logitech M535 Compact Bluetooth Mouse
• Logitech Wireless Mouse M320
• AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse with Nano Receiver
• Logitech Triathlon M720
• Logitech MX Master

Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse

Spoiler alert: there’s going to be a ton of Logitech products on this list. The Logitech MX Anywhere 2S is a compact Bluetooth mouse that’s packed with all the features you want — customizable buttons, the ability to track virtually anywhere (even on glass), and a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 70 days — along with a few standout features to help justify the $80.

This mouse supports cross computer control between PCs and Macs, allowing you to not only switch between computers, but also copy and paste text, files, or folders between computers. Chrome OS is not included in this cross-platform flow functionality, and despite no mention of Chrome OS in the product listing it will work with Chromebooks.

$80 is a steep price to pay for a computer mouse, but there are less than a handful of black mice available on the same Amazon listing for just $55 if you act quick!

See at Amazon

Logitech M535 Compact Bluetooth Mouse

A compact Bluetooth mouse without any compromises.

The Logitech M535 is a great mouse for any Chromebook. It’s comfortable thanks to the ergonomic design and rubber grips and the compact design makes it easy to slip into a laptop bag or backpack. Best of all, it has an accurate optical sensor to keep everything nice and tight when you’re not able to use a mousepad.

At just $24 bucks, it’s a steal.

See at Amazon

Logitech Wireless Mouse M510

Available in black, blue, and red, the Logitech Wireless Mouse M510 has received positive reviews from users and reviewers alike for its long battery life and excellent functionality.

Logitech states that this mouse will last up to two years on a single AA battery. Mileage may vary, but in general, users report that the battery does last a while — maybe a year or more on average.

Another benefit of this mouse is that its curved, asymmetric shape and rubber surface make it comfortable to use for long periods of time.

If you want a wireless mouse that has a long battery life, is comfortable to hold and comes in different colors, then check this one out for under $20.

See at Amazon

AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse with Nano Receiver

The AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse is a 2.4 GHz mouse that connects to your Chromebook via a small USB transceiver. Customer reviews state that it works well and is easy to use, providing an amazing value for a bargain price.

This optical mouse comes with a one-year warranty, so if anything goes wrong, you can always get a replacement.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive wireless mouse that does the job, then the AmazonBasics Wireless Mouse is for you. Get yours for just $10!

See at Amazon

Logitech M720 Triathlon

The unnamed successor to the M705, the M720 takes things up a notch.

Still designed with long battery life in mind, the M720 has a newly sculpted body design and an improved mouse wheel and a thumb button.

You have the same excellent laser for tracking that makes for precise pointing and clicking, but the M720 brings a feature from the bigger more expensive options — multi-device pairing.

With a Bluetooth option as well as support for an included Logitech Unifying receiver, you can pair the M720 with up to three devices at the same time and change with a click of a button. If you want performance and features in a smaller package, you want to look at the M720 for just $38.

See at Amazon

Logitech MX Master 2S

The Logitech MX Master 2S is the master of all wireless mice because of its ability to track well even on glossy surfaces and its long battery life. Reviewers and users agree that it’s a top-notch wireless mouse.

With a shape sculpted for your right hand, it is comfortable to use all day. In fact, it was designed for people who use their mice a lot, all day, every day.

It has a rechargeable battery, so you never have to replace it. Simply connect it to your Chromebook using its USB cable and continue using it while it charges. If you don’t have an extra USB port, you can use its wall-charger unit instead. Either way, four minutes gives you four hours of use and a full charge will last you up to 40 days.

Available for between $90 and $100 it’s by far the most expensive mouse on this list. But if you’re looking for a wireless mouse that will work, even on glass, and has a long-lasting rechargeable battery, the Logitech MX Master 2S is a great choice.

See at Amazon

Which wireless mice are your favorites?

We’ve looked high and low for great wireless mice that work with the Chromebook, but we’re only human, and we might have missed something super-amazing. Tell us all about it in the comments below.

Update April 2018: Added the MX Anywhere S2 and updated pricing information.

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After Math: Number stations

It was a week of hodge-podgery for the tech industry. AT&T rolled out its almost-5G service, Amazon finally revealed its Prime membership figures and Facebook continued its multi-year streak as “Company Least Encumbered by Any Discernible Form of Human Ethics”. Numbers, because you can’t convince me Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t cut his own hair.

100 locations: AT&T is setting the stage for its new 5G network, which is slated to roll out to a dozen American cities by the end of the year. Ahead of that switch flippage, the company announced this week that it will be debuting a 5G-ish fixed-in-place network as well as a faster version of LTE in parts of Boston, Sacramento and McAllen, Texas.

70 percent: That’s the share of Puerto Rican households who once again have power after the island’s latest blackout. And to think, after the US has stood by and done nothing.

1.5 billion users: That whole thing where Mark Zuckerberg went before congress and said he supported enacting GDPR protections for Facebook users outside of Europe? Guess what? He was only kidding!

20 million installs: Apparently a whole lot of people on the internet are suckers. Google just killed five top-rated ad-blocking apps after AdGuard published a report about how they’re laden with extra code that harvests data from websites that you frequent. Great job everyone.

100 million members: So, that’s how many people in the US subscribe to Amazon Prime. Not sure why the company treated that figure like such a huge secret for so many years, given that a third of the US was in on the game.

100 3D printed parts: We’re living in the future here, people. Instead of relying on an armada of seamstresses like they did back in the Apollo Era, today’s NASA uses 3D printing. In fact, more than 100 pieces of the Orion crew capsule will be additively constructed.

24/7: Oh yes, this will do wonders for the accident rates in its factories.

In ‘This is Climate Change,’ you can’t look away from the destruction

It’s one thing to read about melting glaciers. It’s another to sit and stare at one, as large chunks slowly slide off, crashing thunderously into the water below. In that moment, watching the destruction of a natural wonder, it’s hard not to feel like we’re failing to protect the Earth. That’s the experience I had while watching This is Climate Change, a virtual reality series from Danfung Dennis and Eric Strauss from the VR studio Condition One. It goes a step beyond Planet Earth, giving you a direct look at how humans are affecting our planet in 360-degree video.

After premiering their first episode at Sundance, which is focused on melting glaciers in Greenland, Dennis and Strauss are bringing the rest of the series to the Tribeca Film Festival. They each center on a different issue: One gives you a birds-eye view of the Amazon rainforest, which makes the rampant deforestation to make room for the cattle industry there even more devastating. In another, we see members of California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection taking on some of last year’s tumultuous wildfires. And finally, we see how climate change directly affects the most vulnerable: in Somalia and nearby African countries, it led to widespread famine that’s put millions of children’s lives at risk.

“I think ‘seeing’ is sort of what you get from a traditional documentary. What’s different about VR is that you’re experiencing it,” Dennis said during our interview for Build Series (above). “The screen melts away, and you’re in these worlds, you’re in these environments. And you feel it in a very different way. Your body reacts to it as if you’re actually there. And so it can leave a really indelible mark on your memory and psyche of… ‘I remember being there,’ instead of just, ‘I watched a film.’”

I’ve seen plenty of 360-degree VR films over the past few years, but This is Climate Change stands out with its polished production. Every shot looked pristine, even though I was watching it in a first-gen Gear VR headset. And the 3D stereoscopic imagery gave everything just the right amount of depth. While they relied on drones for some shots, Dennis also went the extra to place their VR cameras in potentially dangerous locations, like a tiny iceberg that might not have supported his weight.

The first two episodes of This is Climate Change will be available on Within’s VR app tomorrow, and the remaining two will be available in the coming months.

Bring the beauty of nature to your wallpaper this Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

This oft-ignored holiday deserves better than to be relegated to documentary films and the occasional tree-planting! This is the only life-sustaining planet we’ve got (for now), and it’s our job to love and protect our home planet. There are plenty of charities that you can donate to, such as the World Wildlife Fund and the aptly-named Earth Day Network, and you should consider using Amazon Smile so that every time you buy a new case, cable, or some leftover Cadbury eggs, a portion of your sale is donated to charity! Even if you’re not quite up to putting your money where your mouth is, at least put a reminder to be kind to the planet on your home screen, where these wallpapers can inspire you to do more and remind us the beauty that surrounds us on this little blue ball.

If you want a ridiculous amount of natural photos in large resolution and ridiculously good quality, reddit has got you covered with the subreddit called /r/EarthPorn. From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans, if you need a wallpaper to let you marvel at Earth and her natural beauty, EarthPorn has got you! For instance, this jaw-dropping beauty of a trident coming out of a geyser in Iceland makes me want to go on a vacation to witness the majestic beauty, and it makes we want to curl up in bed and re-watch The Little Mermaid. Light, dark, vivid, muted, there is a wallpaper in EarthPorn for everyone.

/r/EarthPorn

Google Wallpapers is a fantastic Google app devoted to one thing, and one thing only: getting you a cool, new wallpaper. To this end, Google Wallpapers has a wide array of wallpapers for you to enjoy, and over half of these collections are devoted to Earth, from Google Earth satellite shots to Landscapes to Cityscapes to macro wallpapers of Life. Each collection has a daily wallpaper option, so you can get a new breathtaking view of Earth on your phone each and every day.

Google Wallpapers

Backdrops is a wallpaper app with an unparalleled collection of wallpapers from a great and growing number of artists, and so it should come as no surprise that the app is chock full of nature wallpapers. Backdrops has a collection of Earth satellite shots from Google Earth similar to Google’s, but the shots contained here are a little more fantastical purples and golds mixed in with the traditional greens, blues, and browns. Just scrolling the main page in Backdrops will give you a wide variety of wallpapers with an Earth Day flare, from majestic mountains to lush trees and fantastic flowers. There are some paid wallpapers and collections in Backdrops, but most of the wallpapers you’ll want for Earth Day are free.

Backdrops (in-app purchases)

Summer may be here before we know it, but gosh darn it, it’s still spring and spring means wildflowers! And this patch blooming on a side of a mountain, with yet another mountain looming in the background, just makes me want to jump up and go for a nice long walk… and sprain my ankle walking along those bright rocks on the right side of the shot.

Mountain Wildflowers by TyeDueTwins

While it may not have a fire-breathing dragon hoarding gold inside, you can’t help but wonder what mysteries these mountains are hiding in their mist. It’s a truly breathtaking sight, and you have to wonder just what kind of stones the people who decided to climb this had.

Misty Mountains by McKay Savage

You’ve probably seen Trey Ratcliff’s work before, especially if you have a Chromecast in your house, as his work is quite often featured on Backdrop. He’s a prolific photographer that organizes photowalks and other photography events around the world, and he posts full-resolution photos on Google+ because they’re one of the few networks that mean it when they say unlimited photo sizes. Take a peek at his posts, you will not be disappointed.

Pig and Pigeon Islands

The sun, the sea, the spray… Summer is just around the corner; why are we not at the ocean right now? Well, until we can go feel the salty sea air, the wind blowing in our face, at least we can have a bit of the ocean on our phones (y’know, without shorting it out). Whether you’re dreaming of catch the perfect wave or maybe catching sight of a lovely mermaid on the other side of one, keep your dreams and your sights set on the sea!

Ocean Waves

Updated Earth Day 2018: This post has been expanded to include collections from Google, Backdrops, and Reddit.