These are the best smart home products to use with Google Home Mini

Now that you’ve got a Google Home Mini, it’s time to connected it to some things. Need some things? Here’s where to start.

So you’ve got a new Google Home Mini. Good for you. That’s a good call. It’s like a Google Home, only less expensive and smaller, without the emphasis on the speaker. It’s like an Amazon Echo, only, erm, not and Echo, and with Google Assistant instead of Alexa.

It is, in brief, a perfectly good purchase. But now you need to do something with it. If you’re already a user of such a product, you’re probably in the know. You’ve got your stuff, it’s connected and working.

If today’s your first day with a Google Mini, though, there’s a little more setup to do.

Here are a few prime choices when it comes to connected products to use with your Google Home Mini.

• Connected lights
• Connected thermostat
• Logitech Harmony
• Connected sprinklers
• Wemo Plugs
• Other Google Homes

Philips Hue — or other connected lights

Philips Hue is the top name in connected bulbs, but they’re by no means the only ones available today. If you’ve got connected bulbs of any sort (or if you have some connected through another hub like Samsung Smart Things), you’ll definitely want to tie them in to Google Home Mini. Start with a $70 starter pack.

Attach the bulbs, assign them rooms, then just control them with your voice.

And remember that once you can control something in Google Assistant, you can control it form Google Home, or Android Auto, or your phone — wherever.

See Philips Hue at Amazon

Connected thermostat

If you have a connected thermostat — I’m a big fan of Nest — especially the new $190 Nest E — and secondarily Ecobee — then you have got to hook it up to Google Home. There’s literally nothing in the world better than turning the heat up without having to get out of bed.

OK, there are lots of things better than that. But being able to control the temperature with your voice is a killer feature. Don’t think. Just do it.

See Nest at Amazon

Logitech Harmony

I’ve long recommended a Logitech Harmony remote over pretty much anything else. What comes with your TV probably is bad. What comes with your cable box probably isn’t great. What comes with the Apple TV is awful.

Logitech Harmony is much, much better, and it has the added bonus of being able to control lots of connected things.

And Google Assistant is able to control Logitech Harmony. So you can tell your new Google Home Mini to turn the TV off or on. (I usually default to the former as I’m headed out the door, or when my kids just aren’t listening.) Start with a $144 Harmony Companion, and eye the $250+ Harmony Elite for an upgrade.

It’s a great time-save — and a way to be so lazy that you don’t even have to look for the remote control.

See Harmony Companion at Amazon

Connected sprinklers

Here’s a great one if you’ve got a lawn you need to water. I’ve been using the Rachio connected sprinkler system for a long time. It works with my phone, and it works with Google Assistant.

If you’re using a $199 Rachio right, you probably won’t need to turn the sprinklers on or off manually too often.

But … this is just a great option to have. And it’s one of those things that really is easier to do with your voice than having to pull our your phone.

Your kids wanna run through the sprinklers? “OK, Google — tell Rachio to water the front yard.”

Neighborhood hooligans hanging out on your property? “OK, Google — tell Rachio to water the front yard.”

See Rachio at Amazon

Wemo Plugs

Don’t wanna do connected lights? Give a plug a shot instead. Wemo makes it really easy to turn just a dumb plug into something a good bit smarter for just $35. And it’s flexible. Anything you plug into one of the Wemo plugs becomes smart — not just a lamp.

This is one of those things that’s perfect for, say, a Christmas tree or outdoor decorations and lights.

You can set timers, and you can control via your voice.

And trust me (I know from experience) that’ll save you a few cold trips onto the front porch in your underwear.

See Wemo at Amazon

Other Google Homes

One Google Home is great, but pick up a few more and you can use them to listen for commands and play your music through the house. If you don’t want another microphone or already have some nice speakers, you could also set up a Chromecast Audio system or pair your Google Home with Bluetooth speakers.

More: How to use Chromecast Audio as a whole-home audio alternative to Sonos

Update, May 2018: We added the “Other Google Homes” section and a jump list.

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Chromecast Ultra: all you need to know
• Which Chromecast should you buy?

Google Wifi: Google
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Google Home: Google
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Chromecast Ultra: Google
Best Buy

Samsung just gave Yahoo! another chance to play fast and loose with millions of users’ data

There are three billion reasons why Samsung allowing Yahoo! apps on your phone is a bad idea.

In a perfect world, allowing three billion user accounts to be hacked would mean a business is forced to shut down and its assets shared with the victims. In the real world, it means the people in charge of it are able to sell for huge amounts of cash and the new owners can force their way onto your brand new phone. That’s exactly what just happened now that Samsung has decided that it needs even more money and is forcing Yahoo! down the throat of Verizon Galaxy S9 buyers. (The deal includes preloading these Oath-branded apps on Verizon-sold Galaxy phones, but it also allows Bixby and other Samsung services to use Oath services like Yahoo! News as sources.)

User data and digital advertising is big money. Sometimes big enough to stop caring for your customers.

In 2013, Yahoo! was hacked and one billion accounts were compromised. In 2014, the same thing happened and another 500 million accounts were affected. The company didn’t bother to say anything until 2016. In 2017, they admitted that it was actually three billion accounts compromised — that’s every single Yahoo! account that existed at the time.

That didn’t seem to bother Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam, who said “we all live in an internet world, it’s not a question of if you’re going to get hacked but when you are going to get hacked,” and proceeded to buy the company for $4.5 billion, changing the name to Oath in hopes that you wouldn’t realize. Thankfully, Verizon’s efforts to dismiss multiple lawsuits and federal investigations into the attacks were shot down and they get to be responsible for the thing they should have never bought.

Fast forward to the here and now, and we find out that Samsung has reached a deal with Verizon to force install four Yahoo! apps onto the Galaxy S9 as system apps in the hopes that you’ll use them and feed more data into Yahoo’s gaping maw. Reactions are what you would expect: nobody is happy (although the ever-present group that thinks Samsung can do no wrong is alive and well, as is the group that thinks Samsung is some sort of demon rather than a tech company) but nobody seems to care. At least nobody who should care seems to care. User response is also fairly anemic, with “you can disable them” being the usual response even though they are system-level apps that will have already started running before you can do anything about it.

I’ll be frank — Samsung’s style of software turns me off and I don’t plan on using a Galaxy S9. I’m also not a Verizon customer. But I do hold both companies to a higher standard because of their position in mobile and because we have seen both do the right thing many times. Not this time, though. This time the two companies show that a small percentage of extra profit means much more than your privacy. And that, frankly, stinks.

Big companies are supposed to make big money but there should be limits on how.

Corporations aren’t inherently bad. They exist as a way to create money for investors and owners the same way most of us work to collect a paycheck. Corporations are supposed to do things that make more money and should explore every opportunity in good faith. In turn, they should also value their customers and say no sometimes. When news of these breaches started to become public (and were grossly under-reported by Yahoo!), I said Verizon should bail on their plans to buy Yahoo! because it and its customers deserved better. It didn’t. Now I’m saying Samsung should reconsider plopping Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Newsroom and Go90 on one of the best phones money can buy. It won’t.

I can’t believe that nobody at Samsung knows Yahoo’s history, or that Verizon has to keep its tainted infrastructure in place so that Yahoo! can continue to operate. Since Samsung obviously knows that every single Yahoo! customer account was hacked and still wants to prominently place these apps on its flagship phone, I can’t help but think it feels money is more important than your privacy.

If you just bought a Galaxy S9 and find it’s littered with Yahoo! trash, or when your phone is updated and Yahoo! trash arrives along with, spend $2.49 to buy Package Disabler Pro and rid your phone of it as quickly as you can. If you’re in the market for a new phone, keep this in mind before any company gets your money.

In fact, maybe consider buying into a platform where the developers have some control instead of one where phone makers can do as they please. I very much dislike using an iPhone, but am finding it difficult to recommend Android to users because of shenanigans like this.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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

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Best PlayStation VR Events You Can Watch Live

Watch your favorite live VR events within your VR.

If you’re looking for different ways to enjoy live VR content, why not use your headset to watch these live events? There are several different apps you can download to watch these events, and some might be better than others. These are the best ways to watch PlayStation VR events live.

Let the Excitement Begin!

• What is NextVR?
• NextVR: NFL & NBA Game Line-Up
• NextVR: Live Dance Performances & More
• Live Performances on Youtube VR
• Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live
• Joshua Bell VR Experience

What is NextVR?

NextVR is an app available to you on the PlayStation store. Here you can find plenty of live entertainment for a variety of different interests. This is, without a doubt, a video app you can use from the comfort of your couch and not miss out too much on the VR experience you’re already going to get with this 180° view of the actual event (the other 180° being an image filler).

Moving your head or body won’t change angles much at all as the scenes aren’t interactive, but don’t let that discourage you, you’re still going to have a great time with an up-close and personal experience with your favorite forms of entertainment. Using your VR headset to watch videos is one thing, and using them to watch the 3D videos NextVR has to offer is another.

Download NextVR Directly from the PlayStation Store!

NextVR: NFL

NextVR has partnered with The National Football League to bring you the best Football highlights from five of their games from the 2017 season with Super Bowl XLIV Champion Reggie Bush is hosting with Elika Sadeghi as commentator. It’s a 3D experience in the front row seats of your favorite sport. On December 10th, NextVR will release the game highlights of the Dallas Cowboy Vs the New York Giants and, until then, they have the highlights of 4 other games available to view now! Don’t forget to tune back in on December 18th for the season recap as well!

NextVR: NBA

NBA Digital has made NextVR the Official League Pass VR Partner of the NBA. Instead of game highlights like they’ve done with the NFL you’ll have the full games LIVE right there in the app! For International NBA League Pass Subscribers, ALL NBA games will be live and at your fingertips through their NextVR Screening Room on the app.

In addition to that, 27 games will be available to watch that were filmed specifically for a full immersive VR experience. They’re going to film one game from each team’s home so that you can experience every basketball court without ever having to leave home. For NBA League Pass Holders, 7 out of those 27 VR experience games will be available to you.

See at NBA League Passes

NextVR: Live Dance Performances & More!

Not too big of a fan of Football or Basketball? That’s okay, NextVR has plenty of other options available to cater to different interests. With 4 Boxing Event videos, all featuring Canelo Álvarez, you can stand right on the edge of the ring and watch amazing highlights of his fights or watch one of the 11 ICC’s Soccer Game Highlights.

Then there’s the NBC World of Dance, with 17 dances and behind-the-scenes clips of some of our favorite dance crews like Keone & Mari, Stroll Groove, or The Lab. They create a unique experience of watching these recitals with many different views, including one from the crowd AND a 180° camera that circles the stage! It is best of both worlds to not only experience the fancy footwork up close and personal, but then have a view from the crowd for the judging. The immersive feeling of actually having to turn your head from the contestant to judge during commentary is phenomenal.

Download NextVR Directly from the PlayStation Store!

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live

Now we all remember Hatsune Miku, the J-Pop Vocaloid that debuted in 2007, developed and distributed by Crypton Future Media. Well, lucky for us, now you can enjoy a 3-song concert exclusively through your PlayStation VR. In fact, SEGA, the publisher of the experience, came out with 3 total concerts for you to enjoy.

All of them have just about endless possibilities of where you can chose to stand during the performance, available to change at any time during the show. Miku is the only available performer for the first concert. But other popular Vocaloids like Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, and Megurine Luka are available on the second, while the third performance features Kaito and Meiko.

Download Directly from the PlayStation Store!

OR!
See at SEGA

Joshua Bell VR Experience

Sony took the virtual viewing of music performances by storm by having Joshua Bell, partnered with pianist Sam Haywood, perform Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 1” live and just for you. Without being able to stop at a 360° video, they also used advanced audio technology so that the music will follow your precise location during the experience.

As a classical music lover and fellow VRHead, I’m almost speechless by the performance that danced across my headset as if I were standing right in front of him. The video is available free on the PlayStation Store, and I absolutely recommend it.

Download The Joshua Bell VR Experience Directly from the PlayStation Store!

Live Performances on Youtube VR

No upcoming events or concerts to watch live? Don’t let that discourage you. Doing a quick search on Youtube for “VR Live Performances” you’ll find almost endless concerts and performances. With choices ranging from Metallica to Hamilton, the possibilities are endless. This isn’t even counting the available content of 360° live streamed events, sceneries, and semi-interactive music videos.

Youtube App Directly from the PlayStation Store

PlayStation 4

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

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Best Magnetic Car Mounts for Samsung Galaxy Phones in 2018

Yeah! Magnets!

It’s pretty much illegal anywhere you go to hold onto your phone while you drive, so your best bet is to get a great car mount. But certain mounts can be pretty tedious, and a great magnetic mount makes life so much easier when you’re getting in and out of the car. These are the best magnetic car mounts for your phone!

If your phone supports wireless charging, you’ll have to be careful where you place the metal disc so as not to interfere with the coils. Figure out where the charging coils are and stick the metal where they’re not. Or better yet, put the metal between your phone and a case. Then you can take it out whenever you want to charge up wirelessly.

• Nite Ize Steelie
• Anker universal mount
• WizGear universal air vent mount
• Maxboost 2-pack
• TechMatte MagGrip CD slot mount
• Mpow suction pad mount
• Oliv. magnetic button mount

Nite Ize Steelie

This neat little mount takes up maybe half an inch of your dash or console as it’s just a little metal ball. The other half, a little concave circle, sticks to the back of your phone. It looks like your phone would be rolling around on the ball, but the ball is stationary, and the magnet is strong enough to hold it in place.

This mount is especially great if you have to stick it somewhere awkward since it really allows for any orientation when it comes to mounting. You can snag it on Amazon for about $20. While there are several configurations of the Steelie, I like the original the best.

See at Amazon

Anker universal mount

Anker’s mount adheres to your dash on a flat surface and features a fully adjustable pad, making it great for awkward mounting spots. Its larger magnetic pad is easy to slap your phone onto, and it doesn’t take up nearly as much space as mounts with brackets and arms.

The best part about this one is that it keeps your vents free, so you can adjust them to your heart’s content and never have to worry about the heater messing with your phone. Check this one out for $16.

See at Amazon

WizGear universal air vent mount

Yes, this appears first on Amazon when you search up magnetic car mount, but that’s for a good reason (not just that manufacturers pay to have it there). For one, it’s well-reviewed: out of nearly 20,000 reviews, 66% are 5-star and 14% are 4-star. For another, I’ve been using this mount for three years and it hasn’t let me down once. It’s relatively compact, fits great onto just about any air vent, and it hasn’t loosened up or anything.

Basically, if you want an inexpensive, reliable magnetic mount with no fuss, check this one out. It’s $7.

See at Amazon

Maxboost 2-pack

At this point, mounts are basically the same with a different brand attached to them. Maxboost’s mounts attach to your air vent and have a sizable magnetic pad, making it super easy to find in the dark. If there’s two of you in the car, why should one of your still have to hold onto your phone? This two-pack solves that problem. At $6, you really can’t go wrong. Maxboost’s mounts come with a circular metal plate and rectangular plate each.

See at Amazon

TechMatte MagGrip CD slot mount

If you don’t want to stick anything to your dash and don’t want to bother with your air vents, then consider putting that old CD slot to use! The TechMatte MagGrip simply slides into your CD slot with its semicircle support, you tighten it up, and Bob’s your uncle. The magnetic pad is on an adjustable arm to allow for whichever orientation you choose, and the MagGrip comes with a circular and rectangular plate, depending on which you prefer to use. It’s $11 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Mpow suction pad mount

OK, you don’t wanna mount on your dash, your air vents, or in your CD slot: What do you do?

Grab the Mpow suction mount and stick it on your windshield (if that’s legal where you are). I know, on the windshield is precarious, but Mpow’s mount has a very small footprint, and its arm is adjustable, so you can move it around to where it’s not blocking your field of view. At $10, Mpow’s mount comes with smaller and larger metal plates and is easily detachable from your windscreen, thanks to the suction switch.

See at Amazon

Oliv. magnetic button mount

I love the Oliv. magnetic button mount. It’s incredibly easy to install, the magnetic is strong enough to hold even over the horribly pothole-riddled streets of my hometown, and the magnetic plate that goes on your phone is unobtrusive. This is a three-piece mount, with the adhesive plate, the base, and the mount, which attaches to the base via a magnet as well. I’m not sure why the whole thing comes off, but it does make installation that much easier.

At roughly $30, this isn’t the cheapest mount money can buy, and that’s a good thing. If you want a reliable mount that actually feels sturdy, this is what you want. It tilts and swivels like a good mount should, and I really can’t stress enough how great the hold is. It’s my new favorite.

See at Oliv

Got a favorite of your own?

Did we miss an excellent magnetic car mount? Sound off in the comments below!

Updated May 2018: Updated pricing for all the mounts and added the awesome Oliv. magnetic button mount to the list.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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

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BMW M550i review: Equal parts luxury and power

Cruising along on the autobahn at 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour) is equal parts exciting and anxiety-inducing because my brain can’t shake the feeling I’m still breaking the law. That concern didn’t stop when I pulled over. I also experienced some apprehension about using BMW’s Display Key to control the $73,900 BMW M550i sedan.

The Display Key with its tiny touchscreen basically replaces a lot of the features found in a car’s companion app. Drivers can lock and unlock doors, set the temperature in the car and check on their fuel level from a range of about 980 feet.

I wasn’t nervous about using the key fob to check on the car’s status, though. It’s the key’s ability to act as a remote control that lets you pull the vehicle in and out of a parking space without you sitting in the automobile that had me a little freaked out.

I was nervous because even though while it is parking the car is traveling at only 1 mile per hour and uses its sensors to keep from running into other vehicles, I started thinking “what if it hits the other car and oh great now I’m in Germany with a wrecked car and a rightfully angry driver yelling at me.” It turns out that this worry, like my concern about driving fast, it was misplaced.

While pulling into a space in a parking lot, if you know there’s not going to be enough room to exit the vehicle, the driver can use the key fob’s Remote Control Parking option while standing outside the M550i. Just get out, press the parking button, and with the controls on the tiny display, pull the car into the space. Of course, you still have to make sure you don’t accidentally run into anything. BMW says the car’s sensors will bring it to a stop once it determines you’re completely in the space, but it’s still on you to stop any potential collisions.

The thing is, I would never pull into a spot like that (unless it’s an assigned spot in a tight urban garage). If there’s not enough room to open my doors, there’s not enough room for the other vehicles and now you’ve either stopped someone from getting into her car, or you risk someone dinging your car. If I return and I’m boxed in on either side, that’s where the Remote Control Parking makes the most sense. I can just pull out and be on my way.

The Display Key sounds great, but the limited range stops it from being a must-have feature. With a range of fewer than a 1,000 feet, it’s helpful when the car is parked in front of your home or work. At, let’s say, the mall, it becomes less beneficial because the car is out of range. At that point, you would use the BMW Connected app on your smartphone. Just whip out your phone and you can take care of most of the key’s features not counting the remote parking.

So the key feels a bit gimmicky, but because of the parking feature, it’s actually quite useful in certain situations. And frankly, it’s only one element of a car that’s stuffed with tech.

When I was actually driving, BMW’s semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control and lane-keep-assist proved to be a blessing while I was stuck in Munich gridlock. The car handled slow-moving and stop-and-go traffic with zero issues. I can’t stress this enough: If you’re about to buy a car, splurge on the driver’s assistance package. Especially if you commute. You can thank me later.

One thing I do want to note is how much I liked the HUD (heads up display). BMW seems to have figured out how to layout a ton of information (speed, directions, alerts when you’re following too closely, etc.) without it feeling crowded.

The BMW infotainment system is still a solid gateway to navigation, media and a host of other features. You can use the touchscreen, but unless I was using CarPlay (still a $300 option, which is ridiculous), I relied on the control knob in the center console.

Also because that controller is where your hand sits at the end of the center armrest near the shifter, I could stay planted firmly in my seat instead of leaning forward to reach the touchscreen. Not deviating from the preferred sitting position is important when you’re driving fast, and you will want to drive fast because the M550i is quick. The 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 engine will get you from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds. Plus, it’s an all-wheel-drive vehicle that has 456 horsepower and 480 pounds of torque, so all that power is firmly planted on the ground when you stomp on the accelerator.

Yes, it’s crammed with a lot of power, but it’s also comfortable. It’s a luxury sedan that even after a long day of driving in multiple conditions, I was sad to exit and hand back to BMW.

But it sits in a weird place in the 5 Series lineup. It has more performance than your typical 5 Series (the car maker’s midlevel luxury sedan), but it’s not completely an M vehicle (the automaker’s high-performance brand) with all the power and tuned suspension that would imply. It’s a bit of a happy medium and you notice that in the corners. It does an outstanding job as a luxury sedan, but if you judge it while taking sharp corners as a sport sedan (an M car), it’s not quite there. Which is totally fine because the starting price for an M5 sedan is $102,600, and most folks who buy that car will rarely get a chance to push it to its limit.

The M550i I tested with all the bells and whistles was about $88,000. Sure, an M5 will blow it away in the corners and in a straight line, but we don’t always need an insanely powerful car to get around. The M550i is “good enough.” If that sounds like a compromise, it’s not. The slightly more powerful 5 Series is an enjoyable cruiser that’ll leave you with some extra cash in the bank. And if your door is blocked when you leave your financial institution, you can use the Display Key to pull out.

Source: BMW

How to load movies onto your Oculus Go

Loading videos on to your Oculus Go is a breeze. Here’s how to do it!

So you couldn’t deny that great price point and you went ahead and bought yourself an Oculus Go. You’ve spent a little time with it. You’ve played with a few apps and gotten ensconced in a few games. However, you are now ready to watch some of your own movies on this modern wonder.

Whether you are working with a Windows system or MacOS, it’s a breeze to do. Here’s how!

Windows

Connect your Oculus Go to your PC with a micro USB cable.
In your headset, you will have to give your PC permission to gain access. Select Allow Access to Data.
Once you are connected to your PC, the Autoplay feature should open. If it does, select Open Device to View Files.

If Autoplay does not start, you can manually browse to Oculus Go Storage through File Explorer. It will be named VR-Headset.

Once you have your VR-Headset open, select Internal Shared Storage.

Open the folder named Movies.

You can now drag and drop videos into the storage of your Oculus Go.

MacOS

Download the File Transfer Tool from Android and install it on your Mac.
Connect your Oculus Go to your Mac with a micro USB cable.
Open the File Transfer Tool you just installed.
In your headset, you will have to give your computer permission to gain access. Select Allow Access to Data.

A folder named VR-Headset should automatically open

Now open the folder called Movies.

You can now drag and drop videos directly into your Oculus Go

Whether you’re watching some home movies or The Star Wars Holiday Special, you can now kick up your virtual feet and enjoy watching whatever you choose. The virtual world is now your oyster.

NASA’s InSight lander is on its way to Mars

The first NASA mission that will look into the Martian interior is now on its way to the red planet. NASA’s Mars InSight lander has launched on top of a ULA Atlas V rocket and is a historic launch in several ways. In addition to being the agency’s first spacecraft to study the Martian subsurface, it’s NASA’s first lander since the Phoenix arrived on the planet in 2008. The Curiosity followed the Phoenix four years later, but as we all know, the car-sized spacecraft that loves taking selfies is a rover.

InSight is also the first NASA interplanetary mission to launch from the West Coast, particularly from Space Launch Complex 3E at the US Air Force Vandenberg Base. After it arrives on the planet on November 26th, (around 3PM Eastern time), it will deploy a seismometer and a heat probe to detect Marsquakes and monitor the flow of heat. Its findings will help us better understand what’s underneath the Martian surface, such as how thick its crust is. The data it sends back could also shed light on how rocky planets and their natural satellites are formed — including our own.

LIFTOFF! Humanity’s next mission to Mars has left the pad! @NASAInSight heads into space for a ~6 month journey to Mars where it will take the planet’s vital signs and help us understand how rocky planets formed. Watch: https://t.co/SA1B0Dglms pic.twitter.com/wBqFc47L5p

— NASA (@NASA) May 5, 2018

Source: NASA

Google Chrome will now block autoplay videos based on user preferences

alexeyboldin/123RF

Your days of being startled by a video that seems to begin playing out of nowhere on your browser will soon come to an end. In its most recent update (which brings us to Google Chrome 66), Google Chrome has begun to automatically block autoplay videos based on your preferences, which could cut down on the number of times you have to frantically mute your computer while trying to determine where that infernal noise is coming from.

In a recent blog post, Google Chrome product manager John Pallett wrote that “a significant number” of autoplay videos are axed by users who don’t want them — either by muting, pausing, or closing out of the tabs altogether — within only six seconds of the videos’ start. This demonstrated to Google that many Chrome users have absolutely no use for videos that begin unannounced and unwanted, and consequently, the search giant has addressed the issue.

With this new update, if you stop an autoplay video on a website, Chrome will remember this preference, and block any subsequent autoplay videos the next time you visit the site. On the other hand, if you’re alright with the videos that are triggered automatically on some other websites, Chrome will allow those to keep playing undeterred.

But wait, you say — I’ve just started using Chrome, so how will Google know what I prefer? For those folks, Chrome will allow for autoplay videos to proceed on more than 1,000 websites where most other Chrome users allow videos to play with sound. However, the more you use Chrome, the better the browser becomes at understanding your personal do’s and don’t’s, and will make adjustments accordingly.

Ultimately, Pallett writes, the new policy will block around 50 percent of autoplay videos that you want nothing to do with, which should cut down on the noisiness of your browser quite significantly.

While this learning feature is a new tool from Chrome, you can actually already select to disable audio on certain websites if you’re running Google Chrome 64. You just have to right click on your website tab and select “mute site” in order to never hear anything from that particular page again.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to watch Amazon Instant Video on Chromecast or Android TV
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You could win $200,000 playing Quake in August

QuakeCon/Facebook

QuakeCon 2018’s version of the “peace, love and rockets” of years past is set to give Bethesda fans a full weekend of classic gaming action while looking forward to future games. For the first time in the event’s history, the exhibition hall will be opened for the full weekend, giving visitors plenty of time to look around. For those looking for competitive gaming action though, the best Quake Champions players in the world will also be competing for their share of a $200,000 prize pool.

Although plenty of gaming companies hold large events to hype up their next games and celebrate their back catalog, QuakeCon is a little different. With a major focus on the bring-your-own-computer (BYOC) LAN party feel of the event, it combines classic gaming with big prizes and an event hall full of exhibitors, with much of the organizing and production handled by eager volunteers.

QuakeCon will be much the same this year when fans gather for what will be the 23rd event of its kind. But it’ll be much bigger than ever before. The BYOC arena will be twice as large as last year and the keynote address and panels are returning, giving new details on upcoming Bethesda games and the wider communities of existing games. The exhibition hall is going to be open all day every day, too, running from Friday through Sunday.

There will be plenty of competitive play in the Esports area of this year’s QuakeCon, as well as in the BYOC arena. And for those who want to see the best players in the world take each other on, the QuakeCon Open will have $200,000 up for grabs and that should bring top-tier Quake competitors to the gaming table.

Tickets for those who want to simply walk around and soak in the atmosphere while visiting the exhibitions will, as usual, be entirely free. Those wanting to join the BYOC party, however, will need to splash out $75 for a ticket. You can also spend $200 or $400 for additional privileges like priority BYOC seating, priority event access, customer service, and a BYOC seating upgrade.

QuakeCon 2018 ticket registrations are coming soon, with the event itself set to take place between August 9 and 12 at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas.

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We scanned all the brands to find the best scanners for every need

Looking for a scanner for the office, professional photos, or just your at-home receipts? Today’s digital scanners excel at taking the work out of scanning with a bunch of advanced image optimization and the ability to transfer PDFs immediately to the cloud storage of your choice. They’re an ideal choice when a mobile scanning app just won’t work.

So let’s take a closer look at the top scanners on the market for homes, business, and professional freelancer use—all at a variety of prices so you can find the best one for your budget!

The best

Canon CanoScan LiDE220 ($90)

If your needs are smaller and you don’t want to spend several hundred dollars on a new scanner, this friendly Canon model should be much more your speed. For under $100 it provides auto scan modes, automatic setting adjustment, and document spacing fixes for clearer images. It also includes cloud compatibility with services such as Dropbox and Evernote.

All in all, it’s a quite versatile scanner that’s at home on an office desk or in a personal study room. However, with that low price you are also giving up a lot of speed: It takes the model about 10 seconds to scan one letter-sized page, which is quite slow if you have a lot of paperwork.

Buy it now at:

Amazon

The rest

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 ($500)

This speedy Fujitsu model is the ideal choice if you have a lot of documents to scan (and expect to do a lot of scanning for the foreseeable future, too). It use an intelligent scan with color detection, auto rotation for any upside pages, and automatic skipping for blank pages, so you don’t have to waste time organizing every single page. It’s also fast enough to scan up to 25 double-sided pages per minute, and it can handle sizable stacks of records, up to 50 pages at a time. Plus, we’re big fans of the minimalist design and control option s(which include scanning via Wi-Fi. When done, the ScanSnap saves docs as PDFs (or other common formats), and you have an option to send them directly to popular cloud services like Dropbox or Drive.

Overall, it’s an excellent heavier-duty scanner, which is why the price is a bit high for the average office scanner. However, it is almost entirely focused on traditional document scanning as opposed to photos, receipts, or other content, so it may not be the right fit for everyone.

Buy it now at:

Amazon

Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Mobile Scanner ($132)

For those who like the idea of a mobile scanner, this Visioneer model is one of the best mobile scanners around. It has many of the same capabilities as a more expensive office scanner, including scanning both sides of the page at once, the ability to share scans, and a continuous feed mode for fast work.

It’s a great solution to scanning in receipts and other at-home items with a device that’s good for casual use and can be moved around as needed. However, note that it is USB power only, so you’ll need a computer, laptop, or some other USB port nearby to use this.

Buy it now at:

Amazon

Epson WorkForce ES-400 ($350)

Maybe you’re looking for a heavy-duty office printer, but for a lower price than some of the models that we’ve talked about. This WorkForce model is more affordable, but still a reliable professional scanner with excellent specifications, including speeds up to 35 pages per minute (at 300 dpi), double-sided scanning, , and a 50-page document feeder.

Cloud scanning options offer uploads to Drive, Evernote, SharePoint and other common choices. You can also enable some smart scanning options like auto cropping and blank page removal, although it’s not as feature-rich as some of our picks.

Buy it now at:

Amazon

Epson Perfection V800 ($800)

The Perfection is a strong choice if, in addition to document scanning, you also need high-quality photo or image scans. It offers up to 6400 dpi scanning resolution to capture every detail, and offers some great color replication as well. You can also choose between two different lenses, with an extra-high resolution lens to push quality even further.

The model also comes with a number of additional features for photo capture, including a series of film holders, software to adjust the results, and smart dust/scratch removal to get rid of defects in physical photos. On the downside, there’s no feeder option for fast document scanning, so photos need to be your primary focus.

Buy it now at:

Amazon

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