Best Screen Protectors for LG G7

Keep your LG G7 display scratch-free with a quality screen protector!

The LG G7 is the brand new flagship from LG and it’s shaping up to be a great phone.

Following with the latest trends, LG has created a phone with scant bezels along the edge of the screen with just a bit of a notch at the top. with no physical buttons to contend with on the front, this has made things pretty easy for screen protector manufacturers.

Why should you get a tempered glass screen protector? Because it’s way better for your $7 screen protector to take a hit rather than your $1000 smartphone screen. They also go great with a case.

Best cases for LG G7

• Mr Shield Tempered Glass screen protector (3-pack)
• Supershieldz Tempered Glass screen protector (2-pack)
• amFilm Tempered Glass screen protector (2-pack)
• OtterBox Alpha Glass screen protector

Mr Shield Tempered Glass screen protector (3-pack)

We’ll start with a great value pack for anyone who may appreciate having a couple backups just in case your first one bites the dust.

These screen protectors are made from HD Clear Ballistic Glass that’s been laser cut to precisely fit the display of the LG G7. With just a little cutout around the notch at the top, there are very few weak points on these screen protectors compared to others you may have tried.

This kit includes all the stuff you’ll need for a clean install and is just $7 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Supershieldz Tempered Glass screen protector (2-pack)

Another great option comes from Supershieldz. This two-pack of screen protectors will keep your LG G7 display protected and looking great thanks to the oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings.

Again, these screen protectors feature just a slight cutout around the notch at the top and should hold up really well with daily use. The edges are rounded so they’ll feel nice and smooth on your fingers, and everything is backed up by Supershieldz No-Hassle Lifetime Replacement Warranty.

Get this two-pack of screen protectors for just $8 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

amFilm Tempered Glass screen protector (2-pack)

If you have a hard time lining things up when installing a screen protector, you may appreciate the amFilm tempered glass screen protectors.

amFilm includes a black outline around the edge of its protectors which give you guides for matching up with the LG G7 display, and installation is as easy as cleaning the screen and pressing the protector onto the screen.

This kit includes complete installation materials including dust-removal stickers, cleaning wipes, and a microfiber cloth all for just $8.

See at Amazon

OtterBox Alpha Glass screen protector

In our roundup of the best cases for the LG G7 we mentioned that OtterBox had its own screen protector that’s designed to fit perfectly with their cases.

We’ll include it here because if you’re interested in also getting an OtterBox case for your LG G7 you can get the Alpha Glass screen protector and save 20%.

OtterBox accessories are expensive but they’re worth it thanks to the great quality and customer service. This screen protector is available for $40.

See at OtterBox

Do you use screen protectors?

Some people swear by them, while others think they’re a waste. What’s your opinion on screen protectors?

LG G7

• LG G7 hands-on preview: All about that bass
• LG G7 Specifications: Everything you need to know
• Join the LG G7 forums

Best Verizon Wireless Deals of May 2018

No matter what T-Mobile says, you can actually find some pretty great deals on Verizon.

Verizon Wireless has some of the largest coverage for customers in the United States, and although T-Mobile likes to continually poke fun at the carrier for having high monthly rates, there are actually some really solid deals to be found if you know where to look.

You can typically find quite a few deals being run by Verizon at any given time, but if you only want to look at the best of the best and don’t have time to sift through the garbage, that’s where we come in.

These are best deals on Verizon Wireless right now.

Get 50% off the Pixel 2, two months of YouTube TV, and a free Home Mini + Chromecast

The Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL are two of the finest Android phones you can buy, and right now Verizon’s offering one of the best deals for them that we’ve seen yet.

As long as you trade in an eligible device, you can get up to 50% off the cost of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. You’ll also get two free months of YouTube TV, as well as a free Google Home Mini and Chromecast.

This deal goes live on April 5, and you’ll need to pay for the Pixel 2/2 XL on a monthly installment plan.

See at Verizon

Score 50% off top Android phones w/ trade-in

If the Pixel 2 isn’t for you, Verizon’s still got you covered.

Although you won’t be able to get the free Home Mini, Chromecast, and two months of YouTube TV, you can still take 50% off the Galaxy S9/S9+, Note 8, LG V30, and Moto Z2 Force

In order to take advantage of this, all you need to do is buy one of the above phones on a monthly installment plan and trade in a select device, such as the original Google Pixel, LG G6, Galaxy S7 Edge, and more.

See at Verizon

Get a free $50 gift card when you buy a Fitbit Ionic

The Fitbit Ionic is one of the better smartwatches currently on the market, and Verizon’s offering a pretty slick deal that makes its $299 asking price more manageable. After buying the watch, you’ll receive a promo code that’ll get you a free $50 prepaid Mastercard gift card.

Alternatively, if the Ionic isn’t your style, spending $200 or more on any other accessories will let you take advantage of this same deal.

See at Verizon

Buy the Moto Z2 Play for only $10/month

Motorola’s Moto Z2 Play isn’t the best Android phone ever made, but it is a reliable, mid-range handset that comes with a lot of possibilities thanks to its accompanying Moto Mod system.

Verizon usually sells the phone for $17/month with 24 monthly payments, but right now you can pick it up for just $10/month. There’s no trade-in required to get this deal, but you will need to add a new line of service.

See at Verizon

Updated May 2018: Added new deals for May!

Carriers

• Which unlimited plan should you buy?
• Verizon’s Unlimited plans: Everything you need to know
• Everything you need to know about the T-Mobile ONE unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about the AT&T Unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan
• Join the Discussion

Smarten up your hygiene with this $55 Oral-B Pro 5000 Bluetooth toothbrush

Amazon has the Oral-B Pro 5000 SmartSeries Power Rechargeable Bluetooth Electric Toothbrush on sale for $54.94 when you clip the $15 coupon and enter code 15OB5000 at checkout. This normally sells for $90 and has received rave reviews from over 2,500 customers.

Why does your toothbrush need Bluetooth, you ask? Using the Oral-B app, it can provide real-time feedback to your smartphone about your brushing habits, making sure that you get the best results possible with your daily dental hygiene. The toothbrush gets your teeth way cleaner than a traditional manual toothbrush would, and it gets your gums nice and healthy, too. There are even pressure sensor lights that let you know if you’re brushing too hard, which is a common mistake. The five cleaning modes include Daily Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Whitening, and Deep Clean. This also includes a travel case.

Replacement heads are on sale right now as well.

See at Amazon

How to upload videos to YouTube on Android

Uploading videos on YouTube is easier than ever.

YouTube is the biggest video platform on the planet, delivering everything from music videos to birthday parties to breaking news around the world and updates on anything and everything you could ever want to know. Uploading your own videos to YouTube is an easy process, and you can do it right from your Android phone.

• How to upload a video
• Upload options
• How to adjust the length of a video upload
• How to add music to an upload
• How to add a filter to your upload

How to upload a video to YouTube

Launch the YouTube app from your home screen or the app drawer.
Tap on the camera icon in the top bar of the app.

You need to give YouTube access to your phone’s photos, camera and microphone so that it can see videos you’ve previously taken and take new videos directly in the app. Tap Allow access.

Tap Allow to let YouTube access the videos on your phone.
Tap Allow to let YouTube access the camera to record videos.

Tap Allow to let YouTube access the microphone to record audio on your videos.

Tap the video in the camera roll below the Record and Go Live options. You can tap Record if you want to film your YouTube video inside the YouTube app.
Once your video is chosen, you’ll be taken to the Details page. Tap your video preview to watch it.
Give your video a Title.

Tap the Send arrow to begin your upload.

You’ll be taken to your Videos page, where you can watch your video upload and process through the progress bar that covers the video’s thumbnail. If you want to stop an upload:

Tap the three-dot menu button to the right of the video’s title.
Tap Delete upload.

Tap Yes to confirm you want to delete the upload.

Upload options

The only things you need to upload a YouTube video are a video clip and a title, but there are a few more settings and options you can use when uploading a video on YouTube’s Android app that you should know about.

• Description: This is the text that will be visible on your video’s page beneath the playback window. You can use the description to give notes about the video and its content, to give links to websites or social media, or other information.

• Accounts: If you have multiple YouTube accounts on your device, you can tap your Account Name to open the Accounts list and change which account the video is uploaded to.

  

• Privacy Settings: This controls the visibility of the video to search and other users. By default YouTube video uploads are Public, visible and searchable to everyone. Unlisted videos are only visible to people through a link; they don’t appear in search results on YouTube or Google. Private videos are only visible to you.

• Location: You can mark the location of your video so that the video is searchable by location and proximity. You can type in a street address, city, state, or country.

  

There are more advanced settings, such as picking a category for you video or age restrictions, but you’ll have to hop over to YouTube’s website to change those after your initial mobile upload.

How to adjust the length of your video

While it’s easy to record a video for uploading to YouTube, you might want to adjust where the video starts or stops. YouTube makes this easy for you, allowing you to drag and drop where each video begins and ends on the Add Details page:

• Drag the white dots on the timeline to drag and drop to the length you want your video to be.
• Press and hold the white dots to zoom in for more precise clipping.

• Drag the highlighted box to move your selected length up and down a video track.

  

Once you have the video at the length you want it, continue editing its information or tap the Send arrow to start the upload.

How to add music to an upload

While uploading a video to YouTube can be a bare bones affair, but we still have a powerful way to punch up an uploaded video: add a soundtrack to it.

To add music to your video:

On the Add Details page, tap the music notes in the top left corner of the playback window.
Music is available in three tabs: Featured music, genres & moods, and on-device music. Tap the tab that you’d like to browse.

In Genre & mood, tap the genre you’d like to preview.

Tap the Play button on a music track to preview it.
To select a music track, tap the plus button on that track.
Drag the music track back and forth along the timeline to adjust the playback selection.

Tap the levels icon to the right of the track.

Adjust the slider back and forth to control how much of the original audio or music is heard.
If you don’t like the music you’ve chosen, tap the music notes in the top left corner of the playback window.

Tap Remove to remove the music or tap Change to remove the music and go back to the music gallery and try again.

Once you have the music how you want it, continue editing its information or tap the Send arrow to start the upload.

How to add a filter to your YouTube upload

Not every video needs to look as realistic as possible, and with filters it’s an easy process to go ahead and adjust the way that your video looks with as little effort as possible. You can pick from one of the filters YouTube has offered to immediately change the look of your video.

On the Add Details page, tap the magic wand in the top left corner of the playback window.
Drag the filter carousel left and right to scroll through the available filters.
Tap a filter from the filter carousel that appears underneath the video preview to see how the filter will look.
If none of the filters fit your video, tap Normal at the far left side of the filter carousel.

Tap the magic wand again to hide the filter carousel when you’re done.

Once you find a filter you like, continue editing its information or tap the Send arrow to start the upload.

Questions?

Let us know in the comments below!

Updated May 2018: We’ve updated this guide to reflect changes to YouTube’s design and expanded our explanation of the settings available for mobile uploads.

BlackBerry KEY2 shown off in teaser video with dual rear cameras

The phone will be announced on June 7.

Earlier this month, BlackBerry revealed that the KEY2 would be announced on June 7. Just a couple weeks later, we now have a teaser video from the company giving us our first official look at the phone.

The render of the KEY2 shown in the video lines up a with leaks we’ve previously seen, including the return of a physical keyboard, a new button that appears to be an app drawer shortcut of some sort, and even dual cameras on the back.

What we’re seeing so far looks a lot like the first KEYone, but that’s perfectly fine. The KEYone is still one heck of a gadget, and with the KEY2 presumably being a more powerful version of that, I’d say we’re going to be in for a real treat.

BlackBerry will be announcing the KEY2 in New York on June 7 and is promoting it with the phrase “An Icon Reborn.”

Are you looking forward to the BlackBerry KEY2?

Why I’m still using a BlackBerry KEYone in Spring 2018

Best Memorial Day apps for Android

These are the apps to help you make it through the holiday weekend!

Memorial Day in the United States means a few things: parades, barbecue, and plenty of outdoor activity. If you want to start your summer right, let your phone applications help you!

• Google Maps
• A severe weather app
• Allrecipes
• Instagram

Google Maps

If you want to find out information on local events, or if you want to chart a route to visit family, Google Maps is here for you. You can obviously find the best way to get to your destination, but you can also get quick links to nearby landmarks and other events. If you want to be extra prepared, you can download maps for offline use.

Download: Google Maps (Free)

A severe weather app

Speaking of being extra prepared, Memorial Day weekend tends to bring severe weather to some parts of the country. Memorial Day usually ends up being my annual reminder that my car can float if it needs to, so I’ve learned to just stay inside away from the trouble. Even if the weather in your area is normally clear, take a few minutes and look at some severe weather apps and accessories.

More: Severe Weather and Android: Everything you need to know

Allrecipes

If the weather in your area is clear, the best way to spend Memorial Day is by cooking amazing food on a hot grill. If you don’t know where to start with your weekend barbecue, Allrecipes is here to help. This app lets you find recipes based on what you want to make, or based on what ingredients you have on hand. You can either follow along with text recipes, or there are over 1000 video recipes. If you use Allrecipes over time, it will make recommendations based on what you’ve cooked in the past. Finally, Allrecipes lets you create a central shopping list from the recipes you’ve saved.

Download: Allrecipes (Free)

Instagram

Nothing matters without documentation, so you can’t have a holiday weekend without taking and sharing some photos. You need photos of the epic road trip to visit old friends, all the barbeque you’re eating, or even the torrential rain storm that kept you inside. Share those photos with the world on Instagram.

Download: Instagram (Free)

What are your picks?

What apps are you planning to use to help you navigate Memorial Day weekend? Let us know down below!

Google Play Movies & TV gets a new look on Roku

Look for it in the Google Play Movies & TV channel on Roku.

Google today announced that its Play Movies & TV channel on Roku is getting a whole new look.

The broad strokes?

You’re going to have a simpler navigation. It’s not quite in line with what you get with, say, Android TV, but it’s not bad at all.

There’s also a dedicated TV page. Just TV shows, and nothing else.

There’s also better genes browsing, with deeper recommendations for all the various categories.

Plus, it just looks better. (And seems faster.)

Add the Google Play Movies & TV channel on Roku

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Apple Begins Selling Refurbished iMac Pro Models at 15% Discount

Apple today added refurbished iMac Pro models to its online store for the first time in the United States and Canada.

A selection of 8-core, 10-core, and 18-core configurations are available with various storage, memory, and graphics options, priced between $4,249 and $8,159 in the United States, reflecting savings of 15 percent. All of the refurbished configurations are currently available with next-day delivery.

The base model iMac Pro with a 3.2GHz eight-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of DDR4 ECC memory, 1TB of SSD storage, and Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics is available for $4,249, for example, compared to $4,999 brand new.

Apple released the iMac Pro in December 2017 as a powerful, top-of-the-line workstation designed for professional users with demanding workflows, such as advanced video and graphics editing, virtual reality content creation, and real-time 3D rendering. Benchmarks have proven it is by far the fastest Mac ever.

The all-in-one desktop workstation has a 27-inch Retina 5K display within a sleek Space Gray enclosure, and can be configured with up to an 18-core Intel Xeon processor, up to 4TB of SSD storage, up to 128GB of ECC RAM, and up to an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics processor with 16GB of HBM2 memory.

Apple says all refurbished iMac Pro models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged with a new box and all manuals and accessories, including a Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2 in Space Gray. Apple’s refurbished products are generally indistinguishable from brand new ones.

Any refurbished iMac Pro model comes with Apple’s standard one-year warranty effective on the date the computer is delivered. The warranty can be extended to up to three years from the original purchase date with AppleCare+ for iMac, at a cost of $169 in the United States, but the plan is unavailable in Canada.

All in all, customers can save between $750 and $1,440 on an iMac Pro, but better deals are sometimes offered by third-party resellers. Micro Center stores, for example, have twice offered $1,000 off the base model iMac Pro.

(Thanks, Alex!)

Related Roundup: iMac ProTag: refurbishedBuyer’s Guide: iMac Pro (Buy Now)
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Verizon Dialing Back Standalone Live TV Service Plans, Will Partner With Existing OTT Provider Instead

In March 2017, a report from Bloomberg stated that Verizon Communications was preparing to launch its own live streaming television service, entering as a competitor to DirecTV Now, Sling TV, PS Vue, and more. Later in October, the service was delayed to 2018, and now company CEO Lowell McAdam has hinted that plans for the OTT platform will shift to a partnership-focused model.

Speaking with Yahoo Finance this week, McAdam said that he believes the “linear” model of TV is dead, referencing how viewers traditionally received their content via a strict live schedule, in contrast to on-demand streaming. Reporting on the interview, Multichannel News stated McAdam is looking into integrating Oath’s content (a subsidiary of Verizon) with an existing over-the-top provider.

McAdam is believed to have a partner for this picked out soon, and the plan is to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018. Back in October, McAdam stated that the company was giving itself six months to decide whether to offer the service as stand-alone or through a partnership — a decision that now appears to be made.

Well by the time we launch in fourth quarter we will have a partner picked out, and we’ll integrate our Oath assets into the linear assets that they have and bring the full package to customers. We think that’s gonna be a big hit from a customer perspective.

It’s uncertain which platform Verizon might choose with the growing stable of live TV streaming services on the market. Least likely candidates are DirecTV Now due to AT&T’s ownership of the service, and T-Mobile’s own upcoming OTT service. Other popular services include YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV, and fuboTV. All of these include options to watch linear live tv, as well as check out content at any time on demand.

At the time of the initial rumor, Verizon’s platform was reported to launch with “dozens” of channels and run between $20/month and $35/month, which are Sling TV’s and DirecTV Now’s starting prices, respectively. At the time of the delay, people close to the company referenced staff shuffling, negotiations for streaming rights, and technology reboots as contributing factors to the postponed launch, and likely affected the company’s decision to partner with an existing service instead.

At one point Apple was hoping to become a competitor in the live-streaming service field with its own dedicated cord-cutting bundle, but rumors of that service died down after news came out that the company was “frustrated” by its repeated inability to reach mutually beneficial terms with network programmers. Now, Apple is focusing on launching an on-demand streaming service along the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Tag: Verizon
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Apple Knew About Bendgate and Touch Disease iPhone 6 Issues Months in Advance of Repair Programs

As part of an ongoing lawsuit over the “Touch Disease” manufacturing issue affecting iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, Apple was required to provide the court with internal testing documents that suggest the company knew about iPhone 6 and 6 Plus design problems before the two devices launched.

The full scope of the internal documents remain under seal, but the judge providing over the case, Lucy Koh, made some of the information public when she published an opinion on the case earlier this month, and Motherboard shared the details she offered up about the case.

Apple knew that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s, while the iPhone 6 Plus was 7.2 times more likely to bend ahead of the release of the two devices. Publicly, though, Apple said that the two devices had been “thoroughly tested” and evaluated for “strength and durability.” Bending, according to Apple, was “extremely rare” and only happened to a small number of customers.

At the heart of the Touch Disease problem is an earlier issue that received widespread attention — bendgate.

Bendgate was the first and most visible issue affecting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but the malleability of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is also what led to Touch Disease, which occurs when the chip that detects touch input becomes unseated from the logic board from bending or as Apple claims, multiple drops. Apple quietly addressed Touch Disease in an engineering change implemented in May 2016, but did not launch a repair program until months later after the problem received significant attention. From Judge Koh:

After internal investigation, Apple determined underfill was necessary to resolve the problems caused by the touchscreen defect. As the Plaintiffs explain, “[u]nderfill is a bead of epoxy encapsulant that is placed on a circuit chip to reinforce its attachment to the board substrate and to stiffen the surrounding assembly. … Underfill is used to prevent the manifestation of chip defects induced by bending because it reinforces the connections and prevents them from bending away from the substrate.”

As part of the repair program that Apple eventually put in place, the company is replacing devices affected by Touch Disease with a replacement device for a service fee of $149.

The Touch Disease lawsuit is still ongoing and not all documentation has been made public. Judge Koh recently denied the plantiffs’ attempt to get class certification, but an appeal is in the works. The full court document covering the denial for class certification is available from Motherboard.

Tag: Bendgate
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