Huawei has a clever way to put Windows on phones, but probably not in the U.S.

Huawei introduced a new cloud service during CES Asia 2018 that streams Windows 10 to specific Android smartphones. Called Huawei Cloud PC, this service requires a special Cloud PC app served up through the Huawei App Store for Android. The app enables you to view the Windows 10 desktop on the smartphone’s screen, or on a connected external display. 

According to a hands-on report from the show, the service is based on Huawei’s FusionCloud Desktop platform originally developed for the enterprise. Huawei’s service is meant to be used on “thin clients,” another word for PCs with extremely low-end hardware. These thin clients access a virtual PC running in the cloud that provides the operating system, processing power, and large storage spaces not possible on the thin client machine. 

Of course, that means Windows 10 is running in the cloud and not locally on your device. Streaming requires a stable network and/or internet connection, thus the responsiveness of the virtual machine depends on your connection. A bad connection makes your Windows 10 experience frustratingly slow to respond to any manual input, possibly resulting in data loss. 

The setup demonstrated during CES Asia 2018 relied on a docked smartphone connected to a big display via an HDMI cable. Given the dock used the phone’s single USB-C port, mouse and keyboard input was made possible through a Bluetooth connection. What’s interesting is that the Huawei Desktop Protocol used in the service enables Windows 10 running in the cloud to access your phone’s stored photos and other files. 

Another hands-on demonstration showed how an owner of the Mate 10 smartphone could take a photo and then edit the image in Photoshop installed on Windows 10 in the cloud. You can install programs and apps on the virtual machine, and even open large CAD drawings, which you can’t do on a smartphone. 

Due to latency issues, the service will only be available in China for now given the location of Huawei’s servers. If Huawei Cloud PC proves to be popular, the company may purchase additional servers throughout Europe to expand the service to other countries. But given Huawei’s current status with the American government, launching the service in the United States may not be an option. 

At one time Microsoft pushed a mobile version of Windows 10 for smartphones. Although phones sporting the platform slowly rode off into the sunset, Microsoft kept the dream alive in its Windows Insider program. But its demise seemed inevitable and the platform finally came it its conclusion in January when Microsoft stopped providing preview builds. 

Android currently dominates the smartphone market outside of Apple’s iPhone family, and Microsoft even serves up its best services on both platforms. Streaming Windows 10 from the cloud appears to be the next-best thing to actually having Windows 10 Mobile installed on your device. But streaming Windows 10 won’t be free, as Microsoft typically charges a per-seat licensing fee. 

Huawei’s current list of compatible devices for its new service includes the P20 and P20 Pro, Mate 10 and the Mate R5 smartphones along with the MediaPad M5 tablet. 

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• Huawei P20 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Are three better than two?
• Master your Huawei P20 and P20 Pro with these helpful tips and tricks
• You can soon stream your Steam PC games to Android, iPhone, Apple TV

Best Android Wear Smartwatch in 2018

• Best overall
• Best for watch lovers
• Best lifestyle watch
• Best value

Best overall

Huawei Watch 2 Classic

See at Amazon

It may not look much like the original Huawei Watch, but the Huawei Watch 2 Classic is the nicer, metal version of the company’s new Wear OS series, and we like it a lot. A gorgeous, sharp 1.2-inch OLED panel and a comfortable leather wristband make for plenty of enjoyment, plus the heart rate monitor and GPS let the Watch 2 Classic live on its own, sans phone, when you want to go on a run. We just wish that chronometer bezel could spin.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for something like the LG Watch Sport in a much smaller package, this is the one for you.

One more thing: Wait until it’s on sale on Amazon, where it gets discounted regularly.

Why the Huawei Watch 2 Classic is the best

With most Wear OS watches, the difference between good and best comes down to small details. Few watches deliver everything the Huawei Watch 2 Classic delivers all in one box, from the polished silver stylings to the comfortable leather strap. This looks like a nice watch, feels like a nice watch, and in many ways acts like a nicer watch than most running Wear OS right now.

Android Central’s Daniel Bader summed it up nicely in his review:

The Huawei Watch 2 Classic makes up for the missteps of the mainline Watch 2, and that’s good enough for me to keep it on my wrist for the next little while. I prefer to it the gargantuan size of the LG Watch Sport, and though I could live without the fake chronometry around the admittedly large bezels, the fundamentals are excellent.

Huawei has delivered a quality watch that is, as the name suggests, a classic. It deserves a spot on your wrist.

Best for watch lovers

ASUS ZenWatch 3

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Wear OS is, first and foremost, a way to interact with your phone remotely. ASUS has positioned the ZenWatch 3 as a way to enjoy the best Wear OS features without emptying your wallet. The round display, metal and leather help it stand out a bit, but it’s at a very price-conscious $199.

Bottom line: If you really want Wear OS but don’t need the super-high-end feel of a more expensive watch, the ZenWatch 3 does the trick.

One more thing: ZenWatch 3 is available in two distinctly different color options — a bright silver with a grey band, or stealthier black with a dark brown band.

Best lifestyle watch

Misfit Vapor

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While a little out of the company’s comfort zone of fitness-focused wearables with no display, Misfit Vapor is a solid Wear OS watch with plenty of compelling features. It’s a solid fitness accessory, rocks a touch-sensitive frame so you don’t cover the screen while scrolling, and includes a programmable side button for launching your favorite apps.

It also looks great, and can be worn with just about anything. You can’t go wrong with a design like that.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a watch you can wear both while working out and while dressed up, this is where you look.

One more thing: Misfit makes this watch in a bunch of different colors, including a silver and pink model.

Best value

Mobvoi Ticwatch E

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How much watch can you get for $140? The folks behind Ticwatch E demonstrate the answer quite clearly by stuffing GPS, IP67 water resistance, and a 300mAh battery into a solid polycarbonate body. It’s not quite as flashy as the polished metal Wear OS watches, but it more than gets the job done and looks like a decent watch in the process.

Bottom line: If you really want Wear OS but don’t need the super-high-end feel of a more expensive watch, the Ticwatch E does the trick.

One more thing: There’s also a sport-focused Ticwatch S, if you’re so inclined.

Conclusion

The Huawei Watch 2 Classist is not just a good watch, it’s the best Wear OS watch you can currently buy. While that may change in the coming months with new wearables from big names like LG, Sony and others, no other Wear OS device right now does as much, and so well, as the Huawei Watch 2 Classic.

Best overall

Huawei Watch 2 Classic

See at Amazon

It may not look much like the original Huawei Watch, but the Huawei Watch 2 Classic is the nicer, metal version of the company’s new Wear OS series, and we like it a lot. A gorgeous, sharp 1.2-inch OLED panel and a comfortable leather wrist band make for plenty of enjoyment, plus the heart rate monitor and GPS let the Watch 2 Classic live on its own, sans phone, when you want to go on a run. We just wish that chronometer bezel could spin.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for something like the LG Watch Sport in a much smaller package, this is the one for you.

One more thing: Wait until it’s on sale on Amazon, where it gets discounted regularly.

Update, June 2018: The Huawei Watch 2 Classic is now the best Wear OS smartwatch you can buy right now. We’ve removed the LG Watch Sport and Watch Style because they’ve been discontinued, and replaced them with the Ticwatch E and Misfit Vapor.

The Roku Ultra, 4K projectors, and an under-desk elliptical are all discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on the Roku Ultra media streaming device, a ViewSonic 4K projector, an under-desk elliptical, and more! Time’s running out to take advantage of these prices, so hurry!

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If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Should you buy physical or digital PlayStation 4 games?

Can’t decide on physical or digital? Let us help!

Digital or physical? It’s an age-old question that only started being asked just recently. Once all of our consoles were constantly connected to the Internet, we entered a world where it was no longer necessary to trudge out to your local game store to acquire the newest game. You can now sit in the comfort of your own home and the games come to you. If you have a PlayStation 4 and you’re having trouble deciding what format to buy games in, read on and we will go over the benefits of each format in order to help you choose

All in on Digital

Saving space- If you are a gamer with an unending thirst for new games but a finite amount of space, then digital may be the way to go. You can build a massive library of games which only consumes space on your hard drive but none in meatspace. With hard drives that take up barely any room, your library can continue to grow without needing to make your space do the same

Get games sooner- If you want to start playing a game the very second that release day starts, then you probably want to go digital. Often, with digital releases you can pre-install the game and the moment midnight strikes, you can start playing. Your friends that play physical games will have to wait until the store opens in the morning. And even if there is a midnight release at a local retailer, physical gamers will almost always have to download some updates before they get started.

Savings– If you’re looking to save some bucks, you may want to look to the PSN Store. In what seems to be an obvious attempt to compete with Steam, PSN has offered some pretty incredible sales and discounts in the last few years. Brick and mortar retailers are often unable to offer such deep discounts, especially with a great membership like PlayStation Plus. If savings is your number one priority, then digital may be your best solution.

Only Physical for me!

Visibility is key– Some of us absolutely love seeing all of our games stacked up in neat little rows, and this is an itch that a digital library simply cannot scratch. It’s a great way to show off all of the options you have to visitors, and you can look pretty cool with physical games. If you like having a visible library of games to look at and show off to your friends, then physical games are definitely going to be the choice for you.

Resale value- One thing that digital games simply cannot offer is the ability to resell your games. If you’re the sort of person that finishes a game and never picks it up again, then it might make sense to take it back to your brick and mortar in order to make a dent in the cost of your next purchase. You might also be able to send it to a friend or family member for the amount you bought it for, breaking even on your game. Who doesn’t love sharing games so others can feel the way you do about a game?

Buy local- Another upside to buying physical games is that it offers you the opportunity to support local gaming shops in your area. If the ability to go into a store and browse games is a thing that’s important to you, then it’s important to remember to spend some money there. If you want to ensure that game shops don’t go the way of the video stores, then this is something to keep in mind.

Ultimately, the choice between digital and physical formats is a matter of preference. Although we can list ways for you to decide, you have to figure out what is most important to you and your game library. Make your decision based on those needs and you’ll be happy for the rest of your gaming life. There is no right or wrong answer, just the one that fits your lifestyle best.

How do you buy your games?

Do you prefer digital or physical video games? Let us know your reasoning below!

Why are we talking about PlayStation 4 on Android Central? Let us explain.

Updated June 2018: We’ve updated the information to help your decision.

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How to find your lost Android phone

Not your ordinary game of lost and found.

How to find your lost phone

Worried about misplacing your phone or (worse yet) having it stolen? Ease your fears and set up a tracking system before your worst case scenario strikes. For best locating results, your phone should be connected to a Wi-Fi signal, but GPS and mobile networks will still manage to pinpoint a fairly accurate location. You must also have a Google account for virtually all of the tracking services available, whether they are built in or downloaded.

• How to locate your phone using Google
• Find your phone with third-party apps
• The best solution

How to locate your phone using Google

Most Android phones now come with Find My Device (formerly Android Device Manager) built in. This service will automatically track your phone’s location, so if it ever goes missing you can hop on your laptop or a friend’s phone and find its last known location, ring your phone if it’s nearby and you need a hint, or lock and/or erase your phone if you fear it has been stolen.

The most important thing you can do is make sure your phone is set up to be found before it goes missing. Otherwise, you’re basically on your own.

How to enable Find My Device on your phone

In newer Android phones, a shortcut to the Find My Device service is already located conveniently in your Settings app, but you might still need to download Find My Device from the Google Play Store to get it set up. This locating service has essentially amalgamated with Google to make finding your phone easier. There are just a couple of things you’ll need to activate.

Launch Settings.
Tap Security & lock screen.

Tap Device administrators.

Tap Find My Device so that a checkmark appears in the checkbox.
Tap the back button in the top left corner of your screen.

Tap the back button again in the top left corner to return to the main Settings menu.

Tap Location in the main Settings menu.
Tap the switch beside Location at the top of the screen so that it turns on.

Tap Mode.

Tap High accuracy so the circle is filled in.
Tap the back button in the top left corner.

Tap Google Location History.

Tap the switch beneath Location History so that it turns on.
Tap the switch beside your device so that it turns on.

How to locate your phone with Google

Should you happen to lose your phone, you can locate its whereabouts by logging into your Google account from any computer or even from another phone.

Launch a web browser from a phone, tablet, or computer.
Navigate to android.com/find.
If necessary, enter your email address and password just as though you were checking your email. If you have 2-step verification set up on your Google account (and you most certainly should), you’ll need to complete that process as well.

With Find My Device open, you have three options to choose from:

• You can play a sound so that it makes noise (even if you had it on silent). This feature is helpful if the map indicates that the phone is within earshot and you simply can’t see it.
• You can secure your device so that the finder can’t access your home screen. This feature is most helpful if your phone wasn’t previously secured with a passcode or a fingerprint sensor.
• You can erase your phone. This is the best option if you know for certain that you aren’t likely to retrieve your phone.

If you are trying to locate your phone with Find My Device and it doesn’t seem to be working, the most likely cause is that your phone is not currently connected to Wi-Fi or an available network. In this case, it’s important to keep trying; the moment your phone does make that connection, it will appear on the map.

If you want to download a tracking app for fear of a missing phone crisis, there are a number of options to choose from, and we’re highlighting some choice picks for you.

Locate your phone in your house using Google Home

It’s embarrassingly easy to lose your phone by putting it down somewhere in your house and forgetting where you placed it. This can be frustrating if it’s time to leave for work or some other appointment and you’re frantically scrambling around your home looking for it.

If you own a Google Home speaker, you can use Google Assistant to help find your phone. Your Android phone must be logged into the same Google account as your Google Home speaker, you must have linked your Google account and voice to your Google Home via the Home app, and your phone must be turned on and connected to the internet either via mobile data or Wi-Fi. You will also need to have Find My Device turned on, which you should absolutely activate for any Android phone you’re using.

As long as your phone is still on and connected to the Internet, all you need to do is say “okay Google, find my phone,” and Google will confirm which device you want to find and then turn the ringer on — even if you have your phone set to silent. With Google Home’s multi-user support, everyone in your home can use Google Home to find their phones if they’re lost as long as they’ve linked their Google Accounts to Google Home using Voice Match.

Find your phone with third-party apps

While Google’s built-in option is definitely your best bet, there are some third-party options you might want to consider. We’ve broken down the best third-party apps for finding your phone below.

Family Locator

The Family Locator app by Life360 is essentially a GPS tracker for phones but is especially useful for families with multiple phones in use. Your family members become a “Circle”, the app’s name for a closed group of people who consent to have their phones tracked in real time. Your family members will appear on live maps within the app as little icons so that you can see where everyone is at any given moment.

The app also allows you to chat with people in your Circle or broadcast a meeting time and location. And, of course, if a phone from within your Circle is ever lost or stolen, the app will track it on the map.

Download: Family Locator (Free with in-app purchases)

Cerberus anti theft

This locator app from Cerberus offers an impressive array of remote control features if you find your phone has been lost or stolen. You’ll still be able to lock, ring, or erase your phone, but you’ll also be able to remotely access your camera or sound a loud alarm from your phone, even if it was on silent mode when you lost it.

The advanced features allow you to hide Cerberus in your app drawer so that it can’t be detected if and when your phone is found or stolen. Your missing phone will transmit data to you via the Cerberus website or via SMS text from another phone with the Cerberus app installed.

Download: Cerberus anti theft (Free with in-app purchases)

Prey Anti Theft

The Prey Anti Theft app is impressive in that three different devices can be protected through one download. You’ll have the ability to sound an alarm from your missing phone, take screenshots if it’s in use, and lock down the device the moment you realize it’s missing.

Once you’ve downloaded the app, it will walk you through a series of tutorials to show you how to use your Prey Account to track your phone. The app itself is free and doesn’t require additional purchases in order to access the high-end features.

Download: Prey Anti Theft (Free)

Lost Android

Lost Android will allow you to have remote access to your missing phone via their website. Here, you’ll be able to erase sensitive information if you fear that your phone may never be returned, or send messages to your phone in the hopes of someone finding and returning it.

Additionally, you can choose to remotely forward any calls you may be missing to another number and record a running list of any calls or messages made or photos taken with your phone.

Download: Lost Android (Free with in-app purchases)

Where’s My Droid

The basic features of the Where’s My Droid app allow you to ring your phone if you misplace it, locate it via GPS on Google Maps, and use a passcode to prevent unauthorized changes to apps on your Android phone. Stealth Mode also prevents anyone who finds your phone from seeing your incoming text messages; instead, they’ll see a customizable attention word that alerts them of the phone’s lost or stolen status.

The Pro version of the app, which you pay to use, lets you remotely wipe data from your phone, use a landline to access your phone, and remotely lock the device.

Download: Where’s My Droid (Free with in-app purchases)

The best solution

Google’s phone location tools are your best bet — as long as you’ve gone through the process of setting things up ahead of time. Really, this should be something you set up on any device you care about or that will have sensitive data stored on it, especially with how easy Google has made it to locate your device should you lose it.

Of course, one of the benefits of Android is having the freedom to customize your experience as you see fit. If for whatever reason Google’s offering just doesn’t cut it for you, you should consider the third-party options we’ve highlighted above, as they include some clever features that might give you some added peace of mind if your device goes missing.

If your phone is stolen or found and it’s then factory reset, you will not be able to rely on any apps or services to find it; a factory reset will wipe out any of the original data, accounts, or passwords that are needed to remotely find your Android phone.

As always, exercise caution when retrieving a lost or stolen phone. If you have any concerns about it being lost or stolen, it’s best to set up and test your preferred tracking system as soon as you buy it and contact the police. It can be a bit of extra front-end work to register some apps, but it will be more work trying to locate a missing phone if no safety nets are in place at all.

How do you track?

What app do you use to track your Android phone, if any at all? Let us know in the comments section below!

Update, June 2018: Refreshed with more up-to-date instructions on working with Google’s Find My Device service.

Deal: Buy an Essential Phone and get the $99 Earphones HD for free

Is last year’s tech worth a pair of free earbuds?

Although the Essential Phone got off to a rough start, it’s a far better smartphone now than it was when it first launched. If you’re still hesitant about picking one up, Essential’s sweetening the deal by including a free pair of its Essential Earphones HD earbuds.

The Essential Earphones HD were first launched in January and come with 9.2mm drivers, connect via USB-C, support USB Audio Class 2, and deliver enhanced sound quality thanks to the recent MQA certification the Essential Phone received.

You’d normally have to pay $99 to own the earbuds, so getting them for free isn’t bad at all.

The Essential Phone still retails for $499 despite coming up on its one-year anniversary and there’s currently no word as to how long this deal will last.

Do you think it’s still worth buying the Essential Phone in June 2018?

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Verizon Launches Third ‘Unlimited’ Plan With 75GB of LTE Data

Verizon today announced the launch of a third “Unlimited” data plan option, which provides users with 75GB of LTE data, 20GB of LTE hotspot access, 720p video streaming, 5 TravelPass sessions per month, and 500GB of Verizon Cloud storage.

The new “Above Unlimited” plan joins Verizon’s two other “Unlimited” plans, Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited. While Verizon calls these plans unlimited, all three have data caps on the amount of LTE data that users can access per month before having their speeds downgraded or limitations on video quality.

The existing Go Unlimited plan, Verizon’s cheapest option, provides users with unlimited LTE data, but it restricts streaming video to 480p and limits mobile hotspot speeds to 600Kb/s.

The current Beyond Unlimited plan provides users with 22GB of LTE data per month, with access to 720p video streaming and 15GB of hotspot data.

Neither of the two current plans include TravelPass access or extra cloud storage. Verizon’s TravelPass is designed to let customers use their domestic talk, next, and data allowances while traveling outside of the United States for $5 to $10 per day, with Above Unlimited offering five free days.

Verizon’s new Above Unlimited plan is priced at $95 for one line, compared to $85 for Beyond Unlimited and $75 for Go Unlimited. For a family of four, pricing for Above Unlimited is at $60 per line. The new plan option will be available for Verizon customers and those new to Verizon starting on June 18.

Unlimited data plans from carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have become increasingly complicated in the year and a half since carriers readopted unlimited data options. All three carriers now offer different unlimited tiers with various add-ons and restrictions, making unlimited cellular data plans as difficult to decipher as prior non-unlimited plans.

In the United States, carriers began seriously embracing affordable “unlimited” data plans starting in 2015, when T-Mobile introduced its simple T-Mobile ONE plan with unlimited talk, text, and 4G data for $70 per month. Verizon followed in February of 2017 with its first unlimited plan, as did AT&T.

Prior to 2015 and T-Mobile’s intervention, carriers primarily relied on limited data plans that provided 2-10GB of data to customers after largely eliminating unlimited data plans in the years following the launch LTE networks.

Tag: Verizon
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Apple Updates iWork Apps for iOS and Mac

Apple today introduced updates for its iWork apps, adding new features to Pages, Numbers, and Keynote for both iOS devices and Macs.

Today’s update introduces support for recording, editing, and playing audio directly within documents, spreadsheets, and slides in all three apps. There are options in Settings to use the Apple Pencil to select and scroll, and all of the apps support a variety of new editable shapes and support for mathematical equations using LateX or MathML notation.

Charts in Pages and Keynote support rounded corners on columns and bars, while Numbers and Keynote support gradient and image fills for shapes and text boxes.

Full release notes for all three iOS updates are below:

Pages

• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly on a page.
• Smart annotation marks now stretch and wrap to follow your text as you edit.
• Quickly switch between drawing and smart annotation modes on iPad.
• A new option in Settings > Pages lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll
• Track text changes in shapes and text boxes.
• Add colors and images to backgrounds in page layout documents.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations to page layout documents using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Easily browse templates by category.
• Save a different auto scroll speed per document when using presenter mode.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

Keynote

• Edit existing or create new master slides.
• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly on a slide.
• A new option in Settings > Keynote lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll.
• Export a presentation as a movie or images.
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Improved support for Arabic and Hebrew.

Numbers

• Easily record, edit, and play audio directly in a spreadsheet.
• A new option in Settings > Numbers lets you use Apple Pencil to select and scroll
• Give charts a new look with rounded corners on columns and bars.
• Add mathematical equations using LaTeX or MathML notation.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Add gradient and image fills to shapes and text boxes.
• Easily browse templates by category.

On the Mac, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote support mathematical equations using LaTex or MathML notation, rounded corners on columns and bars when using charts, and new editable shapes.

Keynote includes improved compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint, and Numbers includes improved compatibility with Microsoft Excel.

Pages and Keynote both include improved support for Arabic and Hebrew, with Pages also gaining support for tracking text changes in shapes and text boxes and the ability to add colors and images to backgrounds in page layout documents.

All of Apple’s iWork apps are free downloads that can be obtained from the App Store and Mac App Store.

– Pages for iOS [App Store]
– Keynote for iOS [App Store]
– Numbers for iOS [App Store]

– Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
– Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
– Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]
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Apple Pay Promo Offers Two Free Bike Share Rides Through ofo

Apple today shared a new promotion that will allow Apple Pay users to get two free bike rides through the ofo app from now until June 20.

Ofo is a smart bike sharing service that’s designed to let users pick up and use a bike for short trips around various cities where ofo bikes are available.

The ofo service operates in multiple countries around the world, including the US, the UK, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Israel, Austria, and Kazakhstan. The Apple Pay deal is, however, limited to the United States.

Ofo normally charges users $1 per hour to borrow an ofo bike, with Apple Pay providing two $2 off coupons that are good for two two-hour rides with the promo code “Apple18.” Each coupon is available for seven days after the promo code is used and will be applied to the next two rides when available.

Apple Pay must be selected as a default payment method before the code is applied, and riders who download the app and get a free trial should wait to apply the code after the trial ends.

In addition to promoting ofo, Apple’s most recent Apple Pay email highlights other transit-related services including Lyft, LimeBike, ParkMobile, MTA eTix, Ventra, and MBTA mTicket.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Rymek mechanical keyboard is the retro tablet accessory you never knew you needed

Mechanical keyboards are all the rage right now. Just about everywhere we turn we find someone sharing their new mechanical keyboard; so popular are they that there’s an active Reddit community of some 275,000 subscribers.

We’re an Android site, and we talk about mobile tech. Why do we care about mechanical keyboards all of a sudden? Well, as it turns it, you can have a little bit of both worlds.

We recently learned about the Rymek retro-style mechanical keyboard with Bluetooth capabilities. Designed to resemble old school, vintage typewriters, it supports both wired and wireless (Bluetooth) connectivity. Naturally, we asked to check one out.

Upon opening the box we immediately fell in love with it. See, sometimes you find tech that looks great in photos and on paper only to learn in person that it’s not all that awesome. That’s not the case here. In the real world this thing looks, and feels, incredible.

With a black base and rose gold color for the keys, the Rymek looks like something you’d find in your great-grandmother’s attic. Yet, somehow it would also not surprise us to see it in a Blade Runner or Black Mirror setting, too.

You know that flat, quiet experience you often get with Bluetooth keyboards? Usually thin, minimalist, and otherwise boring? This isn’t it. No, this is a keyboard that’s not only clicky and a little noisy, but it’s a conversation starter, too.

Multiple OS support

They keyboard supports Windows and Mac OS as well as your mobile platforms of Android and iOS. In fact, although it’s not a portable unit that stows away in a bag, it works great with your tablets. This is partly due to the stent that snaps into the back of it. Where you might have previously feed a sheet of typing paper, now you can put your Galaxy Tab S3 in portrait or landscape mode.

After having spent so much time with a simple Bluetooth keyboard at our desks, we have really come to like the Rymek. The saddle-shape to the keys gentle hug the finger and provide excellent response. The keyboard features Blue and Brown Switches, which is important to mechanical keyboard enthusiasts.

Retro-style and Futuristic

Let’s talk about the lighting effects. It wasn’t enough just to make this keyboard look like something out of the past. No, the dynamic lighting is where the futuristic aspect comes into play. The keys themselves are backlit, something you don’t often see in a wireless keyboard.

The Rymek offers five brightness levels and seven light effects; four speeds let you fine-tune things to your liking. Some might be a little distracting at first, but they’re just so cool you can’t not have something going on.

The keyboard pairs with up to three devices via Bluetooth and there are shortcut buttons to hop from one to the next. Moreover, the return handle that sits at the top left of the Rymek lets you toggle between Bluetooth and USB mode.

Not Just Pretty, but Practical

Speaking of functional aesthetics, the scroll knob on the right is how you adjust your media volume. It’s not just for looks or to remind you of how things used to be in a paper world; it’s practical.

The internal battery on the keyboard is 2,000mAh, or way more than you’d normally expect from a simple Bluetooth unit. But, when you factor in various light effects and usage, it will have an impact. With that said, it’s estimated that you’ll get about 50 hours out of a single charge.

Where to Buy

Currently available on Indiegogo, we’re huge fans of the Rymek. Prior to receiving our review unit we didn’t know half of what do about mechanical keyboards. We also learned it’s not the only one of its kind. But, looking through the crowdfunding page, and comparing to others, there’s an amazing amount of value packed into this kit.

Given how much a physical keyboard increases productivity on a tablet, we’ve found that the Rymek has breathed new life into our Nexus 9. The pair have found a place in our home where it’s perfect for managing emails and other tasks in the evening.

In addition to the black and gold version, you can also purchase it in a caramel and white option. The black has a gorgeous “piano” lacquer that really does mimic the finish of piano keys. If the caramel looks like we think it would, we’d have a hard time not wanting to eat them.

The Rymek will normally retail for $199, which puts it right in the thick of things as compared to similar units. But, if you get in on the early bird deal, you’ll nab it for only $119. Go super early and it’s yours for just $99.