The $50 Logitech MX Anywhere 2S wireless mouse covers multiple screens from any surface

An improvement of a classic design.

The Logitech MX Anywhere 2S wireless mouse is down to $49.99 on Amazon. This is a match for its lowest price ever and $15 off its regular price. It only hit this price once before back in very early May. The price is only good on the Black version as the other colors are selling for around $80.

The original MX Anywhere was one of Logitech’s best mice. I still have one that’s basically my travel mouse now. The 2S improved on an already successful formula by adding more DPI (up to 4,000), twice the battery life, and Flow. Flow is Logitech tech that allows the mouse to seamlessly switch between different machines just like scrolling from one monitor to the next.

The mouse uses Logitech’s Darkfield laser tracking so it can work on almost any surface, including glass (although, you know, find a better surface). It’s compatible with Windows and Mac and has 4.1 stars based on 383 user reviews.

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The Tanita ES-100 will sniff your pits so that you don’t have to

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You don’t need (or want) to depend upon your subway neighbors’ grimaces to tell you that your natural aroma is more of a stench. For the sake of everyone around you, you’ll want to do everything you can to cut down on body odor during these hot and sweaty months. Recognition of a problem is the first step to solving it — and a new handheld device will sniff your armpits and other odor-producing regions to let you know exactly how stinky you really are.

Imagined by the perennially creative minds in Japan (this isn’t the first Japanese device to smell you), this new device comes from a company called Tanita, and it’s called the ES-100. It quite literally takes the dirty work out of your hygiene — or at least, part of it. The ES-100 is rather discreet when it’s not being used, resembling an old-school pager of sorts. When you want to use it, flip the top part outwards, creating a handheld wand that you can use to check behind your ears, your armpits, or anywhere else, without awkwardly craning your neck to get your nose to its (un)desired location.

The ES-100 measures the intensity of your body odor, assigning you a numerical rating from 0 to 10. In this case, a perfect 10 is not what you’re looking for from the digital judges.

So how does it do it? The ES-100 scans your body for odor-producing particulates, much in the same way a breathalyzer might check your breath for alcohol particulate. When you want to give yourself a check, simply power it on, whip out the sensor, and stick it toward whichever body part you’re checking. About 10 seconds later, you’ll get a numeric answer as to how much you stink. It’s unclear if you have to hold the wand in your pits for 10 seconds, or if you just have to sit on the edge of your seat for 10 seconds while you’re silently judged by an inanimate object.

A word to the wise, however. The ES-100 measures the intensity of a smell you’re emanating, so if you’ve doused yourself in perfume or cologne, you could also get a negative reading.

The device will go on sale on July 1, and pricing will be decided by individual retailers in Japan. Alas, for the time being, it doesn’t seem as though we’ll be able to get it in the U.S. — but here’s hoping it crosses the ocean soon. In the meantime, at least your gym clothes won’t stink, right?

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Japan’s latest attempts at a private aerospace industry goes down in flames

The past several years have seen a surge in private companies interested in space flight. Perhaps the most prominent of them is SpaceX founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. SpaceX has seen its fair share of successes and failures along the way, but, so far, things have been going fairly well. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Japan’s private aerospace industry.

Interstellar Technologies’ most recent attempts at launching a rocket have quite literally gone down in flames. On June 30, it was reported by AFP that the launch of the MOMO-2 rocket caught fire and exploded shortly after liftoff. Fortunately, the rocket was unmanned and no one was harmed in the ensuing explosion though it does come as a major setback to Interstellar Technologies which is the first private Japanese company to attempt such a launch.

The unmanned rocket was meant to carry observational supplies and serve as a proof of concept for Interstellar Technologies ability to provide similar services as SpaceX. However, the company has been plagued by a string of setbacks of which this recent explosion is only the most speculator. In last July, the company’s engineers reported that they had lost contact with one of their rockets roughly one minute after it had been launched.

Despite these issues, Interstellar remains undeterred and the company has said it will begin preparations for a new launch once it analyses the data obtained from Saturday’s mission. As of right now, the company has not announced a timetable for when its next launch will occur.

Rather or not Interstellar will be able to compete with the likes of SpaceX remains to be seen though so far it has not shown as much promise. Beyond that, the company’s founder does not command the same level of respect as Elon Musk. Interstellar was founded in 2013 by Takafumi Horie who rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the founder of Livedoor, one of Japan’s most popular ISPs. However, in recent years he has been convicted of fraud and spent almost two years in prison which damaged his reputation in the business community.

That being said, the country’s government-backed institutions have seen plenty of success and even its failures, such as last year’s mini-rocket, hold promise.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Prepare for liftoff: Here’s a list of upcoming important SpaceX rocket launches
• SpaceX says it won’t send space tourists around the moon just yet
• This has not been an easy year for Tesla and its Model 3
• DxO Labs files for bankruptcy, but will launch Nik Collection update in June
• SpaceX makes rocket launches look easy, nails 25th Falcon 9 landing

Best Cases for the Moto G5 Plus

What are the best cases available for the Moto G5 Plus?

Motorola’s 2017 budget phone, the Moto G5 Plus, is a great option if you’re looking to get a metal phone at plastic prices. (In other words, it’s a great product.)

If you recently bought a Moto G5 Plus at a discount, you should reinvest some of that money you saved on a case to keep it in tip-top condition. We’ve rounded up a wide variety of cases here —from heavy duty and rugged to slim and sleek — so you can find the one that fits your lifestyle best!

• Ringke FUSION case
• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro
• Spigen Rugged Armor case
• Incipio NGP case
• TUDIA Ultra Slim case
• Cimo clear case
• Poetic Revolution rugged case
• LK Leather Wallet Flip case

Ringke FUSION case

Ringke has a good reputation as a solid case manufacturer, and for good reason: its Fusion series always fits and protects well without adding too much bulk.

The Moto G5 Plus version, available in Clear, Rose Gold Crystal, or Smoke Black colors, is no exception. All versions leave a clear back while the two colored options merely accentuate the sides of the phone. The case covers the ports with little flaps, preventing water from getting inside, and the TPU covering is reinforced at the corners to ensure MIL-STD 810G drop protection. Grab it for just $10!

See at Amazon

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro with Built-in Screen Protector

Do you regularly head out into the great outdoors with your phone and need a case that’s rugged enough to take on the elements? Supcase offers its Unicorn Beetle Pro case, which features rugged, dual-layer protection and a built-in screen protector.

It combines a rugged polycarbonate shell with soft TPU to create a durable case with a sporty design. Supcase brags that this case exceeded military shock standards by surviving a 4-foot drop test 26 times so if you’re prone to dropping your phone this is the case for you. All the ports are covered to keep out dirt and lint with access to the phone’s ports and buttons, and also comes with an optional swiveling belt clip holster. It’s come in sleek all black, or premium color cases. You can get this one for as little as $18.

See at Amazon

Spigen Rugged Armor case

Spigen makes some of the best cases you can buy, with their Rugged Armor lineup offering a great balance between style and functionality without adding a ton of bulk to your phone.

This one-piece case is made from flexible TPU with an internal spider-web pattern to help disperse the shock from drops along with Spigen’s Air Cushion technology in the corners. The screen is protected with a raised lip around the front, and on the back, you’ll find a precise cutout around the camera along with glossy, carbon fiber textures at the top and bottom of the case which increases your ability to maintain a solid grip on your phone.

Precise cutouts around the ports and raised tactile buttons ensure the functionality of your phone is never impeded. For a great, lightweight case that offers rugged protection, you really can’t go wrong with Spigen. Get this awesome case for around $13.

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Incipio NGP case

If you’re looking for a lightweight rugged case, Incipio’s NGP case is the right voice for you.

Featuring a textured back and bumper to ensure you maintain a solid grip, this one-piece polymer case is designed with enhanced drop protection — you’ll notice the honeycombed interior which helps to disperse the shock when your phone inevitably hits a table or floor.

Precise cutouts mean you’ll have full access to the charging port and headphone jack as well as the volume and power button on the side.

Choose between black and berry pink and keep your Moto G5 Plus protected — for just $20 from Amazon!

See at Amazon

Tudia Ultra Slim case

Tudia’s Ultra Slim case for the Moto G5 Plus is a very stylish option for protecting your phone. it features stylish carbon fiber designs at the top and the bottom of the backplate, which both looks great and helps with grip.

Made with high-quality TPU, this sleek case won’t add much bulk to your phone, while the raised edge around the screen help keep your phone protected when it’s face down on a surface. It’s available in three color options: black, grey and navy blue.

For a really stylish and slim option for protecting your Moto G5 Plus, the Tudia Ultra Slim case can’t be beaten — especially at its price of $11.

See at Amazon

Cimo clear case

Cimo’s cases always fit really well and their clarity is excellent. Made from flexible TPU, these cases have a great in-hand feel that’s not slippery, so you won’t be fumbling your Moto G5 Plus all the time.

There’s a raised bezel around the front of the case to protect your phone’s screen when you lay it face-down, and the ports and buttons are cut out precisely.

It’s important to note that clear TPU will almost always yellow after some time due to the way it absorbs sunlight. But for around $8, you might as well grab a few.

Interested in checking out other clear case options? Check out the best clear cases for the Moto G5 Plus.

See at Amazon

Poetic Revolution

If rugged protection is the name of the game for you, you’ll want to consider this Poetic Revolution case for the Moto G5 Plus. It offers full protection for your phone, including a front plate with a built-in screen protector that also adds water resistance to the mix.

This two-piece case combines polycarbonate and TPU on the back to provide a balance of shock absorption and scratch protection, while the front plate is made of solid PC and includes a screen protector to keep your screen protected better than any other case on this list.

There’s a lot of smart design elements in play here, including grippy textures along the side edges of the phone, lint/dust flaps over the ports at the bottom, and ‘edgy’ corners that give the phone a fresh and unique look. Despite all the features and protection built into this case, the profile remains relatively slim so you’re not carrying around a plastic brick in your pocket. Grab this awesome case for as little as $15!

See at Amazon

LK Leather Wallet Flip case

If you’re looking to keep your phone, ID, credit cards and cash all in one place when you’re heading out for a night on the town, the LK wallet case is your best bet.

Available in both black and brown color options, this case features three card slots on the inside cover, including a windowed slot that’s perfect for your ID, and also includes a pocket for carrying cash as well. Your phone is held in place via a soft TPU shell that offers quality protection in the spots you need it most: the corners. Fold over the front cover to use it as a kickstand for viewing, then use the magnetic clasp to keep your screen protected in your pocket.

Do note that some of the Moto G5 Plus’ functionality may be impeded when the front cover is closed, including the twist and chop gestures for launching the camera and flashlight respectively. Those require the infrared sensor to work properly which is covered by the case when closed. It certainly shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for most, but it’s worth mentioning before you make the purchase. Pick it up for just under $7!

See at Amazon

Which case will you pick?

We want to know which cases work best for you, so let us know in the comments below!

Updated June 2018: Updated pricing for these awesome cases.

Moto G5

• Moto G5 Plus review
• Moto G5 Specs
• Top 10 things to know about the Moto G5 + G5 Plus
• Moto G5 Plus vs Moto G4 Plus
• Join our Moto G5 forums!

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Keep that yard looking sharp with Amazon’s one-day sale on string trimmers

Get the right tools for the right job.

This Amazon Gold Box sale features a variety of Greenworks and Powerworks string trimmers, trimmer line, and attachments. All of these products are going for low prices, and you’ve got a variety of things to choose from.

Start with one of the trimmers. The Greenworks 14-inch cordless string trimmer is down to $70.05 for this sale. This is a match for its lowest price ever, one it has only hit once before. We usually see it selling for around $95 or more, going as high as $125 this year. It doesn’t come with a battery, so if you don’t happen to already have one from being a part of the Greenworks ecosystem, you can get this corded version also on sale for just $43.50.

Accessories and attachments include 240 feet of replacement string for just $6.74, a jet blower attachment for $59.99 from $80, and a cultivator attachment for $85.61 instead of $116.

Remember these sale prices will only last through the end of the day, so be sure to check it out if you’re interested.

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Love Waze’s incident reporting feature? Lucky you, it’s coming to Google Maps

Android Police

The thing you love best about Waze is coming to Google Maps — and it’s about time. Five years after the tech giant acquired the Israeli navigation app, it’s finally adopting some of Waze’s most popular features, most notably incident reporting. Users began spotting the new option on their Android apps a few days ago, and on Friday, Google confirmed that the rumors are true.

If you’re one of the lucky users who already have access to this tool within Google Maps, you’ll be notified as to road work, accident report times, and whether another Waze user knows that a previously reported traffic jam is still affecting your route.

Incident reporting has long been one of the most popular aspects of Waze, and indeed, is key to its crowd-sourced traffic information. It allows its 100 million active monthly users to send in tips about road closures, accidents, police cars, and other traffic snarls. About two weeks ago, Android Police noticed that the feature appeared to be coming soon in a Google Maps APK teardown, and now it’s rolling out to users. In fact, Google told The Verge that the feature has been available for “several months” to some folks on Android.

Users will soon (if not already) be able to see what sort of incident is causing a slowdown, and when the incident first took place. You’ll also have the option to add information yourself, keeping data as up to date and as useful for your fellow drivers as possible. After all, this whole system depends upon folks saying something when they see something, so bringing the feature to Google Maps should make incident reporting more accurate than ever.

The Waze feature comes hot on the heels of another neat update to Google Maps: personalized restaurant recommendations, shown off at Google I/O 2018 in early May and rolled out earlier this week. That change could help make Google Maps a whole lot more useful than it already is. The overall interface is relatively similar to the old Google Maps, but you’ll now find two new tabs at the bottom of the screen — “Explore,” and “For You.”

As it stands, reports are available only for road work and closed roads, though crashes, speed cameras, and speed traps should be supported soon as well. It’s not entirely clear when the feature will roll out widely for all Android users, nor do we know when iPhone owners will be able to reap the benefits of incident reporting. But seeing as it could be a game changer for Google Maps, we’re hoping the answer is “soon.”

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• China nabs world record for biggest drone display, but it’s a bit of a mess
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Confusion in a land with no digital manners

We shouldn’t be shocked when adults with no communication skills behave as such.

We’ve started summer vacation here in the U.S., which means every couple of days right around 6:45am my phone rings. It’s the young woman who lives about a mile and a half away, looking to talk to my middle daughter about the things they are going to do together today. This call always starts and ends the same way — with my frustration at the lack of phone etiquette on the other side of the phone at its peak.

This young woman never introduces herself, is frequently silent if she is concerned the tone of my “hello” is not entirely pleasant, and if my daughter isn’t around to chat the other end of the call ends immediately. As someone who was raised with phone etiquette as a daily lesson in my youth, these calls make my teeth hurt from all the grinding. Which is a shame, because in person this young woman is nothing but polite and friendly.

I found myself thinking back to these interactions as I read this article about a frustrating new trend in the hiring world called Ghosting. People will go through the entire hiring process, develop a rapport with the person trying to hire them, and then cease all communication just as the offer letter is being drafted for signature like a bad breakup. And it is exactly like a bad break-up, because that’s the only thing close to a guilt-free end of communication many of these people have ever known.

Those basic set of social constructs for how messages on any platform are to be generally treated in a polite environment has never really existed.

One of the more curious take-always I had from Google I/O was on how difficult it is to predict (and thereby communicate behavior in the new Digital Wellbeing effort coming to Android P. Socially, we have no codified etiquette for how to communicate online. I’ve worked in offices where not responding to every single email was seen as a sort of offensive behavior, but I’ve also worked in offices where emails were throwaways that required no confirmation of receipt. It was just assumed that you got and understood the message immediately, which raised several of its own problems. We joke about these same problems in social messaging environments, especially people who get upset when you don’t reply to a message right away and become angry or insecure because what else could you possibly be doing with your time right now. Those basic set of social constructs for how messages on any platform are to be generally treated in a polite environment has never really existed. Some people imported their behaviors from elsewhere, but the same rules never really applied.

As a result, what some consider basic etiquette in professional conversation is tossed out the window as the generation raised in this basically standards-free communication environment enters the workforce in larger numbers.

The technology itself is partially to blame in this as well. Messaging as a platform has evolved so rapidly over the last couple of years, any concrete set of social rules wouldn’t really apply anyway. Five years ago, tossing a few emoji into the report I send my boss at the end of each week would have gotten my Millennial self mocked and taken far less seriously. Today, an email from me without emoji or GIFs would indicate to several of the people I work with that something was wrong or that I was in a hurry to be out of this conversation. There are dozens of other examples, but it all comes down to what is generally considered “appropriate” behavior within the smaller group instead of the codified social construct many of us grew up with when it came to the rules of the home phone. Don’t even get me started on punctuation in messages, or my younger sister’s incessant use of lol as punctuation.

Weirdly, this is one of the things I like most about my kids using the Republic Relay this past week. No screen means no texting, which means my kids have to actually talk like they are using a phone and demonstrate some of the skills they so infrequently are asked to use these days. Even in this activity, the discrepancy in use between my three children has been fascinating. My middle daughter loves to sit on the phone and talk about everything, whereas my oldest daughter gets off the phone as quickly as possible and prefers to catch me up on details in person or over text message. There’s no right or wrong way to use these adorable little hockey pucks, but it’s a fascinating microcosm of the kinds of things that separate what we consider polite and impolite forms of communication in the different spaces of our lives.

This is a fascinating week for the Android Central team, and indeed Mobile Nations as a whole. Our company is spread to the four corners, which means many of us are celebrating Canada Day this week while many others are preparing for Fourth of July. Some of us are spending this holiday in service to our country, while others preparing for gatherings and barbecues and probably a colorful explosion or two. While you celebrate, whatever you celebrate, give some thought to the way you view those who don’t communicate in the exact same way you do.

Some final thoughts for your Sunday:

• Don’t forget your pets when the fireworks are happening. There’s a good chance they are pretty unhappy and might need some extra care when you get home.
• I love seeing Jerry doing video reviews, and hope we can talk him in to doing a lot more of them.
• Journalists are not enemies of the state, even when they say things you don’t like. No one deserves to live in fear for their lives, plain and simple.
• Annapolis is a strong, supportive community which cares for those in need and it makes my heart soar every time we demonstrate it.
• Niantic is now competing directly with Google, its former parent company. That’s kind of fascinating, and the tech they showed off this week is going to be a big deal.
• We have officially entered Galaxy Note hype season, and I hope Samsung does something more than a slight bump over the S9.

That’s it for me, time to fire up the smoker and get some burnt ends going. Have a great week!

Jump Force: Hands-on impressions from E3 2018

After dazzling with its trailer at E3 2018, this demo was sadly lacking.

Fans of Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, and more delighted in the announcement from Bandai Namco at E3 2018 that a variety of characters from popular manga and anime would congregate in Jump Force for one massive fighting game. The trailer certainly looked impressive, with soaring scenes of our world littered with refuse from theirs, and six iconic characters duking it out amid the rubble.

Unfortunately, if you saw the demo, you saw almost as much of Jump Force from E3 2018 as I did when I went hands-on. The incredibly short demo only allowed me to play a single match (I went through the line twice) and with only two maps, six characters, and zero story to be seen, the whole affair felt like a shallow dive into a limited exhibition match of hype-inducing anime faces.

See at Amazon

What is Jump Force?

Jump Force is a 3D, tag-team fighting game featuring characters from across popular Shonen Jump manga. The premise of the game is that the various manga worlds these characters hail from have somehow collided with our real world, and certain of their number want to use this to their advantage to subdue the human race. It’s up to heroes such as Goku, Naruto, and Luffy to stop them.

That’s all we know of the plot so far. Currently, confirmed characters are:

• Naruto
• Goku
• Monkey D. Luffy
• Frieza
• Sasuke
• Zoro

We also know that Light and Ryuk from Death Note will appear in the game, but it has been confirmed that they won’t be playable. This means we’ll likely see more cameos of various characters who aren’t themselves playable.

How does it play?

In my brief hands-on demo, I was able to select teams of three from the six playable characters listed above and fight in a 1v1 match against another tag team of three. As with other tag team fighters, you can swap out mid-match (though it does not extend your health pool as it might in other tag-team games) for a different set of moves or to finish an interesting combo.

As a bit of a novice to fighting games, it was tough for me to tell whether or not Jump Force was just set to the easiest mode possible or if it’s truly accessible to new players. The enemies were mostly polite enough to let me wail on them for a bit, which felt silly but also gave me the opportunity to try out different combos. It’s easy enough to chain together move after move from short and punchy physical attacks to more aggressive grabs and throws. Each team has a special bar that fills, too, that can then be unleashed for a devastating finisher move (if it lands)–for example, Goku goes Super Saiyan and Naruto unleashes his Nine-tailed Fox. You can also call in your teammates to toss a supportive move in here and there without actually swapping to them.

Both maps I played on (one an open, grassy field with a spaceship crash-landed in the corner and the other the ruin of a city seen in the trailer) felt enormous for the kind of match we were playing, which made it easy to run around and catch my breath if things got a little too crazy. There were a few times where I felt like we were just senselessly running around, but the characters I tried had a few decent distance closing moves to help alleviate that, too.

How does it look?

While I don’t feel there was enough meat to the demo to come down on whether or not it plays great, there’s no denying that Jump Force is pretty. The characters all have lovely, detailed 3D models that form an interesting bridge between the manga designs we know and a more realistic design in keeping with the game’s story. Naruto is a bit taller and more filled out, and Freiza, though still very alien, has a certain fleshiness to him that was interesting to see. The environments are vibrant, though the grassy field I fought in was a little sparse if you weren’t looking at the crashed space craft. There’s plenty more room for exciting design here, and of course one of the game’s highlights will be seeing new characters and how they translate to the world of Jump Force.

Overall

With more space and constant character swapping, I do feel that Jump Force doesn’t quite have the depth of, say, Dragon Ball FighterZ or other more technical fighting games. For the most part, I think that’s okay. With a solid tutorial and some good story matches to practice on, Jump Force could be a welcoming entry point in a genre Bandai Namco is famous for doing well. But to please both newcomers and fighting veterans alike, Spike Chunsoft and team will need to impress a bit more in trailers and demos in the future. If all I had seen was this demo, I’d think of Jump Force as “just another anime/manga fighting game.”

When can I join the fight?

Jump Force will launch sometime in 2019 for PS4, PC, and Xbox One. It will cost $59.99.

See at Amazon

I must know more!

Any questions about Jump Force? I’ll do my best to answer them if you toss them at me in the comments!

Getting lost (and found) with a Land Rover phone built for the woods

Google Maps showed nothing but green surrounding me, and one nameless road some distance away. We’d taken a wrong turn winding our way up Leith Hill in Surrey, U.K., and while lost would be a strong word to use, Google Maps didn’t provide the detail and information needed to get back on the right path. Is this the beginning of a tale of survival? Eating berries, drinking dubious liquids, and sleeping under nettles with varying multi-legged creatures?

Sorry to disappoint, but no. In our hand was the Land Rover Explore, a phone designed for those who regularly get off the beaten track, wander about on hillsides, don’t see another person for 48-hours, and enjoy every minute of it. Owning it is like choosing a Land Rover vehicle. It’s not going to let you down when the going gets muddy. We wanted to try one out, however due to its very specific skill set, we decided to test its strengths on a day out, hence our excursion.

Finding your way back

The moment it became clear we took a wrong turn, Google Maps was no use. The Land Rover Explore comes with the ViewRanger app pre-installed, where we had downloaded Ordnance Survey maps of the area, and plotted a walking route. An arrow in the bottom right of the screen permanently points in the direction of travel, and a crosshair on the map indicates your exact position. We know it’s exact, because on the back of the Explore was the Adventure Pack, an extended battery with a large 25x25mm Ceramic Patch GPS antenna, so you don’t need phone reception.

The combination of the Explore’s GPS antenna and the ViewRanger app is formidable, and the difference between navigating with it and Google Maps in remote or not easily mapped areas is considerable. We did a three mile circuit, completely unmapped by Google, and easily found our way around.

The combination of the Explore’s GPS antenna and the ViewRanger app is formidable.

The idea of taking the Explore up a mountain, or right out into the wilderness, is comforting. We were lucky to have cell reception, that it was in the daylight, and it was possible to retrace our steps. If reception was non-existent, it was dark, and we were trudging through unmarked territory, we’d have been pretty stuck without the Land Rover Explore. It felt like a trusty companion, adept at finding its way around when you’re at a loss.

Having spent three hours, with various stops for photos and video, with GPS running constantly and flicking between the camera and other Explore apps; you’d expect the battery to have taken a hit, right? We also used it with Google Maps to navigate to the starting point in the car, and again on a return journey to another destination. The internal 4,000mAh battery stayed fully charged thanks to the 3,620mAh Adventure Pack, and even the day after it still had enough juice to keep it topped up. We’d say three or four full days use would be possible using the Adventure Pack and internal battery only.

It’s a phone, too

What else makes the Explore a good outdoor companion? We like the Explore Hub, which collects special widgets useful for different outdoor pursuits — ranging from an altimeter and a compass, to weather reports and a button to quickly share your location — which is easily found with a floating quick access button. We weren’t out at night, but there is a cool night mode that gives the screen a vision-boosting red tint that won’t shine like a beacon and blind you. It’s also water resistant with an IP68 rating, super tough, and even has an H-4 screen protector fitted at the factory. A massive rubber case that holds the phone and the battery pack, complete with a carabiner hook, is included in the box to keep it safe and secure, while the screen can be used with gloves too.

That’s before you consider its strengths as an all-in-one device for exciting excursions. It’s a phone for a start, displays local emergency broadcasts, has an FM radio, access to Google Play for your app needs, and won’t give up at the first sign of cold, hot, or humid weather. Would you need to carry any other device? Probably not.

It’s difficult to argue with the Land Rover Explore’s prowess as an outdoor companion. However, it’s similarly difficult to make a case for it as an everyday use phone. With the Adventure Pack attached — the Explore uses an effective magnetic modular system, similar to Motorola’s Moto Mods, which we liked — it’s a massive brick of a thing. Take it off and it’s more manageable, but the screen is only 5-inches and has a basic HD resolution.

It’s difficult to make a case for the Land Rover Explore as an everyday use phone.

It’a a MediaTek deca-core processor inside, and it’s not the smoothest experience. Scrolling through the web or Twitter wasn’t that fast or slick. Our review phone came with Android 7.1.1 installed, so it’s sadly out of date for a brand new device, but the May 2018 security update was a welcome sight. Happily, there is little visual or theme modification to Android, and it’s simple to operate.

You’ll forgive these things when the Explore is making sure you don’t end up on a missing person report, but considerably less so if you’re planning to watch some Netflix, or manage a day’s work. The 16-megapixel camera on the back is decent, and won’t disappoint on a sunny day. At night, it’s not so great. Also, while the design of the Explore takes on elements of the Land Rover Discovery — the camera lens and grill below the screen for example — the rest is a flashback to phones released three years ago, and not the best looking ones either. The bezels, for example, are gigantic.

Hefty price tag

Then we come to the price. The Land Rover Explore is sold with the Adventure Pack for 600 British pounds, or near $800 (a U.S. release date hasn’t been confirmed yet). That’s a lot of money for a phone we don’t see anyone wanting to use everyday, and the same amount most will pay for their primary phone. Yes, there’s plenty of tech and engineering in the Land Rover Explore, plus that no doubt pricey brand name, but you’re regularly going to have to give Bear Grylls a run for his money to justify purchasing it.

We consider the Explore a phone for those wild weekends away.

If you’re serious about outdoor pursuits and want a phone that does “tough” right, the Land Rover Explore is an excellent choice. From the textured buttons on the side that are easy to locate and press, to the genuinely useful and well-thought out features, it’ll fit right in with your lifestyle and your Discovery, if you’ve bought one of those too. However, we consider the Explore a phone for those wild weekends away, and imagine it being relegated to the sidelines once you’re back to civilization.

It did everything we asked on our short hike, easily surpassing the usefulness of a regular smartphone in this situation, and we imagine its high initial price will quickly be forgotten if it saves you from certain (or at the very least, vaguely possible) doom in the wilderness just once. We’d just quickly return to our regular smartphone to tweet about our adventures.

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DirecTV Now to increase its prices on all its plans

Get ready to pay more on all of DirecTV Now’s plans, folks.

From our friends at CordCutters.com: DirecTV Now is increasing each of its its plans by $5 a month, starting in August — if not a few days sooner. That’s according to marketing emails sent out to customers late Saturday evening. (You know, when people are expecting to learn about price increases.)

This is the first price increase since AT&T merged with Time Warner. Surely, a coincidence.

From CordCutters:

This is coming from AT&T/DirecTV Now marketing and not PR, so that’s all we’ve got for now. But the email we received does mention that we can now add a third simultaneous stream for another $5 a month, and it mentions the new Spanish-language plans DirecTV Now rolled out earlier in June.

Also, we can expect to see in future releases: An option for 100 hours of cloud-based DVR. (Currently 20 hours is free); Parental controls; “More ways to stream on your favorite devices”; And more local channels.

DirecTV Now is available on Apple TV, Roku, in web browsers, and through Chromecast. (There’s still no official Android TV app.)

Get the full lowdown at CordCutters.com

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