LG V20 and Q6 now being updated to Android 8.0 Oreo

There are also new features coming to the G7 and G6.

LG has never been well-known for issuing speedy or consistent software updates, but the company’s been trying to turn that around after opening a dedicated “Global Software Update Center” this past April. Now, some of those efforts are coming to light as four LG phones are getting new software goodies.

Starting first with firmware upgrades, Android 8.0 Oreo is now rolling out to both the LG V20 and Q6. In addition to Oreo, the Q6 is getting support for DTS:X 7.1 channel 3D surround sound. There’s also a new feature that’ll turn on the Q6’s flashlight so that it turns on and off in accordance with whatever music you’re playing.

Moving over to the G-series, the LG G6 is being updated with LG’s AI-enhanced Bright Camera feature that helps to increase the brightness of photos taken in low-light scenarios. The use of AI also tries to determine the best possible camera settings for difficult/dim environments. Lastly, the LG G7 will soon get AR Stickers so that users can “include animated 3D characters or text in photos and videos that can be then easily shared online with friends with the AR Sticker feature.

These updates will first be rolled out in Korea and then make their way to international markets over “the coming months.”

LG G7 ThinQ review: Wide angle, narrow appeal

LG G7 ThinQ

• LG G7 ThinQ review: Wide angle, narrow appeal
• LG G7: Review, Specs, Availability, Problems and more!
• LG G7 Specifications: Everything you need to know
• Join the LG G7 forums

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Save hundreds on this Ultimate Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

Coupling Internet of Things (IoT) with a Raspberry Pi can lead to plenty of fun and opportunity, but you really need to have the right tools at your disposal. There are plenty of packages you can put together yourself, but what about the knowledge required to use the hardware properly? Why not get it all in one place?

Dive into Raspberry Pi with this starter kit that includes four courses and over 10 hours of content! Learn more

Android Central Digital Offers right now has an awesome deal on an Ultimate Raspberry Pi 3B Starter Kit, complete with Raspberry Pi, 37 sensors, and four courses that will teach you how to complete various Pi projects. Instead of the usual price of about $529, you’ll instead pay just $146. That’s 72 percent off the regular price.

Alongside the 37-sensor starter kit that includes a Raspberry Pi 3B, you’ll have lifetime access to four courses with over 10 hours of content. Courses include:

• Raspberry Pi Beginner’s Bootcamp
• 2018 Ultimate Guide to Raspberry Pi
• Getting Started with NodeMCU
• Build Your Own GPS Tracking System with Raspberry Pi

Learn how to program a Raspberry Pi 3B! Learn more

If you’d like to jump into the world of Raspberry Pi but have been waiting for the right opportunity, definitely check out this kit. It contains everything you need to get started, and you’ll save hundreds of dollars off the regular price.

TicWatch Pro Review: Battery life update

Mobvoi isn’t the first smartwatch to put out a hybrid smartwatch, but this one works out almost too well.

Many have questioned the future — and the present — of smartwatches in the Android ecosystem. Wear OS as a category has felt dead for months now, and if there’s any watch I’d trust to help give it a shot in the arm while we wait for the long-rumored/dreamed-of Pixel Watch, it’s going to be the newest smartwatch in the TicWatch line.

The TicWatch Pro sports a dual-layer screen that goes old-school in just the right way while allowing the watch to sip its battery for days and weeks rather than the maybe-if-you-pray two days most current watches struggle to survive.

TicWatch Pro

249 at Amazon

Bottom line: A smartwatch that ticks all the boxes from NFC-based Google Pay to multi-week battery life in Essential mode. It’s a large watch, but one with a large feature set to match.

The Good

• Good response time and handoff between the LCD and OLED display modes
• Large display makes navigation a breeze, even without a rotating bezel
• User-programmable button gives easy access to a favorite app

The Bad

• It’s huge, especially on slimmer wrists
• No SIM option, so it can do everything except make calls on its own
• Going from Essential Mode back to Wear OS takes a long time

Double the display, double the functionality

TicWatch Pro What I like

The TicWatch Pro sets itself apart from other smartwatches the second you see its face. Because of its dual-layer screen, the watch isn’t an abyss of black when the screen is off. Instead, it’s the familiar graphite of the see-through LCD display. These two displays allow users to overcome two of the greater pitfalls of Wear OS’s screen and battery woes: the LCD display is far easier to read in harsh summer sunlight or at awkward angles, and the LCD watch face sips battery compared to even the most minimal of always-on watch faces.

You can glance down at your watch as you type, cook, drive, or go about your day and instantly, easily read the LCD display, and with tilt-to-wake, you can still see your flashy, fabulous custom watch face and notifications when you pull your wrist up to engage it. The handoff between the two modes is just as quick as the normal tilt-to-wake on any other watch, but it saves so much more battery. In short, I freaking love it.

The TicWatch has all the goodies for us to play with inside its sizable smartwatch frame: NFC is here for Google Pay on your wrist, we have GPS, activity monitors, and a heart rate sensor for long workouts or short sprints from the studio to the newsroom, and we have Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi if you need to connect the watch to headphones or your gym’s Wi-Fi while your phone sits safely in your locker.

After over a month of using the TicWatch Pro, I’ve been consistently getting 2-3 days on a charge in Wear OS mode if I put the watch into Theater mode before I take it off at night with tilt-to-wake on. I’m also getting 3-5 days with tilt-to-wake turned off and Theater mode on at night. It recharges ridiculously quickly, going from near dead to completely full in the time it takes me to run through the shower before work. Essential Mode can indeed make the watch last for weeks, but since Essential Mode turns off most apps and the Bluetooth, I haven’t really used it. Instead, I’ve been using the LCD display for the most battery-efficient “always on” watch face ever.

A tic too big

TicWatch Pro What I’m not sold on

There’s no escaping just how big the TicWatch Pro is, but it’s hardly the first bulky smartwatch to grace the market; the ZTE Quartz in my closet is still thicker and fatter than the 45mm TicWatch Pro, but not by much. Even most of the men in my life think the Pro is a bit big for their wrists, and it feels more manacle than modern timepiece on my limp, lanky wrist. I’m small, and I knew this was going to be a big watch for me well before it arrived, but it’s still a bit of a turn-off.

The only other issue relates to the battery-saving Essential Mode. Essential Mode is a great feature, and allowing me to keep track of my steps, heart rate and time without burning through my battery is a godsend. However, since Essential Mode shuts off the Wear OS side of the watch completely, if you turn it on, be prepared to wait a full minute when you long-press the power button to re-engage it. The watch also shuts off Bluetooth while in Essential Mode, meaning that even though your TicWatch Pro is technically on, it’s not going to buzz with notifications or keep your phone unlocked via Smart Lock.

TicWatch Pro Should you buy it?

This is one of the first Wear OS watches to come so close to ‘tic’ing all the boxes in a long time. It’s the first Wear OS watch I’ve had since the original Huawei Watch that I can walk out of the house and have absolutely zero worries about the battery dying on me, and using Google Pay on your wrist is worlds easier than digging it out on your phone.

The TicWatch Pro is a big watch at a relatively small price, especially for how adaptable it is. The dual-layer display sips battery and remains far more readable at a wider range of angles and lighting situations than Wear OS’s usual always on watch faces, and even if I’m not going to use Essential Mode regularly, it’s nice to know that if I got stuck in the wood for a week or two, I could switch over to Essential Mode and my watch wouldn’t die on me while I’m counting on its step-tracker to navigate.

4.5
out of 5

This is the most complete Wear OS experience I’ve seen yet, and if there was a more size-appropriate version for us slim-wristed ladies, I’d be rocking a TicWatch Pro for the foreseeable future. As is it, I’m willing to put up with the bulk for a smartwatch that I know will last a full weekend and then some and gives me the best of Wear OS that I’ve been missing on my LG Watch Style.

See at Amazon

Updated August 2018: Now that we’ve been able to put the TicWatch Pro through its paces over the last month and a half, we’ve had a chance to put the Pro’s battery claims to the test and report back its findings.

Make fitness fun with Garmin’s Disney Princess Vivofit Jr. 2 tracker

Pep up your princess.

Motivating kids to get off the couch and in the backyard can be a chore, but this device will help your kids want to get up and move around. Garmin’s Vivofit Jr. 2 kid’s fitness trackers have been around for awhile now, but today, the company announced the newest version. Garmin partnered with Disney to release a new Disney Princess-themed tracker, complete with a special band and a new mobile app.

Up until now, Vivoft Jr. 2 models included themes like Star Wars, Minnie Mouse, and the Marvel Avengers. The new Disney Princess version is perfect for the younger members of your royal family. It can track steps, sleep, and active minutes. It has a battery life of over one year, too.

To keep kids motivated, the free corresponding app will let your child adventure around the kingdom with Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Mulan, and Jasmine. The more they meet and exceed their activity goals, the more of the in-app story they’ll get to see. Activity will help your little ones collect gems, unlock fun games, and more. This is a big step up from the original Vivofit Jr., which didn’t have a fun app or cool character designs.

The companion app, which is available on iOS and Android, is your personal parental assistant. Using your smart device, you’re able to view your child’s activity, assign chores, and schedule reminder alerts. You can even use the app to create fun family challenges and friendly competitions, and you can incentivize kids further by rewarding them with virtual coins. Perhaps 50 virtual coins can be redeemed for one extra half hour of video games? Or 100 coins constitutes an ice cream cone? Maybe you could even pick up a fun playset, like these Disney Princess Bangles to accessorize the tracker, a necklace activity set, or a new coloring book, and dole out the prizes as your child hits their fitness goals. Agree upon a reward and watch your little ones learn that exercise can be as fun as it is gratifying.

The Garmin Disney Princess Vivofit Jr. 2 is available for $79.99 at Amazon, and it should soon be available at stores like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. You can even find replacement bands like this one to switch up the experience.

See at Amazon

Walmart’s new service aims to save you money on ebooks and audiobooks

Read and save in a whole new way.

You know what Amazon’s online Kindle store has been missing? True competition. The sort of competition that makes prices better for the rest of us. Well, Walmart and Rakuten are teaming up to provide exactly that with a new site featuring e-books, e-readers, and audiobooks called Walmart eBooks. This site will include a library of more than six million titles, Rakuten’s Kobo e-readers, and a subscription-based audiobooks service similar to Amazon’s Audible.

The difference from Amazon is Walmart’s monthly subscription for audiobooks will only cost $9.99 compared to $14.95. You will also be able to add to your content library through Walmart’s brick and mortar stores using digital book codes. More than 3,500 Walmart stores will start carrying cards for up to 40 popular titles this week.

Much like the Kindle store, you won’t necessarily need one of the Kobo e-readers to read or listen to these books. Just download the Walmart eBooks app from iOS, Google Play, or elsewhere and use that on devices you already have. If you do want a Kobo e-reader, Walmart will sell them online starting today and in up to 1,000 stores by the end of the week. With features like water-resistance, e-ink touchscreens, and weeks of battery life, the Kobo e-readers have plenty of advantages to challenge the Amazon Kindle lineup.

Walmart is kicking off this launch with a couple of ways to save money. First, you’ll get $10 off an e-book or audiobook purchase as a new customer. Second, you can try Walmart’s audiobooks subscription service free for 30 days. Walmart is well-known for rolling back prices, right? So if this new market translates into a way to get your favorite book titles a bit cheaper, then it could be worth it. Time will tell. We’ve seen Amazon offer plenty of excellent promotions for its services, so keep an eye on Thrifter for new ways to save at Walmart.

See Walmart eBooks

This $8 Moto G6 case punches way above its price tag

For less than $8, it’s hard to go wrong with the Cimo Slim Grip.

When it comes to budget smartphones, the Moto G6 is one of the best options that’s available right now. It’s built well, has a more than capable processor, decent camera package, and a fantastic software experience. Add that together with a $249 price tag, and you end up with one heck of a bargain.

The glass back of the Moto G6 is one of the nicer premium elements of the phone, and while it is a great addition, is also much more breakable compared to past entries in the Moto G line.

You can easily protect the back with a case, and if you’re in the market for a one that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, Cimo’s Slim Grip case is a great option that costs less than $8.

Cimo Slip Grip Moto G6 Case

Price: $7.98

Bottom line: Protection for your Moto G6 that shows off its design and doesn’t destroy your wallet.

The Good

• Adds a lot of grip
• Power and volume buttons are still clicky
• Good port cutouts

The Bad

• Very small lip protecting the screen

See at Amazon

Doing the basics

Cimo Slip Grip Moto G6 Case What I like

At first glance, there’s nothing all that exciting about the Cimo Slip Grip. It’s a pretty basic clear case for the Moto G6, and that’s about where the conversation starts and ends.

However, the simplicity and basicness of this case are exactly why it works so well. Cimo didn’t try to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, they just focused on making a darn-good case.

The Slim Grip goes onto the Moto G6 without a hitch and stays there without any willingness to fall off. The TPU material it’s made out of is designed to absorb the impact of drops/falls and the dot pattern around the back aims to keep the case as smudge-free as possible. A wipe-down here and there is still required, but it’s not something you’ll have to do every waking minute.

Besides, if a clear case isn’t your cup of tea, Cimo also offers the Slim Grip in Black, Blue, and Purple.

Other highlights for the case include tactile buttons, large cutouts for the 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C port, and plenty of added grip that makes the Moto G6 feel even better in the hand.

Fragile front

Cimo Slim Grip Moto G6 Case What I don’t like

The front of the Slim Grip case does have a slightly raised lip that’s designed to protect your screen against scratches and cracks, and while I’m sure it’s fine for very minor incidents, I wouldn’t necessarily trust it for more serious falls.

While there is a lip, it’s not quite as pronounced as some other clear cases I’ve reviewed. This does have the added benefit of giving the case a slimmer overall profile, but if protection’s the main thing you’re after, this could leave you longing for something more.

Cimo Slim Grip Moto G6 Case

The Moto G6 is a really good budget phone that gets more things right than wrong. Similarly, the Cimo Slim Grip is a really good budget case that follows that same mantra.

This isn’t a case that’ll knock your socks off, but it does a good job at protecting your phone, showing off its sleek design, and does so while costing just a few bucks.

4
out of 5

If you’re interested, you can buy it by clicking/tapping the button below.

See at Amazon

Try Overwatch for free this weekend on Xbox One, PS4 and PC

It’s time to get your guns a-blazin’.

Fancy some free Overwatch this weekend? Blizzard is gearing up for another free weekend event for the game across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, giving those who haven’t yet tried the hero-laden competitive shooter a chance to test their skills.

Getting down to specifics, you’ll be able to start playing for free at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) starting on August 23, and the fun will extend through August 27 at 11:59 p.m. PT (2:59 a.m. ET). If you’re planning to play on PC, Blizzard says you’ll have to wait until the event goes live to download the game from the Battlenet launcher.

Console players will have things a little easier with pre-downloads available through their respective storefronts. Keep in mind, however, that you will have to have a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold membership to get in on the online action.

Overwatch is a ton of fun, full of unique heroes (there’s a cannon-toting HAMSTER!), an emphasis on teamwork, and a beautiful art style. If you haven’t given the game a shot just yet, now’s your chance to see what all the hubbub is about.

See at Amazon

First LG V40 render appears with triple rear cameras and a notched display

This is LG’s most powerful phone of 2018.

Last year saw a big shift for LG’s V series. Unlike the V10 and V20 that experimented with metal designs, removable batteries, and secondary ticker displays, the V30 introduced a slick glass back, incredibly slim bezels, and a pOLED screen made by LG itself.

We’re anticipating the V40 to share a lot of similarities to its predecessor and this year’s recently announced LG V35, and as new information trickles in, we’ll be regularly updating this guide to help keep you up-date on everything that’s going on.

Without further delay, here’s everything we know about the LG V40!

The latest LG V40 news

August 22, 2018 — First LG V40 render appears with triple rear cameras and a notched display

After months of waiting, we’ve finally got our first look at the LG V40 thanks to a leaked press render from MySmartPrice.

As you can see from the photos, the V40 retains a lot of the V30 and V35’s design language while making a few big updates. The glass back and metal frame are staples from the past two V handsets, as is the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. There’s a large display on the front that likely uses an OLED panel, and similar to the G7 before it, the V40 also features a notch at the top. Inside that notch, you’ll find two front-facing cameras and an earpiece for phone calls.

The V40 also appears to be the first LG phone to come equipped with three cameras on the back. We’ve seen other OEMs such as Huawei mess with triple camera setups before, so it’ll be interesting to see LG’s implementation of this.

The LG V40 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, and a third hardware button that’ll likely be used for opening up the Google Assistant.

A date of November 16 on the V40’s lock screen suggests that the phone’s just a couple months away, but this doesn’t line up with an earlier rumor claiming that the V40 would be released on October 5. As more details about this come out, we’ll let you know.

July 19, 2018 — LG to launch the V40 on October 5, reported to have a 90% screen-to-body ratio

A new report from ETNews recently broke, and if you weren’t already excited about the V40, this just may change your mind.

Following last month’s rumor of the V40 having a total of five cameras, ETNews says that three of these will be on the back of the phone and consist of 20MP primary, 16MP wide-angle, and 13MP telephoto sensors. The remaining two cameras will be on the front and allow for a 3D facial recognition system.

Speaking of the V40’s front, it’s said that we’ll be met with an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 90%. LG will apparently have a “different from the conventional” method for keeping bezels so small, suggesting that the company might have found an alternative solution to the notch.

Lastly, LG will reportedly announce the phone during IFA late next month and then begin sales on October 5.

June 26, 2018 — The V40 will reportedly have a total of five cameras, a notch in its display, and face unlock system

News dump alert! Our friends at Android Police recently spoke with a source that’s apparently familiar with the V40’s development, and as such, we’ve got some juicy new details about the phone.

First and foremost, it’s reported that the LG V40 will ship with a total of five cameras. We can’t say with 100% certainty how these will be positioned on the phone, but it’s likely we’ll get two on the front and three on the back. Speaking of cameras, LG’s working on a new face unlock system that could feature 3D mapping technology, not unlike the iPhone X’s Face ID.

Something else to take note of is the fact that the V40 is said to come with a notch in its display. LG will allow you to use software to hide the notch just like it does on the G7, but as expected, this is a trend you just can’t escape for the time being.

Other reported features are the Snapdragon 845, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a dedicated Google Assistant button next to the volume rocker.

May 2, 2018 —It’ll probably use an OLED display

Shortly after the G7 ThinQ was announced, LG confirmed something rather interesting — it only uses OLED screens for phones in its V series.

In other words, that’s about as close of a confirmation as we’ll get that the V40 will come equipped with an OLED panel. We don’t know what the resolution will be or if it’ll have a notch, but OLED is pretty much a guarantee at this point.

April 19, 2018 — “Storm” is the codename for the V40

Evan Blass shared on Twitter that the V40’s codename is “Storm.” This doesn’t provide much insight into specifics regarding the phone, but it is suggestive that LG’s flagship will be big and powerful.

Since there’s not much else to say about this, here are a few storm emojis 🌩🌪☔️

What specs can we expect?

Talk about the V40’s specs is still relatively quiet, but even so, we can make a few guesses about what it’ll come equipped with.

At the heart of the V40 will likely be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor. This has been the chipset of choice for most 2018 flagships, and as we’ve seen before, the 845 is a beast when it comes to performance, camera processing, battery life, and more.

Something else the V40 will likely carry is an OLED display. In May, LG confirmed that it reserves its OLED panels for entries in the V series. Unless something has radically changed since then, this is a sure bet that the V40 will be graced with an OLED screen.

Lastly, the V40 will come with at least two cameras on the back. We don’t know what kind of sensors will be used or what the aperture rating will be like, but similar to past LG flagships, we should get a primary lens with a regular focal length and a secondary, wide angle one.

When will the LG V40 be released?

According to one source, the V40 is scheduled for a release in either the late summer or early fall of this year. If accurate, this will see it launched during a similar window compared to the September 21 release of the V30.

Along with this, another publication claims that the V40 will be announced during IFA (late August / early September) and then go on sale about a month later on October 5.

How much will it cost?

We have a pretty good idea as to when the V40 will be released, but what about its price?

Details on this are still few and far between, but to make an educated guess, let’s first look at past retail pricing for other entries in the V series.

• LG V10 — $600
• LG V20 — $830
• LG V30 — $800
• LG V30S — $930
• LG V35 — $900

LG’s been steadily increasing the price of its V phones with just about every release, and based on the most recent V30S and V35, I think it’s safe to say that the V40 will cost around $900 and possibly cross that $1000 threshold.

The V series has never been cheap and the V40 won’t be an exception to that rule.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 rumors: Release date, specs, price, and features!

LG V30 + V30S ThinQ

• LG V30S hands-on: A 2017 phone with 2018’s buzzwords
• LG V30S specs
• LG V30 review: The no-BS flagship
• Top LG V30 camera features
• Full LG V30 specs
• Join our LG V30 forums

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Apple Accepting Mercy Corps Donations to Help People Affected by Flooding in Kerala, India

Apple today added banners to the App Store and iTunes Store on Mac and iOS devices as well as its homepage allowing customers to donate to Mercy Corps to support those who have been affected by massive flooding in Kerala, India.

Flooding began in Kerala earlier this summer with the arrival of monsoon rains, and picked up again on August 8 following days of torrential downpour. Approximately 420 people have died since the flooding began, and more than a million are living in relief camps.

Apple is allowing customers to donate to Mercy Corps using credit and debit cards that are already on file with the iTunes Store and App Store for a no-hassle donation process. Apple customers can donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200, 100 percent of which goes to Mercy Corps.

Apple often uses the iTunes Store and App Stores to raise money for charity during major disasters. Apple recently collected money on behalf of the American Red Cross to help fight California wildfires, and Apple has also collected donations for major disasters like the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2013 Philippines typhoon, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian aid organization that says its mission is to “Alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.”

From the period between August 13 to August 20, Kerala received 18.5 inches of rainfall, an above average amount caused by two bands of heavy rain exacerbated by areas of low pressure in the Western Ghats mountain range, according to NASA.

Rain has started to abate this week, allowing rescue and relief operations to deal with the devastation the flooding has caused.

For those who do not want to donate through Mercy Corps and iTunes, there are other options. The government of Kerala is accepting direct money transfers and has set up a website where people can donate using credit and debit cards.

Other relief organizations working in Kerala are also accepting donations, including Oxfam India, Goonj, and Habitat for Humanity India.

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Walmart Gets Into eBooks With Launch of New iOS App, Reveals $9.99/Month Audiobook Service

Walmart today announced that it has partnered with Rakuten Kobo to launch its own dedicated eBooks platform, simply called Walmart eBooks. The service will be available as an iOS and Android application, as well as on Kobo’s eReaders, and function similarly to rival eBook services from Apple and Amazon.

“More than six million” eBooks will be up for purchase on Walmart’s site, and once you find your next book you can choose the “eBook” option, click “Buy”, checkout, and find the book in any app or eReader synced to your Walmart account. It appears that you can’t buy books directly from the iOS app, and can only download a sample of each novel to read.

In stores, Walmart will also debut “digital book cards” of nearly 40 novels, which will provide codes that you can then go home and redeem to save the eBook on your devices. The partnership is also introducing Kobo eReaders on Walmart.com and in 1,000 Walmart retail stores, starting at $99.99 with the Kobo Aura.

Summer is almost over, which means there are only a few more weeks left to soak up the sun and enjoy one of the beach reads all of your friends have been talking about. Today, we’re making it easier than ever to check out the latest new releases with the launch of Walmart eBooks by Rakuten Kobo, Walmart’s partnership with Kobo to offer an all-new digital books catalog in stores and online.

Walmart eBooks will complement our vast physical book assortment and offer customers a comprehensive digital book solution, introducing an entirely new category that hasn’t been previously available at Walmart.

The free Walmart eBooks app is available to download today from the iOS App Store [Direct Link], and will act as a hub for Walmart’s new initiative, collecting your eBooks, audiobooks, graphic novels, and children’s books on iPhone and iPad. Features include resizable text, a Night Mode, screen orientation lock, automatic bookmarks, bookmark syncing across devices, free book previews, and more.

The app provides “Awards” for accomplishing certain literary tasks, such as finishing a certain number of books, highlighting quotes, sharing a passage on social media, and more. The app will also track your reading stats and library activity, showing the percentage complete of the current book you’re reading, the amount of time you’ve spent reading the book, and number of pages turned. Additionally, Walmart eBooks will track the total hours you spend reading, hours per book, pages per hour, pages per session, and more.

There’s also a new audiobook subscription service that will let customers subscribe for $9.99 per month and gain access to one audiobook every month. Comparatively, Amazon’s Audible service offers credit for one audiobook every month at $14.95 per month. Customers who sign up online will also get $10 off their first a la carte audiobook or eBook, and the audiobook service includes a 30-day free trial.

Walmart’s entry into the eBook market comes eight years after Apple announced iBooks alongside the iPad in 2010, and just over ten years after Amazon’s original Kindle launched in the United States alongside the Kindle eBooks store.

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