Tweetbot Removes Timeline Streaming, Activity and Stats Tab, and Push Notifications for Some Features Ahead of Twitter Changes

Ahead of upcoming Twitter changes set to be implemented tomorrow, Tapbots has released an updated version of its Tweetbot app for iOS devices, removing several features that have been present in the app for years.

Timeline streaming over Wi-Fi has been disabled, which means Twitter timelines will refresh every one to two minutes instead of as new tweets come in. We’ve been using the Tweetbot for iOS app in a beta capacity with these changes implemented, and while it’s not a huge change, the delay is noticeable.

Push notifications for Mentions and Direct Messages are also delayed by a few minutes, and push notifications for likes, retweets, follows, and quotes have been disabled. Tapbots says it is, however, investigating re-adding some of these push notification options in the future.

The Activity and Stats tabs have been removed from the app, and because the Apple Watch app was heavily dependent on Activity data, it too has been eliminated.

Tapbots says that it is sorry that the changes had to be made, but Twitter has decided to eliminate certain features provided to third-party apps without offering alternatives.

On August 16th Twitter will disable parts of their public interface that we use in Tweetbot. Because Twitter has chosen not to provide alternatives to these interfaces we have been forced to disable or degrade certain features. We’re sorry about this, but unfortunately this is totally out of our control.

Other third-party Twitter clients, such as Twitterrific, have also had to remove the same features that have been disabled in Tweetbot because of Twitter’s new limitations on third-party apps.

Twitter is requiring Twitter clients to pay for Premium or Enterprise accounts to access certain features, and timeline streaming has been deprecated entirely.

Tapbots has not yet updated Tweetbot for Mac, but changes should be coming to the Mac app soon as well.

Tweetbot for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]

Tags: Twitter, Tweetbot, Tapbots
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Cotton and corn! Reebok’s newest sneaker is ‘made from things that grow’

We already have shoes made out of trash from Adidas, so why not footwear made out of corn from Reebok?

The global footwear and apparel firm this week launched its first shoe that’s “made from things that grow.” The stylish-looking sustainable sneaker features a woven upper made entirely from organic cotton, a base originating from industrial-grown corn, and an insole made using castor bean oil. No dyes have been used to color the shoes, either, and the packaging is 100-percent recyclable.

The Reebok Future team, which created the shoe, is tasked with finding ways to use plants rather than oil-based materials to make the company’s footwear “so that you can feel good about what you’re wearing and where it came from.”

To make the corn-based material, the company teamed up with DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, a leading manufacturer of high-performance bio-based solutions. For Reebok’s shoe it developed Susterra propanediol, described as “a pure, petroleum-free, non-toxic, 100-percent USDA-certified bio-based product, derived from field corn.”

“We like to say we are ‘growing shoes’ here at Reebok,” Bill McInnis, head of Reebok Future, said last year when the company announced its plan for the unique footwear, adding, “This is really just the first step for us.”

Reebok

McInnis said that with Reebok’s new sustainable shoe, his team was focused on all three phases of the product lifecycle.

“First, with product development we’re using materials that grow and can be replenished, rather than the petroleum-based materials commonly used today.  Second, when the product hits the market we know our consumers don’t want to sacrifice on how sneakers look and perform. Finally, we care about what happens to the shoes when people are done with them. So we’ve focused on plant-based materials such as corn and cotton at the beginning, and compostability in the end.”

For its own sustainable sportswear effort, Adidas teamed up with conservation group Parley for the Oceans to create shoes made from recycled plastic pulled from the sea. A typical pair of Parley running shoes reuses around 11 plastic bottles to create the laces, heel webbing, heel lining, and sock liner covers. Footwear firm Allbirds has also been making a name for itself with a range of shoes made from a specially crafted wool fabric.

As for Reebok, McInnes says the goal is to create a wide selection of bio-based footwear that can be composted after use. “We’ll then use that compost as part of the soil to grow the materials for the next range of shoes. We want to take the entire cycle into account; to go from dust to dust.”

Reebok’s cotton and corn shoes are available online and come with a $95 price tag.

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T-Mobile attempts to reinvent customer service with its new ‘Team of Experts’

In attempt to reinvent how businesses approach customer care, T-Mobile is going old school — by connecting its customers with humans instead of robots. At a press event in Charleston, South Carolina, T-Mobile’s executive team took to the stage to announce ‘Team of Experts,’ — the company’s new customer service model.

Essentially, T-Mobile is attempting to make calling customer service less of a hassle. Rather than having to explain your issue repeatedly each time you get transferred to a new representative, you’ll have what the company refers to as an “elite care squad” assigned to you specifically. That way, every time you call or message T-Mobile, you’re directed to the same team who knows your region and preferences.

The new model is the company’s response to the Interactive Voice Response System (IVR) most businesses use. IVR is that robot that forces you to press number after number in order to reach the right department. Even when you do reach a representative, you’re often directed to someone else who actually specializes in the issue — also known as “call bouncing.”

“Forty percent of calls today to customer service in this country get transferred,” Mike Siever, T-Mobile chief operating officer, said at the event.

With Team of Experts, T-Mobile is attempting to cut this experience out completely. Every team member is trained to handle a wide range of topics — sometimes working with local retail and engineers to solve more complex issues. Since each team member also sits in close proximity to one another at T-Mobile’s call centers, information is easily accessible and you won’t be transferred.

Customers are able to call their Team of Experts 24/7 and can schedule a call if you know you’ll be available at a later time. There’s also the option to schedule a call through T-Mobile’s app and iMessage. If you can’t take a call, you can write to the team with your issue and they’ll get started on working on it.

T-Mobile’s Team of Experts are now live for T-Mobile postpaid customers for free. Customers can reach their team by dialing 611 from their T-Mobile phone or send a message via the app or iMessage using Apple Business Chat.

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Apple considers making its own health-monitoring processors

Apple could be shaping up to take more of its technology creation in-house, if rumors based on a recent job listing are to be believed.

Health sensors have become a large part of Apple’s hardware over the last few years. The Apple Watch Series 3 comes with an optical heart-rate sensor built in, as well as a particularly impressive suite of fitness tracking tools, while the iPhone’s Health app was perhaps a little too helpful when it was first released. Back in 2017, Apple proved it was serious about filling out its fitness chops when it acquired Beddit, a successful sleep-tracking app.

It’s common with this sort of health-tracking to have a specialized processor dedicated only to the task of monitoring heart rates and other data — otherwise known as an “application-specific integrated circuit”, or “ASIC”. This chip takes the load off of the main chip, leaving the main processor to power other parts of the device.

Apple has previously bought these chips from a third-party supplier, rather than creating its own — having purchased ASICs from Broadcom for the Apple Watch Series 3. However, it seems Apple is ready to commit itself to further health-related features by bringing the construction of these dedicated processor chips in-house.

The job listing in question, posted on July 10, is for a Sensor ASIC Architect to work with Apple’s Health Sensing Hardware team. This role is centered around “develop[ing] ASICS for new Sensors and Sensing Systems for future Apple products” — making it seem pretty clear that Apple is looking to bring this particular part of the Apple Watch under their own manufacturers.

There are a few advantages to such a move. By developing and manufacturing its own specific chip for health monitoring, Apple would be able to wed the hardware and software together in a much more intimate fashion, increasing efficiency. In addition, it would also shore up Apple’s defenses against imitators, as the chip would be able to be patented as Apple’s own hardware, rather than being open to other companies — as a third party’s tech would be.

Most excitingly, this development could be an advancement of a story from April 2017 that claimed Apple was working on the so-called “holy grail” of life sciences — noninvasive technology that could monitor blood glucose levels constantly.

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How to use Adobe Spark Post to spice up your social media images

Hillary Grigonis / Digital Trends

A photo may say 1,000 words, but what if you need a few more? You could try your hand at making a meme, but if you want something more artistic or professional, Adobe Spark Post offers an easy way to make impactful images without having any design skills. It’s loaded with creative options for adding and styling text, shapes, and other design elements, but thanks to artificial intelligence, it makes the entire process incredibly simple.

From ready-made templates to layouts that automatically adjust to the content, Spark Post is one of the easiest graphics programs to use. Because of the AI involved, the web-connected app can sometimes take a few minutes to work it’s magic, so it may not be the best program for someone with internet speed that still thinks it’s 2002, but it otherwise turns the painstaking design process into an easy and fun experience.

How to download Adobe Spark Post

Adobe Spark is a suite of three mobile apps. Spark Post (available from Apple App Store and Google Play) is specifically for creating social media graphics, while there’s also Spark Pages for creating web pages and Spark Video for, well, exactly what the name suggests. Prefer to work on the desktop? You can also access Spark in a web browser by visiting spark.adobe.com. The mobile apps may have a few extra features that the web doesn’t, though — for example, Spark Post allows you to add animations.

Whichever way you access Spark, you’ll need an account to save your work. You can use Spark for free, the catch being that your final project will have Adobe Spark branding on the image. You can subscribe to Spark with premium features to remove that logo, but Spark is also included with other Creative Cloud plans. If you already use a program like Lightroom, you already have access to Spark with premium features.

How to use Spark Post

Spark Post is easy to jump into, but heading into the program without a map might mean missing a few of the bigger features. After logging in, tap the plus icon to create a new project

1. Start with a layout or a photo

Part of Spark’s simplicity is the ability to start with a customizable layout. But with design variations, you can use those layouts even if you start with a single photo. After tapping the plus icon, you’ll see a collection of suggested projects to choose from, but you can also start just as easily by selecting a photo and a graphic size.

Once the design or photo loads, you can tap on any item within that design to make adjustments. You can add a photo filter, for example, by clicking on the image and choosing a filter from the pop-up menu.

2. Tap Design to customize

After starting with a pre-made design or a photo, options for adjusting the look of the project are under the design icon. Here, you can choose a different design or add one if you just started with a photo. Unlike starting from that first design page, once you tap on a design here, your design will automatically adjust, making it easier to see if that look suits the image and text you had in mind. (You can tap the text that Spark automatically adds to change it, so you preview the design with what you want to say.) Thanks to the AI, you can go back and change the design at any time — the colors, text, and photos that you picked will update to the new design so you won’t have to redo them.

3. Tap the plus icon to expand

You don’t have to stick with a single photo just because the design you picked only had one. You can add more text, images, logos or icons by tapping on the plus icon. Here’s where that AI really comes in handy, because Spark will automatically find a good spot for that new addition within the layout (which you can always change because, hey, you’re smarter than an AI). For photos, you can upload your own, search for free images or paid stock photos or even connect to Lightroom or Google Photos. Just tap when you are ready to add.

Once the new item appears on your design, you can adjust by clicking and dragging to move, or clicking the arrow icon at the bottom to rotate. Depending on what you added, you’ll also have additional options in a toolbar above, including options to duplicate or delete. 

4. Adjust using the layout

Now that you’ve added as much photos and text as you want to fit in, you can adjust the layout that Spark’s AI thought would look best under the layout options. Spark will make suggestions based on the number of items. Just click to see how the new layout would look and use the undo button at the top if you don’t like your pick or choose a different option. 

You can also click on the edges of each item in the layout to and drag the edges to resize, or click in the middle and move the entire object. Spark Post will automatically adjust the other items in the layout to keep up with your changes. If you don’t want Spark Post to automatically adjust everything else, uncheck the option at the top of the layout toolbar that says “move content with layout.”

5. Find your color palette

Besides AI assisting in the layout, Spark can suggest the best colors for your graphic too. Click the colors icon to see a few different options. You can also click on an individual color inside the palette to change it. 

The best way to find cohesive colors? After clicking on a color in the palette that you want to change, click on the eyedropper and hover over a color in the photo to pick colors inspired right from the image.

6. Add special effects (app-only)

Inside the Spark app, there’s one more option — animations. Under the effects option, you can turn your photo into a short video file. This will add options like fading in text or turning the photo from black-and-white to color.

7. Save — and resize

Once you’re finished with the graphic, save your work using the download icon at the top. Spark also makes it easy to format a single post for multiple social media networks, so if you want to go from an Instagram-favored square to a Facebook cover photo, save the first size, then go to the size options and select the second size. Again, Spark’s AI wizardry will adjust the layout based on that new size.

Tip: Using Spark for business? Spark for teams allows you to add logos and create a custom color palette, so options that match your brand are always the first choices that you see.

Why you shouldn’t buy the premium option

Spark is free to use if you don’t mind Adobe sticking their logo on your final project. If you want to create graphics without the Adobe Spark branding, or add your own branding, you’ll need to unlock premium features — but it’s probably not worth the $10 monthly fee. (Adobe also has options for students and teachers to access premium features for free.)

Why not? Because Spark is also included with any Adobe Creative Cloud plan, which also start at just $10 a month for the Photography Plan. But with that, you get Lightroom, Photoshop, and some cloud storage in addition to Spark. So you could spend $10 on Spark, or you could spend $10 on Spark, Photoshop, and Lightroom. Even if you’re not a professional photographer and have no need of Photoshop, Lightroom CC is a great way to keep your photos synced across your devices, includes a very capable RAW camera app, and integrates perfectly with Spark Post.

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How to use Adobe Spark Post to spice up your social media images

Hillary Grigonis / Digital Trends

A photo may say 1,000 words, but what if you need a few more? You could try your hand at making a meme, but if you want something more artistic or professional, Adobe Spark Post offers an easy way to make impactful images without having any design skills. It’s loaded with creative options for adding and styling text, shapes, and other design elements, but thanks to artificial intelligence, it makes the entire process incredibly simple.

From ready-made templates to layouts that automatically adjust to the content, Spark Post is one of the easiest graphics programs to use. Because of the AI involved, the web-connected app can sometimes take a few minutes to work it’s magic, so it may not be the best program for someone with internet speed that still thinks it’s 2002, but it otherwise turns the painstaking design process into an easy and fun experience.

How to download Adobe Spark Post

Adobe Spark is a suite of three mobile apps. Spark Post (available from Apple App Store and Google Play) is specifically for creating social media graphics, while there’s also Spark Pages for creating web pages and Spark Video for, well, exactly what the name suggests. Prefer to work on the desktop? You can also access Spark in a web browser by visiting spark.adobe.com. The mobile apps may have a few extra features that the web doesn’t, though — for example, Spark Post allows you to add animations.

Whichever way you access Spark, you’ll need an account to save your work. You can use Spark for free, the catch being that your final project will have Adobe Spark branding on the image. You can subscribe to Spark with premium features to remove that logo, but Spark is also included with other Creative Cloud plans. If you already use a program like Lightroom, you already have access to Spark with premium features.

How to use Spark Post

Spark Post is easy to jump into, but heading into the program without a map might mean missing a few of the bigger features. After logging in, tap the plus icon to create a new project

1. Start with a layout or a photo

Part of Spark’s simplicity is the ability to start with a customizable layout. But with design variations, you can use those layouts even if you start with a single photo. After tapping the plus icon, you’ll see a collection of suggested projects to choose from, but you can also start just as easily by selecting a photo and a graphic size.

Once the design or photo loads, you can tap on any item within that design to make adjustments. You can add a photo filter, for example, by clicking on the image and choosing a filter from the pop-up menu.

2. Tap Design to customize

After starting with a pre-made design or a photo, options for adjusting the look of the project are under the design icon. Here, you can choose a different design or add one if you just started with a photo. Unlike starting from that first design page, once you tap on a design here, your design will automatically adjust, making it easier to see if that look suits the image and text you had in mind. (You can tap the text that Spark automatically adds to change it, so you preview the design with what you want to say.) Thanks to the AI, you can go back and change the design at any time — the colors, text, and photos that you picked will update to the new design so you won’t have to redo them.

3. Tap the plus icon to expand

You don’t have to stick with a single photo just because the design you picked only had one. You can add more text, images, logos or icons by tapping on the plus icon. Here’s where that AI really comes in handy, because Spark will automatically find a good spot for that new addition within the layout (which you can always change because, hey, you’re smarter than an AI). For photos, you can upload your own, search for free images or paid stock photos or even connect to Lightroom or Google Photos. Just tap when you are ready to add.

Once the new item appears on your design, you can adjust by clicking and dragging to move, or clicking the arrow icon at the bottom to rotate. Depending on what you added, you’ll also have additional options in a toolbar above, including options to duplicate or delete. 

4. Adjust using the layout

Now that you’ve added as much photos and text as you want to fit in, you can adjust the layout that Spark’s AI thought would look best under the layout options. Spark will make suggestions based on the number of items. Just click to see how the new layout would look and use the undo button at the top if you don’t like your pick or choose a different option. 

You can also click on the edges of each item in the layout to and drag the edges to resize, or click in the middle and move the entire object. Spark Post will automatically adjust the other items in the layout to keep up with your changes. If you don’t want Spark Post to automatically adjust everything else, uncheck the option at the top of the layout toolbar that says “move content with layout.”

5. Find your color palette

Besides AI assisting in the layout, Spark can suggest the best colors for your graphic too. Click the colors icon to see a few different options. You can also click on an individual color inside the palette to change it. 

The best way to find cohesive colors? After clicking on a color in the palette that you want to change, click on the eyedropper and hover over a color in the photo to pick colors inspired right from the image.

6. Add special effects (app-only)

Inside the Spark app, there’s one more option — animations. Under the effects option, you can turn your photo into a short video file. This will add options like fading in text or turning the photo from black-and-white to color.

7. Save — and resize

Once you’re finished with the graphic, save your work using the download icon at the top. Spark also makes it easy to format a single post for multiple social media networks, so if you want to go from an Instagram-favored square to a Facebook cover photo, save the first size, then go to the size options and select the second size. Again, Spark’s AI wizardry will adjust the layout based on that new size.

Tip: Using Spark for business? Spark for teams allows you to add logos and create a custom color palette, so options that match your brand are always the first choices that you see.

Why you shouldn’t buy the premium option

Spark is free to use if you don’t mind Adobe sticking their logo on your final project. If you want to create graphics without the Adobe Spark branding, or add your own branding, you’ll need to unlock premium features — but it’s probably not worth the $10 monthly fee. (Adobe also has options for students and teachers to access premium features for free.)

Why not? Because Spark is also included with any Adobe Creative Cloud plan, which also start at just $10 a month for the Photography Plan. But with that, you get Lightroom, Photoshop, and some cloud storage in addition to Spark. So you could spend $10 on Spark, or you could spend $10 on Spark, Photoshop, and Lightroom. Even if you’re not a professional photographer and have no need of Photoshop, Lightroom CC is a great way to keep your photos synced across your devices, includes a very capable RAW camera app, and integrates perfectly with Spark Post.

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• Where to download free stock photos and public domain images

Oppo F9 smartphone is a budget beauty with a teeny-tiny notch

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Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Oppo has just unveiled the Oppo F9, a stunning budget phone with a teeny-tiny notch that’s similar to the Essential Phone, and an eye-catching gradient pattern on the back. The screen-to-body ratio is an impressive 84 percent, thanks to the notch and the 6.3-inch display, which is squeezed into a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes it very comfortable to hold with one hand.

The stylish design wouldn’t be out of place in a flagship phone, but the specs and target markets tell a different story. This is a much less ambitious device than the Oppo Find X, with its pop-up camera, but there are some definite high notes here and Oppo is clearly open to different approaches toward an all-screen front.

The Oppo F9 is packing a Mediatek Helio P60 processor inside, backed by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also a MicroSD card slot. The 6.3-inch LCD has a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels and is covered in Gorilla Glass 6 — one of the first phones to boast such protection — which is supposed to help your phones survive 15 drops from a meter without breaking.

That unobtrusive notch contains a 25-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture that’s sure to excite selfie fans. There is also a small speaker above the notch. Sadly, the main camera is less impressive — it’s a dual-lens setup comprising a 16-megapixel lens with an f/1.9 aperture and a secondary 2-megapixel lens for depth.

You’ll also find a recessed fingerprint sensor on the rear and a large, 3,500mAh battery inside that supports Oppo’s lightning-fast VOOC charging technology. Just five minutes of charging will get you two hours of talk time.

Things get decidedly more budget when we move on to the Micro USB charging port and Bluetooth 4.2 support, but thankfully there is a 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom edge. There’s no wireless charging support or water resistance here either.

The Oppo F9 runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, with a fair bit of bloatware and Oppo’s user interface on top.

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Our unit is Twilight Blue, but there will also be Sunrise Red and Starry Purple. The finish is a diamond pattern that shimmers in and out in the light and goes from electric blue at the bottom to black at the top. It looks great.

The Oppo F9 is launching in India and selected Southeast Asian markets, including Vietnam, imminently and looks like it will cost somewhere around the $300 mark, though the price isn’t yet confirmed. It should also be bound for the Middle East and North Africa, but there’s no indication it will ever be made available in the U.S. or Europe, so you’ll probably have to import one if you like the look of it.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Google One subscriptions offer more cloud storage for low prices, other perks

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Google Drive offers a lot of storage space by default with a free 15GB plan available for all. But if you’re a power user, or you simply like having as much backed up in the cloud as possible, then you might have taken advantage of Google’s paid plans. These storage-boosting options can increase your available storage by up to a huge 10TB, making it perfect for anyone who needs a huge amount of reliable, cloud-based storage.

Those Google Drive subscription plans are now being replaced with something simpler and cheaper. Starting August 15, Google users in the U.S. will be able to subscribe to Google One — a subscription-based service that offers more storage options, increased support, lower prices, and even benefits. Google announced the plan back in May, but it’s now finally available for those in the U.S. Here’s everything you need to know about Google One.

Increase your storage space

Increased storage space will likely remain the main reason to subscribe to Google One, and Google is sweetening the deal by increasing the number of plans to choose from. Pricing for the highest tier 10TB account will remain the same ($100 a month), but Google is adding a new option at the lower-end of the scale, as well as boosting the storage of its most popular option, without increasing the asking price.

The lowest tier remains the same: 100GB for $2 a month. There’s now also a 200GB option for $3 a month, and the old 1TB option has been replaced by 2TB plan but it retains the same $10 a month price tag. If you’re already paying for extra storage, your subscription will automatically be ported over to Google One’s equivalent option. People paying for the 1TB option will get an automatic upgrade to the 2TB plan, which is a nice upgrade.

Nabbing a subscription brings you cloud-based storage not just for Google Drive, but for Google Photos, and Gmail. Storing photos in Google Photos is free, but photos and videos are compressed. If you choose to save the original, high-resolution version of the photo, it will utilize the account storage you pay for through the Google One plan.

Benefits on Google and beyond

You won’t just get increased storage for stumping up some green: Google One subscribers will also get access to various perks and benefits. Details on these are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but Google has mentioned it will start with credits to spend in the Google Play Store, as well as discounts and deals on hotels found through Google Search. You can expect more deals as time goes by — such as price cuts on the Google Express delivery service as well as the Google Store — in the coming months.

While this probably isn’t a reason to pay the Google One fee, it’s a great additional bonus.

More support from Google, and for your family

Finally, Google One subscribers will be able to access 24/7 support teams directly from Google. These Google-based specialists will be able to help with a range of inquiries for all of Google’s products, from using Gmail offline, or recovering accidentally deleted files.

You’ll also be able to share your Google One account with up to five members of your family, sharing the benefits across accounts, while keeping payment on a single card.

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Google One subscriptions offer more cloud storage for low prices, other perks

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Google Drive offers a lot of storage space by default with a free 15GB plan available for all. But if you’re a power user, or you simply like having as much backed up in the cloud as possible, then you might have taken advantage of Google’s paid plans. These storage-boosting options can increase your available storage by up to a huge 10TB, making it perfect for anyone who needs a huge amount of reliable, cloud-based storage.

Those Google Drive subscription plans are now being replaced with something simpler and cheaper. Starting August 15, Google users in the U.S. will be able to subscribe to Google One — a subscription-based service that offers more storage options, increased support, lower prices, and even benefits. Google announced the plan back in May, but it’s now finally available for those in the U.S. Here’s everything you need to know about Google One.

Increase your storage space

Increased storage space will likely remain the main reason to subscribe to Google One, and Google is sweetening the deal by increasing the number of plans to choose from. Pricing for the highest tier 10TB account will remain the same ($100 a month), but Google is adding a new option at the lower-end of the scale, as well as boosting the storage of its most popular option, without increasing the asking price.

The lowest tier remains the same: 100GB for $2 a month. There’s now also a 200GB option for $3 a month, and the old 1TB option has been replaced by 2TB plan but it retains the same $10 a month price tag. If you’re already paying for extra storage, your subscription will automatically be ported over to Google One’s equivalent option. People paying for the 1TB option will get an automatic upgrade to the 2TB plan, which is a nice upgrade.

Nabbing a subscription brings you cloud-based storage not just for Google Drive, but for Google Photos, and Gmail. Storing photos in Google Photos is free, but photos and videos are compressed. If you choose to save the original, high-resolution version of the photo, it will utilize the account storage you pay for through the Google One plan.

Benefits on Google and beyond

You won’t just get increased storage for stumping up some green: Google One subscribers will also get access to various perks and benefits. Details on these are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but Google has mentioned it will start with credits to spend in the Google Play Store, as well as discounts and deals on hotels found through Google Search. You can expect more deals as time goes by — such as price cuts on the Google Express delivery service as well as the Google Store — in the coming months.

While this probably isn’t a reason to pay the Google One fee, it’s a great additional bonus.

More support from Google, and for your family

Finally, Google One subscribers will be able to access 24/7 support teams directly from Google. These Google-based specialists will be able to help with a range of inquiries for all of Google’s products, from using Gmail offline, or recovering accidentally deleted files.

You’ll also be able to share your Google One account with up to five members of your family, sharing the benefits across accounts, while keeping payment on a single card.

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• The best cloud storage services
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• Google Photos is seeing stars (and hearts) with new social reactions

Which should I buy: NVIDIA Shield or Shield Pro?

We know the Shield rocks a solid Android TV experience, but the Shield Pro might just be the better buy.

The NVIDIA Android Shield TV does just about everything from streaming 4K movies and TV shows to playing high-end Android games with the included Shield Controller. But when NVIDIA refreshed the line at the start of the year, it kept around the Shield “Pro” model as well — and in this case, it hasn’t been physically redesigned like the standard version, though it retains its $299 price tag.

That leaves an interesting question about whether you should consider the standard Shield Android TV model or the Pro — let us help you decide.

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It’s all about the storage

On the face of it, there’s one big choice: can you get by with 16GB of internal storage in the base model, or do you need the breathing room of a 500GB hard drive? The Shield Pro’s 500GB storage will give you tons of room to install as many games and store as much media as just about anyone would want.

With NVIDIA’s streaming game solutions GeForce Now and GameStream there are fewer games to be properly “installed” than before, and all of the popular media services are streaming-only, but if you plan to load local media or use the Shield Android TV as a Kodi or Plex device you’ll probably want that extra storage.

But also remember that you can add storage to the Shield via basically any USB drive, and have it integrate right into the system. That starts to eat into the $100 you saved by going with the standard model, but it is an option if you already have a high-quality USB 3.0 flash drive hanging around you can dedicate to the system.

You get a different remote

All Shield Android TVs work with the great redesigned Shield Controller, but NVIDIA has decided to ship different versions of the TV-style remote depending on which version of the box you buy. The standard Shield Android TV comes with the new design, which drops the headphone jack and rechargeable battery in exchange for year-long (or more) battery life from a pair of coin cell batteries.

The Shield Pro still comes with the original TV remote — offering rechargeable batteries (via included Micro-USB cable) and a headphone jack for private listening. The decision between the two is a personal choice, really, but it’s important to know they don’t offer the same experience.

The most important thing to know is that both Shield Android TV models give you a remote in the box — that’s a good improvement over the original models that only came with a controller. (You can save $20 on the standard Shield Android TV by going with a version that only has a remote as well.)

A few extra features

Because the Shield Pro is still based on the original hardware design, it retains a few of the features that were lost when the standard model moved to a smaller body. That means the pro retains the microSD card slot for expanding its storage and Micro-USB port a direct connection to your computer.

Both features are nice to have, but not really essential. You already have 500GB inside the box and can extend it further with any USB storage device, and NVIDIA has enabled PC connections via one of the USB-A ports on the new box as well.

One slightly bigger deal is the inclusion of an IR receiver on the Shield Pro, meaning it can be easily controlled by popular universal remotes that use IR for multi-device management. If you already use something like a Logitech Harmony for your entertainment center, this may be a make-or-break situation. Don’t count out the chance that universal remote makers like Logitech can update or release Bluetooth versions of the remotes that would work just fine with the standard Shield, though.

The Pro is a bit bigger, too

This is a relatively minor consideration after you think about all of the functional differences between the models, but the new Shield Android TV design is dramatically smaller than the Pro. The new box is roughly 40% smaller and 60% lighter than the Pro since it doesn’t have the extra ports and storage inside, and that could make a difference if you have a tricky home entertainment setup. Like, for example, you’re considering mounting the Shield on a wall behind a hanging TV.

Chances are if you need any of the Pro’s extra features you’ll be able to make it work, but if you have a very specific place or mounting requirements for hiding the box, keep the size difference in mind.

Which should you buy?

If you’re going to be doing a lot of local gaming and/or storing a bunch of movies and TV shows on your Shield Android TV, you should snag the upgraded Shield Pro with 500GB of storage. If you plan to use apps like Plex to turn your Shield into a DVR, that extra storage will be a must-have. Chances are the features like an SD card slot, IR receiver and rechargeable remote won’t in themselves be enough to spend $100 more on the Pro, though — like I said, it really is all about that storage.

If the addition of those features don’t feel like they’re worth $100, the 16GB base model should be sufficient for you. Use the money you saved on a USB 3.0 flash drive for some extra storage, and maybe invest the rest in some games to play!

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Update August 2018: The differences haven’t changed, but the pricing and their accessories have. Here’s the latest information you need to choose between the different Shield Android TV models.

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

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