Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Which storage size should I buy?

The answer is simple for most people.

Samsung pulled out the stops for the power-users with the launch of the Galaxy Note 9. Three of the biggest things spec hounds were looking for all received significant improvements over the last generation: battery, storage, and memory. At the same time, the price went up — and in the case of the 512GB model, it went way up. Most people who were originally excited about the idea of a 512GB storage Galaxy Note 9 quickly tempered their lust after seeing the $1249 price tag.

But even still, people will be looking at the upgraded model. As you consider your Note 9 purchase and try to decide which storage is right for you, we have a few things for you to keep in mind.

Who should get 128GB

128GB is the baseline Note 9 storage and will automatically grab a majority of sales because of it. Most people who had a 32 or 64GB phone previously will be extremely happy with the jump up to 128GB of storage by default. The price jump from the Note 8 up to $999 seems a little steep, but keep in mind that Samsung charges a $50 premium to go from 64 to 128GB on the Galaxy S9+ — so this isn’t that big of a deal if you were someone who was going to buy more storage anyway.

If you fit into a 64GB phone today, don’t hesitate about getting a 128GB Note 9.

With 128GB internally, you’re going to have well over 100GB of free space after your first start-up and installation of your typical apps. (After getting my own Note 9 set up, with plenty of data downloaded, I have 97GB free.) That’s a lot of space for Netflix downloads, big games, 4K video shooting and more. Even if you’re pushing the limits of your 64GB phone today, there’s a good chance you’re going to be able to make it work with an additional 64GB — and remember you always have a microSD card slot for any future overflow.

So if you’re in any way worried about the additional cost required to go up to 512GB, and fit into a 64GB phone currently, you should have no hesitations about getting the base model 128GB Note 9.

See at Samsung

Who should get 512GB

We can’t talk about the benefits of the extra storage before first addressing the price increase. In order to get 512GB of storage, you’ll pay $250 (or, 25%) more for your Note 9. That’s a significant move on an already extremely expensive phone. It’s true that carrier and retailer financing programs can ease the burden of that extra price, but even on a 24-month payment plan we’re talking about moving from $41 to $52 per month — it’s still a big jump.

If you can eat the cost, the 512GB Note 9 is the ultimate expression of what the Galaxy Note line is all about.

But if you can eat the cost, the higher-end Note 9 with 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is the ultimate expression of what the Galaxy Note line is all about: doing everything to the biggest extent possible. You’re encouraged to never say the word “never,” but it’s hard to see how you’d fill up 512GB of storage given today’s file sizes for apps, music, games and video. Even if you throw out all thoughts of managing your storage in any way, and simply keep every single thing you download, you’d be hard-pressed to push the 512GB limit. (And I’d recommend that if you are storing that much on your phone that you should have a robust backup system for keeping a copy of that data safe elsewhere.)

With 512GB internally, you can add another 512GB with a microSD card (albeit for about $350) to go full-on crazy mode and have 1TB of storage available. Even if you keep things reasonable with a 256GB card (for about one-quarter the price), that’s over 750GB of storage in your hand everywhere you go.

With that kind of potential, and the knowledge that you’ll effectively never worry about how much storage you have left when downloading or creating content, if you can eat the extra cost it’s worth considering the big jump up to 512GB.

See at Samsung

More RAM is just a nice bonus

Like some other phones, Samsung offers extra RAM in the model with increased storage — in this case, a jump up to 8GB from 6GB. Just like we’ve discussed regarding the OnePlus 6’s extra RAM, we caution you against putting too much stock in what the extra memory can actually do for you.

Getting more RAM is a nice bonus — not a reason to spend $250 extra.

Yes, the extra memory gives you more room when running dozens of apps at the same time, or when running several intensive apps in the DeX desktop interface while running others on the phone itself. But the use cases where you’ll actually see a clear benefit between 6 and 8GB are minimal. With the base Galaxy Note 9 (and Galaxy S9+ as well) coming with 6GB of RAM, Samsung is designing all of its software for devices that have that memory size — it isn’t going to build things to expect 8GB of RAM, because a large majority of people won’t actually have that much.

Your choice to buy a higher-model Note 9 should start and end with a decision on whether you value having 512GB of storage at $250. The extra RAM is a nice bit of futureproofing — and bragging rights — but nothing more, and shouldn’t be a deciding factor for whether you make the jump to the higher model.

Which color Galaxy Note 9 should I buy: Blue, purple, gold, or black?

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 hands-on preview
• Galaxy Note 9 vs. Note 8
• Where to buy the Galaxy Note 9
• Galaxy Note 9 specifications
• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

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Nissan Sentra Features CarPlay Starting With New 2019 Model

Nissan today announced that the 2019 Sentra, excluding the base Sentra S model, features standard CarPlay and Android Auto.

This is the first model year of the Sentra with CarPlay, following in the footsteps of the 2017 and newer Maxima, 2017 and newer Micra, 2017 and newer Murano, 2018 GT-R, 2018 Kicks, 2018 LEAF, 2018 Rogue, and 2019 Altima.

CarPlay enables iPhone users to access a range of apps from the NissanConnect infotainment system, including Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, Pandora, WhatsApp, Downcast, Slacker Radio, Stitcher, and, starting with iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze.

The 2019 Sentra is on sale now at Nissan dealerships across the United States, with CarPlay-enabled packages starting at $19,090.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Nissan
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Twitch Plans to ‘Aggressively Broaden’ its Content and Expand Beyond Gaming as it Battles YouTube

Twitch, the platform known as a place to watch streamers play games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch, is now looking into becoming a “broader video service” that would cater to lifestyle vloggers from rival company YouTube.

According to a report today by Bloomberg, Amazon-owned Twitch has decided to “aggressively broaden” the programming on the platform to directly compete with YouTube, and gain more advertising revenue in the process. Amazon and Twitch have reportedly pursued exclusive live-streaming deals with “dozens” of popular media companies and personalities who are currently on YouTube.

These deals are said to be worth “as much as a few million dollars a year,” and include a share of future advertising sales and subscription revenue. “A few deals have closed,” although some approached by Twitch have not agreed to the company’s terms, including a minimum amount of hours required to livestream per week.

Despite Twitch’s plans to add more non-gaming programming, the company is still focusing on live streaming video.

“There will be a steady drumbeat of lots of new content we’re bringing on,” says Michael Aragon, Twitch Interactive Inc.’s senior vice president of content. “We’re growing well, and that makes us an attractive destination for people looking to do new things in live, interactive entertainment.”

When Amazon bought Twitch in 2014, the live streaming service was exclusively focused on video games and didn’t let anyone post videos that weren’t related to gaming. In recent years, Amazon slightly expanded the scope of the platform with “Twitch Creative,” encouraging non-gamers like chefs and artists to stream on Twitch. There have also been marathons of old Saturday Night Live episodes and some live sports.

Despite this introduction of new content, Twitch is still primarily video game-focused today. When browsing the Discover tab on iOS, popular live gaming streams, gaming channels, game clips, and more fill up the space. While Twitch will retain all of the live-streaming features and community of gamers it currently has, today’s report suggests that users can expect to see more non-gaming streams in this area down the line.

This “broader video service” expansion appears to have gained even more momentum recently, as Twitch looks to bring people to its platform who might be more susceptible to advertising. As it stands, Twitch’s target audience of young male gamers “tend to be resistant to ads.” Justin Warden, CEO of e-sports marketing agency Ader Inc., explained that “few brands are excited about reaching an audience of hardcore gamers,” but there is interest for “working with an influencer or personality.”

YouTube has been losing favor in the creator community for a few years now, most recently causing controversy in May by testing a non-chronological video order in the user’s subscription feed. In January, YouTube and Google announced new rules surrounding creator monetization and partnerships, particularly de-monetizing videos that have controversial or inappropriate content. This caused many YouTubers to consider lessening their focus on the platform and look into supplementing their income with other services like Twitch.

Tags: YouTube, Twitch
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Apple Maps Now Features Indoor Maps at 18 Shopping Malls in Canada

Apple Maps has been updated with indoor maps of at least 18 shopping malls in several Canadian cities and suburbs, including Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Montréal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Dieppe, New Brunswick.

Nearly all of the shopping malls are Cadillac Fairview properties, with the sole exception being Square One in Mississauga:

• Galeries D’Anjou in Montréal
• Carrefour Laval in Laval
• Promenades St-Bruno in Saint-Bruno
• Fairview Pointe Claire in Pointe-Claire
• Rideau Centre in Ottawa
• Markville in Markham
• Shops at Don Mills in Toronto
• Fairview Mall in Toronto
• Sherway Gardens in Toronto
• Square One in Mississauga
• Lime Ridge in Hamilton
• Fairview Park in Kitchener
• Masonville Place in London
• Polo Park in Winnipeg
• Chinook Centre in Calgary
• Market Mall in Calgary
• Richmond Centre in Richmond
• Champlain Place in Dieppe, New Brunswick

Apple has yet to add indoor maps for the Eaton Centre in Toronto and the Pacific Centre in Vancouver, two of the biggest Cadillac Fairview malls. Two other notable exclusions are Yorkdale in Toronto and the Centre Eaton de Montréal.

Apple launched indoor maps at select airports and shopping malls in 2017, with a list of locations available on its iOS Feature Availability page. To view an indoor map, open the Apple Maps app on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 11 or later, search for a supported location, zoom in, and tap on “Look Inside” if necessary.

Indoor maps at shopping malls make it easier to find the exact location of stores, restaurants, and restrooms on each floor, in addition to guest services, parking, escalators, stairs, and so forth. Or, swipe up on the place card to browse by category, such as clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty, food, and drinks.

Likewise, at airports, Apple Maps users can zoom in to view terminals, boarding gates, security checkpoints, airline check-in desks, baggage claim carousels, information kiosks, restrooms, stores, restaurants, parking, and more.

Tags: Apple Maps, Canada
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Tag Heuer shoots, scores with new Premier League smartwatch watch face

If you own one of Tag Heuer’s Connected smartwatches, whether it’s the Connected Modular 45 or our preferred model, the Connected Modular 41, and are a soccer fan, the company has the watch face for you. It’s designed to keep you up-to-date with all the 2018-2019 Premier League season’s developments, right on your wrist.

Tag Heuer announced the special interactive watch face to celebrate the extension of its partnership with England’s top flight league. Tag Heuer will continue timing games — the company was the very first official Premier League timekeeper — whether its while the match is in progress, or through the international television broadcasts.

The exciting part about the watch face is the deep customization, as rather than follow each team and risk an overload of information, the watch face can be linked to your favorite team. This way all the match timings, live updates, player changes, and the scores delivered will be ones you want to see. Notifications can also be added, providing alerts on when the game starts, and goals scored at exactly the time they happen. Tag Heuer’s going to want to make sure all this is accurate too. Its reputation is at stake.

If you think this sounds slightly familiar, it’s similar to the way Hublot’s Big Bang Referee smartwatch operated during the World Cup. The special, limited edition watch provided up-to-date information on games, including goal alerts, was worn by World Cup referees, and shown off at the Baselworld 2018 watch fair. Hublot and Tag Heuer are both part of the LMVH luxury product conglomerate.

Additionally, Tag Heuer has also collaborated with sports teams and personalities in the past. Several big-name sports stars including Tom Brady and Jeremy Lin have designed custom Wear OS watch faces, for example. The Connected Modular range of watches also includes special editions linked to sports sponsored by Tag Heuer, with the most recent being a stunning collaboration with F1’s Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

For now, though, it’s all about soccer (or football, whatever works for you). Sadly, if you’re a Premier League fan without a Tag Heuer smartwatch, you won’t be able to use the watch face on any other Wear OS device — it’s an exclusive to the brand. Those lucky enough to have a Connected Modular watch on their wrist, can download the watch face for free from Google Play now.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Tag Heuer Connected Modular 41 review
• How VAR and instant replay have transformed the 2018 World Cup (so far)
• Here is everything you need to know about the Fitbit Versa
• WatchOS 5 brings Walkie-Talkie, Podcast features, and much more
• The best smartwatches

These are all the Android Go phones available today

Entry-level phones from the cheap to the… very cheap.

Android Go is Google’s latest effort to make the experience of owning an entry-level Android phone less frustrating. The $100 price point is overrun by phones that come with outdated versions of Android and underpowered hardware, and Android Go is designed to fix these shortcomings. Aimed primarily at markets like India and Africa — where hundreds of millions of users are projected to make their way online for the first time in the coming years — Android Go aims to offer an uncluttered software experience.

Android Go is a barebones take on Android that is designed specially to run on low-powered hardware — devices with 4GB of storage and 512MB of RAM. Google created lightweight versions of its apps that work better on entry-level hardware, and the OS takes up a mere fraction of the space as a full-fledged Android install. Sure, the hardware isn’t the fastest around, but you’re getting the promise of quick updates and a markedly better user experience.

There are nine Android Go phones currently available in various regions around the world, and Samsung is set to announce its own product in this series shortly. There are hardware limitations in place for a device to be certified for Android Go, so a lot of the phones in this list share a similar set of specs. That said, you’ll see a lot of variety in terms of the design.

Alcatel 1X (U.S., UK)

Screen	5.3-inch 18:9 IPS LCD (960×480)
SoC	1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739
RAM	1GB
Storage	16GB
Camera	8MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	2460mAh
Security	Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	147.5 x 70.6 x 9.1mm
Weight	151g
Colors	Black, Blue
Price	$99

The Alcatel 1X is one of the few Android Go devices that offers an 18:9 display. That isn’t saying much as there are considerable bezels up front, but it is better in comparison with the rest of the phones on this list.

You also get 16GB of storage and an 8MP camera at the back, and the 2460mAh battery is more than adequate to last an entire day without any issues.

With Android Go phones tailored at the $100 price point, one of the features that manufacturers have had to abandon is the fingerprint sensor, but that isn’t the case on the 1X. The phone has a fingerprint sensor located at the back, and it’s perfectly serviceable.

Best of all, the Alcatel 1X is up for sale in the U.S. for $99 unlocked.

See at Amazon

Nokia 1 (Global)

Screen	4.5-inch IPS LCD (854×480)
SoC	1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737M
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Camera	5MP
Front Camera	2MP
Battery	2150mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	133.6 x 67.8 x 9.5mm
Weight	131g
Colors	Warm Red, Dark Blue
Price	₹4,850 ($70) | £79.99 ($105)

The Nokia 1 is widely available across the world, making it the default option for those looking to try out Android Go. The phone has a vibrant design with a colorful polycarbonate back covers that can be easily switched out — like Nokias of old.

The phone has large bezels at the front and there isn’t a fingerprint sensor, but at $70 the Nokia 1 is one of the most affordable devices on this list.

See at Amazon UK

Nokia 2.1 (Global)

Screen	5.5-inch IPS LCD (1280×720)
SoC	1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Camera	8MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	4000mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	153.6 x 77.6 x 9.7mm
Weight	174g
Colors	Blue/Copper, Blue/Silver, Grey/Silver
Price	$115

At its core, the Nokia 2.1 is an entry-level phone with a massive battery. The 720p 5.5-inch display paired with a 4000mAh battery allows the phone to deliver at least two days’ worth of battery life without breaking a sweat.

The Nokia 2.1 is one of the very few devices on this list to feature a Qualcomm chipset — there’s a Snapdragon 425 under the hood with four Cortex A53 cores clocked up to 1.4GHz.

Elsewhere, you’ll find an aluminum mid-frame, which adds rigidity to the device and makes it one of the sturdiest Android Go phones available, and there’s a plastic back that feels great to hold.

You also get stereo speakers up front, FM radio, and Gorilla Glass protection on the panel. The Nokia 2.1 is set to go on sale very soon for the equivalent of $115.

See at Nokia

Moto E5 Play with Android Oreo (Go Edition) (UK)

Screen	5.3-inch 18:9 IPS LCD (960×480)
SoC	1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425
RAM	1GB
Storage	16GB
Camera	8MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	2100mAh
Security	Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	151 x 74 x 9mm
Weight	150g
Colors	Flash Gray, Black, Dark Lake
Price	€109 ($125)

Motorola unveiled the Moto E5 Plus and E5 Play back in April and has now rolled out an Android Go variant of the Moto E5 Play that’s slated to make its way to the UK.

Whereas the standard variant of the E5 Play comes with a 5.2-inch 16:9 screen, the Moto E5 Play with Android Oreo (Go Edition) features a 5.3-inch 18:9 panel.

As it is running Android Go, the device now comes with 1GB of RAM (instead of 2GB for the regular model).

The phone will launch in the UK shortly and will make its way across Europe and Latin America in the coming months.

Huawei Y3 2018 (South Africa)

Screen	5.0-inch IPS LCD (854×480)
SoC	1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737M
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Camera	8MP
Front Camera	2MP
Battery	2280mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	145.1 x 73.7 x 9.5mm
Weight	175g
Colors	Gold, White, Gray
Price	R999 ($75)

The Huawei Y3 is primarily sold in African countries, with the phone making its debut earlier this year in South Africa. The phone has a clean design, with Huawei focusing on the single loudspeaker located at the back — the company says it’s one of the loudest in this segment.

There’s also an 8MP f/2.0 camera, and the 2280mAh battery is good enough for a day’s worth of use.

Interestingly, the phone features the F2FS file system over the more conventional EXT4, and Huawei says it is better-optimized for the Y3’s intended use case.

See at Huawei

ASUS ZenFone Live L1 (SE Asia)

Screen	5.5-inch 18:9 IPS LCD (1440×720)
SoC	1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425
RAM	1GB/2GB
Storage	16GB/32GB
Camera	13MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	3000mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	147.3 x 71.8 x 8.2mm
Weight	150g
Colors	Space Blue, Rose Pink, Shimmer Gold, Midnight Black
Price	$105

The ZenFone Live L1 marks ASUS’ foray into Android Go, and the phone is now available in Indonesia — with other Asian markets set to receive the device shortly.

When it comes to specs, the Live L1 is the most interesting phone yet in this space. The phone has a 5.5-inch 18:9 panel with an HD+ resolution, and like the Nokia 2.1 and the Moto G5 Play, it is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425.

It also has a 13MP rear camera, and ASUS is selling the device in two variants — one with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and a model with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

The hardware combined with the variety of color options on offer make the Live 1 a great choice in this category.

See at ASUS

Micromax Bharat Go (India)

Screen	4.5-inch IPS LCD (854×480)
SoC	1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737М
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Camera	5MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	2000mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	136.5 x 67 x 9.6mm
Weight	130g
Colors	Black
Price	₹4,299 ($65)

Indian manufacturers like Micromax have faded to relative obscurity over the last two years, but the Bharat Go is a decent option for those looking to pick up an Android Go device.

For one thing, it is one of the most affordable phones on the list, selling for the equivalent of $65. The Bharat Go is exclusively sold offline — part of Micromax’s broader push to focus on the retail sector — so you won’t be able to find it on an e-commerce store.

That said, the phone is available at thousands of retail stores across the country, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get your hands on a unit if you’re living in India.

Lava Z50 (India)

Screen	4.5-inch IPS LCD (854×480)
SoC	1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737М
RAM	1GB
Storage	8GB
Camera	5MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	2000mAh
Security	PIN
Dimensions	135 x 66.6 x 9.7mm
Weight	140g
Colors	Black
Price	₹4,299 ($65)

Indian brand Lava Mobiles has been a long-time Google partner, so it stands to reason that the manufacturer team up with the search giant over an Android Go phone.

The hardware on offer is identical to what you get with Micromax’s Bharat Go, but there’s a slight variance in design, and you’ll actually be able to buy the Lava Z50 online.

And just like the Bharat Go, the Z50 is available for what amounts to $65.

See at Flipkart

General Mobile GM8 Go (Turkey)

Screen	5.5-inch 18:9 IPS LCD (1440×720)
SoC	1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739
RAM	1GB
Storage	16GB
Camera	13MP
Front Camera	5MP
Battery	3500mAh
Security	Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	150 x 70.5 x 8.59mm
Weight	152g
Colors	Gold, Space Gray
Price	$180

Turkey’s General Mobile has been making Android One handsets for some time now and the GM8 Go is a lightweight version of the GM8.

It doesn’t miss out on any essentials — you get a 13MP rear camera, 18:9 screen up front, and the 3500mAh battery should deliver two-day battery life with ease.

There’s also a fingerprint sensor at the back. The phone offers serious hardware (for this segment), and it has a hefty $180 price tag to boot.

See at General Mobile

More to come

There’s no shortage of choice when it comes to Android Go phones, and with Samsung set to make its debut in the coming weeks, this category is only bound to get interesting.

Are you planning to get an Android Go phone? If so, what device are you eyeing? Let us know in the comments below.

Updated August 2018: This article was updated with the latest prices of Android Go devices.

Android Oreo

• Android Oreo review!
• Everything new in Android Oreo
• How to get Android Oreo on your Pixel or Nexus
• Oreo will make you love notifications again
• Will my phone get Android Oreo?
• Join the Discussion

How to turn on and use Android Pie’s new gesture navigation system

Take a look at a huge fundamental change to Android navigation

Android 9 Pie’s consumer launch is exciting for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which being a brand new gesture navigation system that eschews the standard “back, home, recents” buttons we’ve all grown accustomed to. The replacement is a gesture-based interface that hides the recents button, and even the back button sometimes, to hopefully let you move more fluidly and intuitively through the interface.

But when you install Android Pie on your phone, you won’t actually see this new gesture navigation system by default — you have to enable it to experience this significant change to the way Android works. Follow these steps:

Open up your phone’s Settings.
Scroll down and tap on System.
Find Gestures and tap on it.
Tap on Swipe up on home button.

Toggle the switch to on — you’ll notice the navigation buttons change immediately.

Aside from the oddly named and placed settings, that’s a pretty simple process.

So, now you need to know how to use these gestures. Here’s a quick rundown of how the gesture system works:

• You still tap the new elongated “home” button to go home at any time, that doesn’t change.
• When you’re in an app or view that can use a back button, the back button will appear to the left of the home button where you’re used to seeing it.
• Swipe up on the home button and continue swiping to open the app drawer.
  • Alternatively, swipe up on the home button and swipe up again to open the app drawer.
• Swipe up on the home button to enter the multitasking view.
  • Swipe left and right to move the list, and tap to select apps.
  • Swipe up to remove apps from the list.
  • Press and hold on the app icon at the top to enter “split screen” view.
  • Apps in this view are “live” — you can select, copy and paste text while in the multitasking view.
• Swipe right on home button and hold to scroll slowly between apps — release to open the center app.

• Swipe right on home button quickly and release to just switch to the previous app — analogous to a double tap on recents currently.

  

This is a pretty considerable change to the way you interact with an Android phone, but I feel it’s intuitive and more directly interactive in a way that the static buttons weren’t. This change also affords Google the opportunity to dynamically adjust the buttons to the context of what the phone is doing, opening up even more possibilities going forward.

How to master the new Android Pie gestures

Update August 2018: With Android Pie’s official release, we’ve updated this article to reflect the latest changes.

Android 9 Pie

• Android 9 Pie review: Greater than the sum of its slices
• Everything you need to know about Android 9 Pie!
• Will my phone get Android Pie?
• How to get Android 9 Pie on your Pixel right now
• Join the Discussion

UK Deal: Up your phone’s storage with this £37 128GB SanDisk microSD card

Never worry about running out of space again.

You can save on some additional storage for your phone, tablet, action camera and more today as the 128GB SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC card is reduced in price at Amazon UK. It’s down to just £37.49, after having sold for over £50 most recently.

The card supports 4K UHD video and can read data at 100MB/sec — making it ideal for phones with higher-end camera capabilities or for your digital camera/action cam itself. Importantly, the Extreme Pro series is rated A1, meaning the cards are optimised for providing a faster smartphone experience and enable apps to be loaded quickly, making this the perfect card to expand the storage of your phone or tablet.

The 64GB version of this card is also discounted, on sale for £28.30 — down from around £33 — as part of SanDisk’s sale on additional storage that includes SD cards, microSD cards, USB Flash Drives and more.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Happy 20th Launch Anniversary, iMac

On August 15, 1998, Apple officially released the first iMac, the candy-colored gumdrop-shaped iMac G3, launching a desktop machine that has continued to be updated and revised over the years.

Designed by Apple design chief Jony Ive, the iMac G3 was unique among computers at the time for its unusual shape, the use of translucent plastics that allowed the internals to be visible, and the bright colors that Apple adopted.

“This is iMac. The whole thing is translucent. You can see into it. It’s so cool,” said Jobs when introducing the iMac G3.

Apple’s first iMac, which sold for $1,299 at launch, came equipped with a 233 – 700MHz PowerPC 750 G3 processor, 128GB of storage, a 15-inch CRT, a CD-ROM drive, and an ATI graphics card, components that don’t sound impressive today but made for a powerful, well-rounded machine, that, in combination with the design, made the iMac a best seller.

At launch, and in the years following its release, Apple released the iMac G3 in a slew of shades that include the famous Bondi Blue, Blueberry, Grape, Graphite, Indigo, Lime, Sage, Strawberry, Ruby, Snow, Tangerine, and two patterned colors, Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power.

If you live near Michigan, all 13 colors of the original iMac G3 are on display at the Henry Ford Museum in a popup collection called “Looking Through Things,” which has been introduced in celebration of the iMac’s anniversary.

The iMac G3 was introduced just a year after Steve Jobs returned to lead Apple, and it came at a time when the company was still struggling and trying to find its footing. By 1999, Apple saw its first quarter profits more than triple, with the jump attributed to sales of the new iMac.

Apple in May celebrated the anniversary of the debut of the iMac G3, which, while launched in August, was first introduced by Jobs in May 1998.

20 years ago today, Steve introduced the world to iMac. It set Apple on a new course and forever changed the way people look at computers. pic.twitter.com/GbKno7YBHl

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 6, 2018

Since the iMac G3’s 1998 debut, Apple has introduced several revisions to the desktop machine, launching design revisions in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2015.

Today, the iMac is available in 21.5 and 27-inch size options, with 4K and 5K Retina displays, respectively. Kaby Lake chips, AMD graphics, and super fast SSDs are included.

We also have an iMac Pro, a workstation class machine aimed at Apple’s professional users with a unique Space Gray body, Xeon processors with up to 18 cores, Radeon Pro Vega graphics, and up to 4TB of SSD storage.

We’re still expecting refreshed iMac models in 2018. There’s no word on when the next design change is coming, but in 2018, Apple is expected to add 8th-generation Coffee Lake chips and other internal improvements that make a great desktop machine even better.

Related Roundup: iMacBuyer’s Guide: iMac (Don’t Buy)
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Classic Strategy Game ‘Rome: Total War’ Coming to iPhone on August 23

Feral has announced that the iPhone version of ROME: Total War will be released on August 23. The acclaimed historical strategy game made its way to iPad in November 2016, and has since been redesigned for an even more mobile experience.

ROME: Total War on iPhone

ROME: Total War seamlessly blends conquest and politics on a massive scale as it challenges players to build and rule the ancient world’s greatest empire over three hundred years, from the late Roman Republic to the early Roman Empire. Players will deploy strategy and tactics in spectacular real-time battles, and use diplomacy, subterfuge and assassination to smooth the path to ultimate victory in huge turn-based campaigns.

The upcoming version includes a suite of features tailored specifically for iPhone, from a redesigned user interface to enhanced touch controls. Feral says the game will make full use of the latest version of Apple’s Metal API for improved performance, enhanced graphics, and reduced battery usage.

ROME: Total War will require an iPhone 5S or later, iOS 11, and 4GB of free space to install. The full list of supported iPhones is below:

• iPhone 8 plus
• iPhone 7 plus
• iPhone 6s plus
• iPhone 6 plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s
• iPod Touch (6th generation)

ROME: Total War for iPhone will be available from the App Store for $9.99 as a universal app. That means anyone who previously purchased the game on iPad will be able to install it on their iPhone at no additional cost, and transfer across any existing save files.

Tag: Feral
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