The Ultimate MCSE Certification bundle is just $49!

Looking to take your IT career to the next level? If so, Microsoft’s Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Server Infrastructure Expert certification is one that many people want to have, but not everyone can afford to get. Luckily, you don’t have to pay full price to get the full benefits, but the sales won’t last long.

Take your career to the next level! Learn More

With this certification training bundle you’ll have access to more than 100 hours of content, be able to use labs, games and more to gauge your progress and much more.

Some of the things this bundle includes are:

• Access over 100 hours of content 24/7
• Prepare for Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 certification exams 70-410 through 70-414
• Understand configuring Hyper-V & more
• Learn how to manage group policy & more
• Use labs, games, activities, assessments & printable study guides to gauge your progress
• Communicate w/ other students taking the course via social learning

Take your career to the next level! Learn More

You’ll also have complete access to Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 certification exams, 70-410, 70-411, 70-412, 70-413, and 70-414. If you are looking to jumpstart your career or take it to the next level, you’ll want to check out this server admin certification bundle, especially at its 97% discount.

This deal won’t last long, and odds are you have an extra $49 that you can scrape together to grab this bundle with access to over 100 hours of content and more.

Google Calculator v7.5 updated with new Material Theme UI

The new update is rolling out to users now.

If you’ve been following our coverage over the last few weeks, you’ll know that Google’s been updating a few of its core apps to adopt its new Material Theme UI. Following in the footsteps of Android Messages, Contacts, and more, the latest app to receive this visual overhaul is Google Calculator.

Similar to those previous app updates, you won’t find any functional changes in Calculator v7.5. Instead, this update is focused purely on cosmetic tweaks. So, what exactly is new?

• The gray number pad is now white
• Slide-out menu is a deeper shade of blue
• Google Sans font has arrived
• The 0 and . buttons have switched places

In addition to the above changes, I also noticed that Google Calculator on my OnePlus 6 now shows the slide-out menu from the right permanently at the top of my screen above the number pad. I found this on both versions 7.5 and 7.4 and Andrew also has the new placement on his Galaxy Note 9.

What do you think about Google Calculator’s new look?

Download: Google Calculator (free)

The best battery cases for the Galaxy Note 9

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We live and breathe Android phones, and we understand how frustrating it can be when they die. That’s why we’ve sought out the best battery packs you can buy.

The ZeroLemon Slim Power is the best case to prolong the life of your Galaxy Note 9. With a 5000mAh extended battery, you can nearly double the life of the phone, and ZeroLemon is a trusted brand that provides lifetime support in addition to the case’s one-year warranty.

Our pick

ZeroLemon Slim Power

• $35 at Amazon

A huge battery case from a trusted brand.

The Slim Power provides the Note 9 with an additional 5000mAh battery pack, and features a “chinless” design that keeps the height of the phone to a minimum. Just like the Note 9 itself, it charges over USB-C and even supports passthrough charging.

Who should buy this battery case

The Galaxy Note 9 already has fantastic battery life, but sometimes things happen. Maybe you’re going on a weekend camping trip without power, or maybe you just forgot to charge your phone overnight and have to rush out to work. Whatever the reason, a battery case is always handy to have. It adds significant thickness to the already huge Note 9, but that’s better than having a dead phone in your pocket.

Is it a good time to buy this phone?

Yes. Just like the Note 9 itself, the ZeroLemon Slim Power is a brand new product that won’t be getting replaced with a newer model any time soon.

Reasons to buy

• More than doubles the phone’s battery capacity
• Easily affordable
• Supports passthrough charging

Reasons not to buy

• Makes the phone very thick
• Negates wireless charging and mobile payments

Don’t let your Note 9 die

ZeroLemon has been a trusted brand for battery-related accessories for years, which is what you want when you’re shopping for something to go with your $1,000 superphone. That doesn’t mean it has to be expensive like the phone, though — at just $35, it’s hard to argue with the Slim Power case, even if you only buy it to have around as a backup and don’t use it every day.

Don’t settle for no-name brands when you’re buying accessories for your $1,000 phone.

Don’t let the name Slim Power confuse you, though — while it’s relatively small for a 5000mAh battery, this case will make your Note 9 anything but slim. On the bright side, it’s cleverly designed to keep from adding any more height to the phone, aside from the small bump where the case plugs into the Note 9’s USB-C port.

The Slim Power case also supports pass-through charging, which means you don’t have to take your phone out of the case to charge it directly; instead, plugging a USB-C cable into the Slim Power will prioritize your Note 9 first, charging the case once the phone has reached full battery.

Alternatives to the Slim Power

ZeroLemon may be the most recognizable name of the bunch, but it isn’t the only name. Moonmini offers an identical case for slightly cheaper, and i-BLADES has a much slimmer, unique modular design that, while significantly more expensive, could be worth a look if you don’t need a huge additional battery.

Runner-up

Moonmini Battery Case

Identical to the ZeroLemon in every way.

$30 at Amazon

Moonmini isn’t as well-known as ZeroLemon, but its battery case offers the same 5000mAh cell for $5 cheaper. In fact, it looks like an identical model, though you won’t get the same lifelong support after your one-year warranty expires.

We’d still recommend sticking with a well-established name like ZeroLemon, if nothing else for the longterm support, but if you’re looking to save every dollar possible, Moonmini seems to offer the exact same case at a $5 discount.

Modular pick

i-BLADES Smartcase

Slim, modular design with its own built-in storage.

$99 at i-BLADES

The i-BLADES Smartcase is the most flexible case of the bunch. It’s a thin polycarbonate case that uses magnets to attach a separate 1800mAh battery pack. In addition, the case houses additional storage for your phone, along with an extra microSD slot.

With a much smaller 1800mAh battery compared to the alternatives’ 5000mAh cells, it’s hard to recommend the i-BLADES case for a whopping $100. When you’re not using the battery, though, it’s an extremely thin case, and even features additional storage and a microSD card slot to augment your Note 9.

Bottom line

If you need to extend the battery life on your Galaxy Note 9, the ZeroLemon Slim Power is easily your best bet. If you don’t mind questionable aftermarket support, however, Moonmini’s case is identical for a few bucks cheaper, and the i-BLADES Smartcase is an interesting option in its own right.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Hayato Huseman is a recovering trade show addict and associate editor for Android Central based out of Indianapolis. He can mostly be found complaining about the cold and enthusing about prog metal on Twitter at @hayatohuseman. Got a tip or inquiry? Drop him a line at hayato@mobilenations.com.

Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he’s writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there’s a correlation.

Amazon’s Fire TV experience is built into these new Insignia televisions

Your Fire TV options just multiplied.

Amazon is partnering up with Best Buy once again to begin offering its Fire TV functionality built-in to Insignia televisions. Earlier during 2018, Best Buy announced that it would start selling Toshiba Smart TVs with the Fire TV experience built-in, and they were such a success that a new line of TVs from Best Buy’s private label, Insignia, has been unveiled.

The original Toshiba Fire TV Edition televisions started at $329.99 and came in sizes of 43 inches, 50 inches, and 55 inches, while today you could snatch one from Amazon starting at $300. The new Insignia Fire TV Edition televisions don’t vary here; they’ll be available at the same $329.99 starting price and in the same sizes.

Similar to the Toshiba line of televisions, the Insignia Fire TV Edition will offer 4K UHD resolution while integrating live, over-the-air channels with streaming channels such as Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video. You won’t need to plug in any dongles or anything like that; simply connect the TV to your home’s Wi-Fi network and you’ll gain access to thousands of channels, apps, and even the Amazon Alexa smart assistant. You’ll also receive a Voice Remote with Alexa that makes it easy to locate titles, apps, or music; it can even control your smart home devices.

The new Insignia Fire TV Edition televisions are priced at $329.99 for the 43-inch version, 50-inch for $379.99, and 55-inch for $449.99. You’ll find them now available exclusively at Best Buy’s website and Amazon’s, while physical Best Buy stores are slated to receive stock soon.

See at Best Buy

How to get the most out of your Galaxy Note 9’s dual cameras

The cameras are great — here’s how you can make the most of them.

The Galaxy Note 9 has one of the best overall camera setups of any phone today. The hardware may not have been upgraded from the Galaxy S9+, but that’s of little consequence — Samsung still does a fantastic job with its cameras. One of the things the company is best at is making the camera easy to use for everyday shots, and making sure the base level quality is great.

But if you’re a Note 9 user, you want to go beyond regular point-and-shoot quality photos — you want to do the best you can, and leverage every feature the phone has to offer. To take the best possible photos with your Note 9, you’ll want to use all of these tips and tricks.

Clean your camera lenses

Samsung moved the fingerprint sensor below the cameras on the Note 9, which is a welcomed change, but it still doesn’t have considerable separation from the camera lenses. And that means you’re still likely to touch the lens from time to time as you reach up to unlock the phone. Camera lens smudges destroy photo quality, and we don’t want that to happen.

The easiest thing you can do to improve every photo you take with any phone is to just clean the camera lens. You don’t have to bring a microfiber cloth around with you, either — just give the lens a little wipe with the edge of your shirt or pants pocket. Anything will be better than leaving it look like you just smeared some french fries across it.

Turn on viewfinder grid lines

Any time someone wants a quick tip to help improve their smartphone photography, I tell them to turn on viewfinder grid lines. They help you align horizons to get the perfect perspective on a shot (and not just on sunset photos!), but also help you properly proportion a scene so it looks great. By having a simple grid on your viewfinder you can get your subject set right where you want it, and have it well-proportioned to have the rest of the shot complement it.

To turn on viewfinder grid lines on the Note 9, go into the camera settings and scroll down to find Grid lines. Most people will benefit from the “3 x 3” option, but there’s also a somewhat-odd “Square” option that simply frames in the center of the viewfinder as a square for moderate scene composition help.

Customize camera shooting modes

Samsung’s camera interface has a simple swiping mechanism to switch between shooting modes like Auto, Pro, Super slow-mo and more. One of the best parts about it is your ability to customize the order of the modes, keeping those you use the most close to Auto (the default) and leaving the rest further away or disabled entirely. Go into your camera settings and find “Edit camera modes” to get started.

Once in the settings, you have check boxes on the left side to completely disable individual modes. Perhaps you don’t want to see Food or AR Emoji modes because you never use them — easily done! The only one you can’t remove is Auto. (Note: you can configure modes for the rear and front cameras independently.)

On the right side, you can use the arrows to drag the shooting modes around and choose their order. Note that Auto will always be the default that your camera opens to, so the modes on either side of it will be just a swipe away in either direction. I keep Pro to the left and Slow motion to the right, flanked further by less-used modes like Panorama, Live focus and Hyperlapse.

Tap to focus when shooting at f/1.5

The camera’s physically adjustable aperture is an engineering marvel, and it lets the Note 9 take great low-light shots at f/1.5 by letting more light hit the sensor. And the camera actually uses f/1.5 far more often than you’d think, as Samsung sets the threshold for switching to the f/1.5 aperture at any ambient light condition less than bright outdoor sunlight.

f/1.5 has many benefits, but the shallow depth of field can be a downside.

The one downside of shooting at this wide of an aperture is that the depth of field is extremely shallow, meaning the amount of the photo that’s in focus front-to-back is small. Sometimes if you’re taking a macro-style shot, or even a portrait, the camera can focus on something you don’t want it to, and because the depth of field is so shallow it can actually make your subject look soft or de-focused. So when you take a photo and you think it looks soft or blurry, don’t just check your camera lens for smudges — you can fix it in your next shot.

The way to fix this for certain is to just tap on the portion of the scene you want the camera to focus on before capturing. This is extremely important in macro shots where a differing focal point can make a huge difference in the look of the photo. Provided you’re not too close to focus, the camera will always focus on the point you tap until you move the phone and re-frame entirely.

Zoom using the shutter button

One of Samsung’s smartest camera interface elements is one you can’t see: you can slide the shutter button to zoom the camera in and out. This function is not-so-transparently noted by the lines on either side of the shutter button, but now you know what they mean.

When holding the camera in landscape, just slide the shutter button up (zoom in) or down (zoom out) until you get to where you want to be, anywhere between 1X and 10X zoom. In portrait, sliding to the right (zoom in) or left (zoom out) accomplishes the same thing. It will automatically switch to the secondary camera (light permitting) for anything beyond 2X.

You’ll never want to zoom in the camera any other way once you get used to this. It’s particularly useful when using the camera in one hand, so you don’t have to fumble around to hit the screen or use a volume key to zoom.

Tips for shooting in 960 fps slow-mo

Note 9 has super-high-frame rate slow-motion video, and while Samsung makes it pretty easy to switch to this mode and capture, there are a few things you should keep in mind when using 960 fps.

• Light is the most important factor: By taking video at nearly 1000 fps, you dramatically reduce the amount of ambient light getting into that camera sensor, which considering its size is already hard-pressed to get enough light. For the best 960 fps video, you need to ideally shoot outside or in an extremely well-lit room. Don’t be surprised if you see grainy, soft 960 fps video when shooting in anything but absolutely great lighting.
• “Auto” mode is usually best: The camera will let you switch to a “Manual” capture mode where you choose where to slow down the video capture, but because the window for capture is only 0.2 or 0.4 seconds, it’s incredibly tough to do right. Using the “Auto” mode to let it capture on its own when motion is detected in the designated portion of the screen is typically best for those dramatic shots of fast-moving objects.
• Choose multi-take or single-take: In the camera settings, you can switch between being able to take one burst of super slow-motion or multiple in the same clip. The single-take is the easiest to manage and edit, but multi-take is useful if you don’t want to stop and start a new recording for each slow-motion clip you plan on capturing.
• Edit the clip after capture: Even in Auto capture mode, your super slow-motion may not come off perfectly the way you want. But that’s okay, because you can edit it! Just open up your video clip in Samsung’s own Gallery app, and you can actually trim and manage the slow motion parts as well as the bookend pieces of normal-speed video. You can also turn off the sometimes mismatched auto-generated music overlay on the clips.
• Don’t be afraid to drop to 240 fps: 960 fps seems fantastic, but it has limitations like needing lots of light and only outputting 720p resolution. If you don’t need that dramatic of a slow-motion effect, you can move to the regular slow-mo mode and capture at 240 fps, which is still very slow and will let you record for much longer at a higher resolution.

Press and hold the record button to preview video

This one’s another hidden feature you won’t know about unless someone tells you. Other than the two slow-motion modes, there’s no dedicated “video” mode in the camera — you just get a video record button in the main interface, right next to the regular photo shutter button. The problem is that photos are taken in a 4:3 aspect ratio, but video is recorded at 16:9, so when you tap that record button the interface switches over and so does your perspective on the scene.

To save yourself from having to edit out the first few seconds of every video you take because you’re re-framing your shot, press and hold the video record button when you want to start shooting video. As you hold the button, the interface will switch to a “video” mode and show you what you’ll actually be recording — and when you release the button the recording will actually start.

It’s a small change, but one that will save you frustration (and editing time) with every single video that you record on your phone.

Use the S Pen as a remote shutter

There are dedicated remote shutter accessories you can buy for any phone, but the Note 9 is the only one that has it built into the phone with the new wireless S Pen.

To configure your S Pen for use with the camera wirelessly, go into Settings, Advanced features, S Pen and then S Pen remote. By default, a long-press of the S Pen button will launch the camera, a single press will take a photo and a double-press will switch between the front and rear cameras. You can swap those functions if you wish, disable either one, or set either one to record a video.

It may not seem all that useful at first, but keep in mind all of the potential shooting options this opens up. You can turn the phone around and take a selfie using the far-superior rear camera. You can prop up the phone or use a tripod and take a super-low-light photo without introducing camera shake. You can set up the phone and get a group photo without using a timer.

Once you build this into your photography workflow, you’ll find yourself using it more than you’d think — and your friends will be jealous of all the unique photos you can take.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review
• 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

AT&T
Verizon
T-Mobile
Samsung
Amazon

What to do when you brick your Oculus Go

Did you try to factory reset your Oculus Go and now you’ve found yourself with a lifeless shell of what your headset used to be? Before you go into a full panic mode, try out any of these solutions to see if they help you get your headset back up and working.

Products used in this guide

• Amazon: Oculus Go Headset ($199)
• Retailer: 2.0 Micro USB Nylon Braided Cable (2 pack) ($8.99)

Factory reset the device with the headset buttons

Turn off your Oculus Go.

Hold the power and volume down button on your headset at the same time until the boot screen loads on your headset.

Use the volume buttons on your headset to highlight Factory Reset and press the power button.
Login to the Oculus app with the account you’d like to connect to your Oculus Go headset and set your device up from scratch.

Hopefully, there was only an error in the files when you attempted your first Factory Reset. By forcing the device to reset once more you might be able to reset the drivers to not give you any further issues. If these steps didn’t work for you, for whatever reason, continue on to try to factory reset with your phone instead. You might be able to get a response from there.

Factory reset the device with your phone

Open the Oculus app on the phone connected to your Oculus Go headset.
Tap Settings in the bottom menu.

Tap the headset connected to your phone.

Tap More Settings.
Tap Factory Reset and then Reset.

If factory resetting your device by either of the two steps didn’t work for you, it’s time to get a little more crafty with your attempts at fixing your device. Take a deep breath and keep going, there’s still hope!

First things first: Make sure there’s still something even there

Connect your Oculus Go to your PC with a micro USB cable.

In your headset, you will have to give your PC permission to gain access. Select Allow Access to Data.

Once you are connected to your PC the Autoplay feature should open. If it does, select Open Device to View Files.

If Autoplay does not start you can manually browse to Oculus Go Storage through File Explorer. It will be named VR-Headset

Once you have your VR-Headset open, select Internal Shared Storage
Open the folder named Oculus

If you’re not showing any signs of any files or data on your device, it’s time to contact Oculus Support. If you have, move on to the next step instead. The fact that your computer is recognizing there is something on your headset means not all hope is lost (yet). While there aren’t many ways to go about fixing driver issues, outside of a factory reset, this will at least be able to give you the ability to let Oculus Support narrow down what the issue may be.

Try the power button one last time

Put on your Oculus Go headset.
Press the power button on your Oculus Go and hold it for at least a minute.
Try plugging in your headset and starting this process over.

Often times than not, when we’re in a panic, we tend to not do things to the full extent that we should. After you’ve tried all the options above, see if you can turn on your headset by holding in the power button longer than you normally would. If you’re still not getting any answers, put in a ticket with Oculus Support.

Contacting Oculus Support

Go to the Oculus Support Page.

Select Request to Return my Oculus Hardware.

Fill out the rest of the form with your information and the problems you are experiencing.
Press Submit.

Oculus usually takes 2-5 business days to get back to you on your request to return your hardware. When they respond back to you with repair or return options you’ll be able to finish out the process however you feel comfortable. Whether that’s returning your headset to buy a new one, sending your current one for repairs, or even just requesting a swap-out.

Our top equipment picks

Outside of the Oculus Go headset, you want to make sure you have the best cords to accessorize with it. This isn’t just for style or not wanting to replace a twisted cord every two months, but also for performance. Here’s our top pick for charging cables!

The best charging cable

Micro USB Cables (4Pack 3FT/6FT/6FT/10FT)

$12

Using USB 2.0 to bring your high-speed transfer speed

These micro USB cables offer transfer speed up to 480Mbps, 2.4A fast charger, data transfer and speed charging two in one. Coming in various sizes, you’ll always have the most convenient option available.

It truly helps save the battery life of your device by making sure you have the best charging cords available for your device. You always want to make sure you’re charging your devices only after they’ve reached a power of less than 10%, and occasionally allow the device to die entirely before charging. Outside of this, a 2.0 USB charger means that you can download and upload files to and from your Oculus Go a lot faster than you would on any standard cable!

Besides, who can argue getting 4 cables for the price of 2?

The SanDisk Ultra 64GB dual USB flash drive is only $20 right now

SanDisk’s 64GB Ultra dual-USB flash drive is down to $19.79 on Amazon. This is the lowest we’ve ever seen it drop, beating previous pricing by about $2.

The flash drive is notable because it has two connecting ports – one USB-C and one USB-A. Many modern laptops and tablets only come with one or the other, so it can be frustrating when you work with multiple devices using different ports. With SanDisk’s flash drive you can access data transfer speeds up to 150 MB/s thanks to USB 3.1 tech. And you can access the SanDisk memory zone app, which helps with data backup. Users give it 4.1 stars based on 522 reviews.

Other storage capacities are on sale, like the 16GB option for $10.99, or you can switch it up and grab a Cruzer Fit low profile drive for as little as $9.25.

HyperJuice’s USB-C battery pack wants to be the most powerful on the market

Battery life in phones continues to improve, but it’s never going to bring us back to the days of when your Nokia phone lasted for three to five days before you needed to plug it in. Portable batteries have grown in popularity over the recent years as a way to keep your phone powered up while on the go, freeing you from the wall. Hyper has announced a new Kickstarter campaign that aims to bring the “World’s most powerful USB-C battery pack” to consumers.

Internally, this thing is a monster. It offers 100W of USB-C Power Delivery 3.0, which is an equivalent of 27000mAh (the largest you can carry onto a plane with you). It has a total of three outputs: a full-sized USB port that offers 18W, and two USB-C ports at 60W and 100W respectively. The 100W port is an In/Out port, which is how you charge the battery. With all this capacity, you may expect that it would be quite large, but it seems to be similar in size to Anker’s 26800 PD battery pack, except with the ability to provide a whole lot more power output.

Early backers of the project can score one of these for as little as $149, which is nearly 40% lower than the expected retail price of $299 when it launches for the masses later. As of right now, the project is already funded with 28 days to go, and the company expects to begin production of these in October with shipments taking place in November.

See at Kickstarter

The Amazfit Verge is a new smartwatch from Xiaomi that costs just $115

It’s available for purchase in China starting today.

Although we’re still lamenting the fact that Google won’t be releasing a Pixel Watch this year, our readers over in China can now purchase a new smartwatch from Xiaomi sub-brand Huami that offers a tremendous amount of bang-for-your-buck. The Amazfit Verge was just unveiled today, and if you happen to live in China, it looks like the smartwatch to get.

The Amazfit Verge has a circular 1.3-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and the watch’s body is 46g heavy and 12.6mm thick. It’s powered by Huami’s own operating system (no Wear OS, here) that should run just fine with a dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM.

When it comes to features, the Amazfit Verge has just about everything you could ask for — including:

• NFC for mobile payments via AliPay
• Built-in GPS
• Heart-rate sensor
• IP68 waterproofing
• Xiao voice assistant
• Integration with Mija smart home ecosystem

Even with all of that tech crammed inside the Amazfit Verge, Huami is still promising around 5-days of battery life on a single charge.

If you’re interested, the Amazfit Verge is available for purchase now at both Tmall and JD for CNY 800 ($115 USD). Huami’s previous smartwatch, the Amazfit Bip, did eventually make its way to the United States, but it’s currently unclear if the Verge will follow in those footsteps.

See at Amazfit

Apple Support App Gains Easier Access to AppleCare+, Streamlined Process for Resetting Apple ID

Apple today updated its Apple Support app for iOS devices to add new features that include easier access to AppleCare+ and a better way to reset your Apple ID password.

According to the update’s release notes, it’s easier to add AppleCare+ coverage to your eligible devices using the Apple Support app. AppleCare+ provides extra coverage and replacement for accidental damage on iOS, Apple Watch, Mac, HomePod, and more.

Today’s update also introduces a streamlined process for resetting your Apple ID password quickly and securely, and it offers up a number of unspecified bug and performance enhancements.

The Apple Support app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: App Store, Apple Support
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