Logitech Crayon stylus for iPad is now available for pre-order

In March, Apple held an education-focused event in Chicago where the company introduced the Crayon — a third-party stylus created in partnership with Logitech for its 9.7-inch iPad. At launch, the cheaper alternative was only available for schools to purchase, but now it’s being sold to the public.

Logitech Crayon uses Apple Pencil technology. It doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but it does include a smart tip to adjust line weight depending on how you angle the Crayon. It also offers palm rejection technology, so you don’t have to worry about your hand placement while taking notes or drawing on your iPad.

The Crayon is also geared towards children when it comes to both aesthetics and durability — a great alternative for when parents don’t want to risk handing over their expensive Apple Pencil. With a flat shaped design, it won’t roll off the desk or get lost under the couch whenever someone puts it down. It’s also durable enough to withstand drops of up to four feet, and its rubber end cap is attached to the stylus so you won’t have to worry about constantly losing it.

The stylus doesn’t require Bluetooth to pair with the iPad — it connects instantly by pressing the on button. As for battery life, Logitech’s stylus should provide up to seven hours of use on a single charge. To save battery, it’ll shut off automatically after a half hour without use. A two-minute charge will also give it up to 30 minutes of writing time, and you can charge it using the iPad’s lightning cable.

Rather than the $50 price tag listed for schools and school districts, the Crayon will be a little more expensive for everyone else — coming in at $70. But it’s still cheaper than the $100 you’d be paying for the Apple Pencil. As for availability, the stylus can be pre-ordered via Logitech’s website and will also be available through Apple retail stores starting September 12 — the same day as the company’s highly anticipated hardware event.

Before heading over to make your purchase, it’s important to note the Logitech Crayon is only compatible with the latest sixth-generation iPad. So, those who have older models of the iPad or the iPad Pro are out of luck.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best stylus for note-takers and artists
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• Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 review
• The best wireless keyboards

The Echo Look, a Bluetooth sound bar, and more are discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on Amazon’s Echo Look, a Yamaha Bluetooth sound bar, electronic noise-reduction muffs, and more!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

What accessories do I need to overclock my Raspberry Pi 3 B+?

You don’t have to overclock your Raspberry Pi to do any of the cool things you see it can do, but there’s no denying that when overclocked and properly cooled you can see a performance gain when you need it most. We’ll tell you what you need should you decide to try to squeeze a little more from the little PC board that could.

Products Used In This Guide

• Amazon: NorthPrada 3A Power Supply ($9)
• Amazon: Easycargo Raspberry Pi Heatsink Kit ($4)

Installing the hardware

The Easycargo heatsinks have thermal tape applied to each piece. Peel back the covering and:

• Affix the large finned heatsink to the top side of the board, placing it over the processor.
• Affix the small finned heatsink to the top side of the board, placing it over the GPU.
• Affix the copper plate to the bottom side of the board, placing it over the RAM module.

Allow several minutes for the adhesive to cure at room temperature.

Plug the NorthPrada 3 Amp power supply into a properly grounded wall outlet.
Plug the micro USB connector of the NorthPrada power supply into the Raspberry Pi.

Start the Raspberry Pi normally and once booted edit the /boot/config.txt file

You will need to add or edit the following lines:

• arm_freq=1450 # CPU Frequency
• core_freq=500 # GPU Frequency
• over_voltage=4

Reboot your Raspberry Pi and test for stability.

Not all hardware is capable of stable overclocking, and there is plenty of testing involved to find what your particular board is capable of. The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is already clocked as high as the factory believes the hardware is capable of running while stable, but the addition of cooling and increasing the voltage can often yield results.

Our top equipment picks

You absolutely need a 3 Amp power supply and some cooling if you want to overclock a Raspberry Pi. We think these products are the best you can buy for doing it.

The NorthPrada 3 AMp Power Supply is recommended for use with the Raspberry Pi any time more power is needed for peripherals or overclocking. It provides clean and stable power at 5 volts and 3 Amps and comes with a convenient inline power switch.

Power Supply

NorthPrada 3 Amp power supply

$9 at Amazon

When you want to bump up the CPU power requirements you need to bump up the supply as well.

The recommended 2.5 Amp power supply for the Raspberry Pi is great for normal operation. Increasing the CPU and GPU power demands means you’ll need something that can supply more and this power supply from NorthPrada is highly recommended.

These heatsinks from Easycargo use actual thermal tape instead of standard 3M adhesive and will cool your processor, GPU and RAM by several degrees in an open-air environment.

Cooling

Easycargo Raspberry Pi Heatsink Kit

$4 at Amazon

Equipment is needed to keep the internal temps below 84.5 Celcius.

You’ll need a way to keep the temps below 85c while running overclocked or the built-in power management with throttle your clock speeds.

Get fitted for fall with $11 Amazon Essentials Men’s Long-Sleeve Shirts

Add something new to your wardrobe.

Amazon has a few of its Amazon Essentials Men’s Long-Sleeve Shirts on sale for only $10.80 right now. Up until today they’ve sold for $18. The reviews are good as well.

You can choose from various colors of gingham, stripes, and poplin. These are nice because you can dress them up or down. Throw on a nice jacket or sweater and they’ll be perfect to wear out or to the office.

See at Amazon

Assemble your Fortnite squad for the new “High Stakes” heist game mode!

The hottest game of 2018 has finally arrived on Android.

Fortnite has been blowing up lately. Millions of people have become obsessed with the game, both as players and just watching popular Twitch streamers play the game.

Interested to learn more about what the heck Fortnite is all about? Just keep reading.

What’s new with Fortnite?

September 6, 2018 — Epic Games offers an in-depth look at Android release alongside v5.40 update!

The latest Fortnite update has gone live in the Fortnite Installer app, bringing with it the new “High Stakes” heist mode along with support for VOIP voice chat (so you can enjoy all the inane chatter from the 12-year-olds that make up Fortnite’s player base).

The update also expands the list of compatible devices to include Essential-PH, Motorola, HTC, and Sony Xperia devices. It also adds some new weapons including the Grappler, which offers new ways for players to get around the map. The full patch notes can be found here.

Also of note is this detailed blog post from the developers that goes into some depth about the challenges the team went through to port the game over to Android. There are some really neat bits for those interested in the technical challenges Epic Games faced as they worked to optimize the game for the range of Android devices the game supports, along with Epic Game’s battle against websites pushing malware disguised as Fortnite. However, there’s of course no clear mention of the exploit found in the first Fortnite Installer that allowed hackers to install practically anything in the background without asking for the user’s permissions because that, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, should not have been disclosed to the public until mid-November. So maybe they’ll address that particular issue in a future blog post in a couple months’ time.

September 4, 2018 — New “High Stakes” heist mode launches this week!

You have to give the Fortnite developers credit for continuing to add creative new modes to the game. Coming in the v5.40 update expected to start rolling out tomorrow, players will be able to check out a new game mode, “High Stakes”.

Will you get away with the jewel? #HighStakes launches tomorrow. 💎💼🚐 pic.twitter.com/OnopM9TnID

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 4, 2018

The new squad-based mode tasks your team with tracking down one of four safes scattered through the map. In each safe is a special jewel statue which you must collect and then outrun and outgun your opponents as you make your way to a getaway van. The new game mode was previewed at PAX West over Labor Day weekend and is expected to go live on September 5.

August 23, 2018 — More mobile bug fixes arrive with Fortnite Update v5.30

Epic Games has announced the latest major update to Fortnite that tweaks some aspects of gameplay, introduces a new game mode, and provides some much-needed fixes for the mobile version of the game. You’ll now be able to find a “Rift-To-Go” item that lets you teleport above your current location and bust out your glider, or check out Score Royale Limited Time Mode (LTM), which offers a new way to compete as players loot and eliminate other players to earn points.

But most importantly, the graphical settings for mobile appear to be fixed along with some improvements for controlling vehicles and building. Here’s the full list from the mobile patch notes:

• Players must now select a preferred fire mode before proceeding to matchmaking.
• A dedicated button to powerslide while driving has been added to the UI.
• The button for exiting a vehicle will now always remain consistent.
• Turbo building will no longer be interrupted by switching structure types.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed camera jitter while moving and looking simultaneously.
• Fixed an issue where settings would appear in-game lower than intended resulting in missing shadows and lower image quality.

August 16, 2018 — Update v5.21 addresses Fortnite’s poor performance on most Android phones

On the same day that Fornite started rolling out for non-Samsung Galaxy devices, the Fortnite devs took to Twitter to acknowledge stability issues with the app on devices with 4GB of RAM — which describes almost all Android phones that Fortnite is currently available on.

We have seen reports that some players on 4GB Android devices are encountering an issue causing poor performance. This is due to multiple background applications running–leaving the device without enough memory for Fortnite. We are investigating and working on a fix!

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2018

That fix arrived with an update to v5.21, which appears to have addressed the abysmal frame rate issues and much of the frustrating performance issues that have plagued Fortnite through its first week on Android.

Other significant additions in the v5.21 update are a couple new game modes: Soaring 50’s and Sniper Shootout. You can check them out for a limited time.

August 13, 2018 — Epic opens the Fortnite Android Beta to a ton of non-Samsung phones/tablets

Fortnite’s short-lived exclusivity on Samsung devices has come to an end. After a few days of being limited to select Galaxy-branded gadgets, Epic’s now expanded its Fortnite Android Beta to a heap of other phones and tablets.

Hey Android owners! We’re excited to open up the #FortniteAndroid Beta to more devices starting… TODAY! Check your email as the first wave of invites have started to go out. Not signed up yet? Head to our website for more info: https://t.co/AvolyySFZ1 pic.twitter.com/DuW5yzpcqd

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2018

You can find the full list below in the Where can I download the game? section, but some notable additions include the Google Pixel 2/2 XL, OnePlus 6, Razer Phone, and the LG G7.

If you haven’t already received an invite to join the beta, head to Epic’s website, enter your email to sign up, and wait for the invitation to come through.

August 10, 2018 — Google now warns players that Fortnite isn’t available on the Play Store

Epic’s decision to not release Fortnite on the Play Store is a controversial one for a lot of reasons — mainly because it gives crooks a field day with tricking people into downloading fake versions that serve to do nothing but cause trouble.

In an effort to combat this, searching for “Fortnite” on the Play Store now returns a message that reads, “Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games, Inc is not available on Google Play.”

It’s a small heads-up to let people know the legit version of Fortnite isn’t anywhere to be found, and hopefully, it’ll be enough to stop people from downloading bad actors.

Users will also see the warning pop up when searching for “Fortnite Battle Royale”, “Fortnite Mobile”, etc.

August 9, 2018 — Fortnite Beta for Android is officially live, exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices until August 12

In spite of all of those clickbait ads you’ve probably seen over the past several months, the Fortnite Beta was officially announced today at the Samsung Unpacked event alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung and Epic Games have teamed up to make Fortnite exclusive to Samsung Galaxy phones until August 12, at which point the beta will be opened up to other Android devices. If you’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S7 or better, you can download and start playing Fortnite on your phone right now!

August 3, 2018 — Epic confirms that it won’t be offering Fortnite for Android via the Google Play Store

It’s official, folks. A few days after rumors started piling up, Epic has confirmed that Fortnite for Android won’t be offered on the Google Play Store. Instead, users will have to download the game directly from Epic’s website.

Talking to The Verge, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said:

Epic wants to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where that’s possible. The great thing about the Internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required.

In addition to having a more direct relationship with players, Epic’s second reason for bypassing the Play Store is that it won’t have to hand over 30% of all sales from in-game purchases to Google. According to Sweeny, “30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform.”

Sweeny also went on to say that Fortnite for Android will be available globally except for China. However, Epic is currently working on finding a way to bring both the iOS and Android version of the game to the country at some point in the near future.

July 30, 2018 — Fortnite for Android might not be on the Play Store and require a manual APK download

Just a few days after it was reported that Fortnite will be launching as a limited exclusive for the Galaxy Note 9, we now have some interesting details about how the Android app will be distributed.

The folks at XDA recently took a look at the source code on Epic’s official website, and while doing so, came across some instructions telling people how to download the Android port. Specifically, it talks about going to Epic’s site and downloading the game’s APK file there rather than doing so through Google Play.

With a move like this, there are a few important things to point out.

First off, while manually downloading APK files isn’t all that difficult, it does require you to accept downloads from unknown sources (possibly making yourself vulnerable to security threats) and can be a clunky process for users that aren’t familiar with doing so. On the flip side, Epic gets to avoid Google’s 30 percent cut from all in-game purchases.

It’s still unclear if this process will be set in stone for the game’s foreseeable future or just during its exclusivity to the Note 9, but all these details should be explained in just a few short days.

July 16, 2018 — Season 5 Battle Pass has begun, still no official Android launch date set

We’re midway through July and still no word from Epic Games as to when specifically Fortnite will be released for Android this summer.

Meanwhile, the Season 5 Battle Pass has begun for all other platforms that Fortnite is available on, which either means that the Android version is imminent or we’re going to have to wait for this season to wrap up and hope it’s released ahead of Season 6. Battle Pass seasons typically last around 10 weeks, which would mean Season 5 should wrap up around the third week of September which lines up nicely with the Autumnal equinox and the official end of summer.

Speculation on the Fortnite forums is rampant, with some posters confident the Android version will be released imminently in the coming weeks, while others are prepared to wait until September. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as a more concrete date is set.

May 18, 2018 — The Android version will be here “this summer.”

Fortnite’s iOS version has been out for a hot minute now, and to ensure the experience is as good as can be, Epic outlined a heap of improvements coming to the game — including a customizable HUD, voice chat, improved controls, and more.

You can read through all the changes here, but the most exciting news has to do with Fortnite’s Android release. Epic notes that the game will be here “this summer”, and while that’s not as specific as we’d like, it’s still a step in the right direction.

Sign up for Fortnite Mobile

All the big details

What is Fortnite?

Fortnite is what would happen if you combined two of the most addictive games out there — Minecraft and PUBG.

Fortnite offers a free 100-player Player Vs Player (PvP) Battle Royale game mode. Just like PUBG, you’re dropped onto the large island map and must arm yourself and outlive your competition. But in Fortnite, you always start out armed with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or to harvest raw supplies for building walls, ramps, and shelters.

It certainly adds extra layers of strategy to the format, creating essentially a perfect storm of addictive gaming action that’s as fun to watch as it is to play. Oh, speaking of storms all the action takes place in the eye of a deadly electrical storm meaning you can’t just hunker down and hide out the whole game. You got to keep moving.

How do you play the game?

Just like PUBG, your goal is to be the last man standing — with up to 100 players involved in each match, that’s no small task.

Each game starts with the players jumping out of the flying “Battle Bus” and parachuting down onto a giant island. Once landed, you must loot nearby buildings for items, guns, and ammo to defend yourself and attack other players.

You also need to keep an eye on the map, as every few minutes the storm closes in on the play area. If you’re caught in the storm, you slowly die so you do not want to forget to regularly check where you are on the map. Eventually, the play constricts to a tiny area for the final showdown between the remaining players — there can only be one winner!

Unlike PUBG, you’re able to carry more than two guns. Instead, you’re limited to the number of weapons and items you can carry at one time. Also, guns are color-coded to denote their rarity — from grey (common) to orange (legendary) — and the rarer the gun, the deadlier it is.

Then there’s the crafting element. Every player starts out with a pickaxe which can be used as a melee weapon or used to break down trees and buildings to harvest the raw resources. You can then use these raw resources to build your own structures, whether it be a defensive wall to provide cover from an advancing enemy, a set of stairs to reach the second floor of a building or your own watchtower to snipe players from across the map. The resources you mine will determine the strength. Steel is stronger than brick, which is stronger than wood.

The latest update to the game for the Season 5 Battle Pass has introduced a slew of new map areas and gameplay features including the All-Terrain Kart (ATK) which let you and your squad move around the map faster than ever before. You can read more about the latest tweaks in the full release notes.

Where can I download the game?

Since Epic Games has decided to release Fortnite for Android outside the confines of the Google Play Store, you’ll need to download the Fortnite Installer APK to get the game on your phone.

Epic struck a deal with Samsung to make Fortnite available for select Samsung devices right now, so if you head to the Galaxy App Store on your Galaxy S9/S9+, Note 8, Galaxy S8/S8+, Galaxy S7/S7 Edge, Tab S3, or Tab S4 and search “Fortnite”, you can download the 4MB installer to get the game on your handset right now.

If you own a non-Samsung phone, you can head to Epic’s website and enter your email to sign up for an invite to the beta. The first round of invitations went out to users on August 13, and according to Epic’s site, Fortnite for Android is compatible with the following:

• Google Pixel 2 / 2 XL
• Google Pixel / Pixel XL
• LG G7
• LG V35
• LG V30 / V30+
• LG G6
• LG V20
• LG G5
• Essential Phone
• OnePlus 6
• OnePlus 5 / 5T
• Razer Phone
• Huawei Mate 10 / Mate 10 Pro
• Huawei Mate RS
• Huawei P20 / P20 Pro
• Huawei Nova 3
• Honor 10
• Honor Play
• Honor V10
• Asus ROG Phone
• Asus Zenfone 4 Pro
• Asus Zenfone 5Z
• Asus ZenFone V
• Xiaomi Blackshark
• Xiaomi Mi 5 / 5S / 5S Plus
• Xiaomi Mi 6 / 6 Plus
• Xioami Mi 8 / 8 Explorer / 8SE
• Xiaomi Mi Mix
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Xiaomi Mi Note 2
• ZTE Axon 7 / 7S
• ZTE Axon M
• ZTE Nubia Z17 / Z17S
• ZTE Nubia Z11

How to download the Fortnite Beta on your phone

Is it free to play?

Fortnite for mobile includes the PvP Battle Royale game that’s free to play across all platforms. The console versions have a paid game mode called Save The World that’s Player vs Environment (PvE). Save The World plays more like Minecraft, where you’re harvesting more resources and stocking up on loot to survive waves of AI enemies in a sort of tower defense-style of gameplay.

The PvE mode will not be available in Fortnite Mobile due to CPU limitations and, frankly, it’s the PvP mode that everyone is crazy for so that’s quite alright with us.

Having said that, there are some reasons to spend money in Fortnite. The best way to spend money is to buy a Battle Pass which gives you daily challenges over the span of a Fortnite Season (typically lasts 10 weeks) which let you unlock a ton of cool outfits, dance emotes, and other goodies to customize your character. You can also spend V-Bucks, the in-game currency, to buy cosmetic items for your player and people sure have been buying stuff. According to this report from Sensor Tower analtyics, Fortnite Mobile players spent more than $1 million during the first 72 hours of its release on iOS. Fortunately, nothing you can buy will give you an actual advantage in the game to prevent people from paying to win. In this case, its a matter of playing to look cool

So, to answer the question, you have the option to spend money on Fortnite if you want a cool looking character, but the game is free to play and you won’t need to pay to win.

Where’s the support for Bluetooth controls?

Epic Games has confirmed that Bluetooth controller support is coming, but as of right now only touchscreen controls are available.

Is it cross-platform?

Epic Games have indicated that you will be able to play Fortnite across all platforms. Your Fortnite profile can be connected to all the platforms you play on so you can add to your stats however you connect to the game.

Don’t be worried about getting mismatched as the one mobile player in a server of PC and console players. If you’re playing solo on mobile, you will only be matched up against other mobile players. If you join a squad with friends playing on another platform, then that squad will be matched against a multi-platform population, essentially making cross-platform play opt-in.

• Learn more about Fortnite Mobile

How does it compare to the PC or console version?

If the iOS version of Fortnite is anything to go by, the Android version will enjoy feature parity with all other platforms, including PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. There will be minor differences to account for the form factor, such as (hopefully) support for Bluetooth controls, on-screen controls for those not using a controller, and certainly toned down graphics capability. But if you want to jump in for a quick game of Battle Royale, you won’t need to worry about playing a vastly different game. Fortnite on Android is still Fortnite.

Are you hyped for Fortnite?

We’ll be sure to let you know when the game launches for Android. Until then, you can create your Epic Games account and start playing on one of the other platforms to start getting a handle on the game

Android Gaming

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• All the Android gaming news!

Pixelmator Pro Gains Core ML-Powered Auto Selective Color Adjustment and New Effects

Pixelmator today updated its pro image editing software, Pixelmator Pro, to version 1.1.4 to add new effects, a new Auto Selective Color adjustment tool that’s powered by Core ML, and more.

The Auto Selective Color feature allows selective color adjustments to be applied automatically to images to improve specific colors using machine learning.

A new Light Leak effect adds a sunny, vintage feel to photos, while a Bokeh effect can add artistic camera blur. There’s a new Spin Blur to create circular motion effects, and a Noise effect lets you add digital noise to photos.

Other new effects include Threshold, Mask to Alpha, Clouds, and other Tile and Distort effects pulled from the original Pixelmator app.

A long list of improvements have been made to existing tools. Auto White Balance and Auto Lightness, for example, better preserve skin tones and are 30 percent faster. The Color Adjustments and Effects submenus offer up Copy, Paste, Reset and Flatten Adjustment options, and there’s a new keyboard shortcut (O) for Show Original when using various tools.

A full list of improvements and bug fixes are available in the Pixelmator Pro release notes.

In celebration of back to school, Pixelmator is discounting Pixelmator Pro to $29.99, a $30 discount off of the original $59.99 price tag. Pixelmator Pro can be downloaded from the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Pixelmator
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Review: Twelve South’s $50 PlugBug Duo is a Useful Travel Companion

Twelve South has long offered a PlugBug accessory designed to provide interchangeable plugs for travel purposes, but earlier this month, an updated version debuted that adds an extra USB port.

The new Twelve South PlugBug Duo is an ideal travel accessory because it adds international plugs to your MacBook adapter and it lets you charge accessories like an iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch while charging your laptop.

Design wise, when it comes out of the box, the PlugBug Duo is similar in shape to the power adapter for a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air. To use it, though, the bottom portion snaps off to reveal a slide and hook mechanism.

Attaching it to a MacBook power adapter requires popping off the plug part of the adapter and replacing it with the snap-on PlugBug Duo component. It’s a simple replacement that took me a few seconds to do.

PlugBug Duo is made from a bright red plastic material that’s quite eye catching, and while the quality of the plastic doesn’t quite measure up to the Apple power adapter, it’s not far off.

The PlugBug Duo can serve as a permanent replacement for the plug portion of the power adapter, for use both at home and when traveling. Size wise, it lines up well with the 87W MacBook Pro charger, but it’s larger than the 29W/30W and 61W chargers for the MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro.

In my photos, for example, I’ve attached it to the MacBook charger. It’s wider on the right side than the power adapter and it adds more than an inch of bulk at the top due to the two USB ports, but it takes up less space than separate charging bricks for my iPad and iPhone.

The PlugBug Duo does add extra size to a power adapter, but I didn’t feel like it was so bulky that it became less portable.

It’s worth noting that with the PlugBug attached, you’re not able to use the Power Adapter Extension Cable. If you want to use the Extension Cable, you will need to remove the PlugBug to attach it to the power adapter. I don’t normally use the Extension Cable, especially when traveling, so I didn’t have a problem with the tradeoff.

There are two USB-A ports on the PlugBug Duo, one that’s 2.1A and ideal for charging an iPad and one that’s 1A, which is suitable for an iPhone or Apple Watch. You can also use the 2.1A port to more quickly charge an iPhone, but this isn’t an adapter you’ll want to use for something like two iPads. I found it particularly useful for charging an iPhone in the 2.1A port and an Apple Watch in the 1A port.

While you can use the PlugBug Duo at home to add extra USB ports to your power adapter, where it really shines is travel. It’s useful not having to take along extra power adapters for all of your devices. As with the standard power adapter, the prongs on the PlugBug tuck in when it’s not in use (this is limited to the U.S. and China adapters).

PlugBug Duo is ideal for international travel because the plug portion snaps off and Twelve South ships it with several other interchangeable adapters that can be used in other countries.

There are adapters for Europe, China, Australia/New Zealand, North America, and the UK, with more than 150 countries covered in total. I didn’t travel out of the country during my time testing the PlugBug, but I can say that it’s pretty simple to swap out the plugs when needed.

Even if you’re not traveling abroad, PlugBug Duo has the potential to be useful just because it lets you charge a MacBook and two other accessories at one time.

I do wish that Twelve South had included some kind of little pouch to keep the adapters in place when not in use, but with no pouch, I’m using the box, which does have convenient cutouts for each one.

I also wish that the PlugBug Duo had a place to wrap up the cord when packing it up for travel, but Apple’s own USB-C power adapters don’t offer that functionality either so I can’t complain too much.

PlugBug Duo worked well with the two USB-C power adapters I tested it with, but it’s also compatible with all MagSafe 2 power adapters, all MagSafe power adapters, and the 12W iPad power adapter.

Bottom Line

The PlugBug Duo is a great little travel accessory that offers a lot of utility, offering up different adapters for travel and two USB-A ports so you don’t need to carry around additional adapters for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

It’s not cheap at $50, but the utility that’s offered seems worth the price if you travel on a frequent basis.

How to Purchase

The PlugBug Duo can be purchased from the Twelve South website for $49.99.

Note: Twelve South provided MacRumors with a PlugBug Duo for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tag: Twelve South
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This golf course’s delivery drone flies the 19th hole to you

If you’re a keen golfer for whom the nineteenth hole always seems just a bit too far away, then how about having a drone deliver some tasty snacks as you make your way around the course?

Thanks to drone startup Flytrex, such a service is about to become a reality for golfers at the King’s Walk Golf Course in North Dakota. For a $3 delivery fee, members can use an app to place their order, take their shot, and then wait for their goodies to fly in.

Touted as “the first drone delivery service for golf courses in the U.S.,” the remotely controlled flying machine — a modified DJI Matrice 600 Pro hexacopter — will take to the skies above the course’s fairways on September 15.

King’s Walk already has a special buggy taking refreshments to golfers, but during busy times delivery can take as long as an hour. The drone service, on the other hand, aims to reach a hungry or parched golfer within 10 minutes, CNN reported.

Strict safety regulations prevent most drone delivery services from getting off the ground in the U.S. The machines aren’t allowed over crowds of people and must stay within sight of the operator at all times. Golf courses, then, could prove to be an ideal location for drone deliveries as they’re rarely crowded and usually offer long-range visibility. Indeed, Flytrex sees golf courses as a gap in the market for drone delivery.

But the tough regulations still mean it has to proceed cautiously, with the six-week trial delivering only to a single location on the course. If all goes well, Israel-based Flytrex hopes to receive permission to broaden its service so it can add more delivery stations along the course.

This isn’t the first drone delivery service set up by Flytrex. In Iceland last year, it partnered with an ecommerce company to fly ordered items over one of Reykjavik’s wide waterways, allowing it to significantly reduce the usual delivery time by road transport.

It’s not clear how many of the King’s Walk golfers will actually welcome the drone delivery service. After all, surely one of the joys of golf is the peace and tranquility as you make your way around the course. With that in mind, the arrival of the buzzing hexacopters may prompt some irate golfers to partake in a spot of aerial target practice. But let’s hope not.

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Material Design 2 update spruces up Google Photos — here’s how to get it

Whether you love it or hate it, Material Design 2 has become Google’s core style with the release of Android 9.0 Pie, and the internet giant has wasted no time in updating its core apps to reflect the change in style. Google Photos is the latest app to get the design refresh, and like the earlier updates to Android Messages, Google Contacts, and Google Phone, the style changes are sure to cause comment in the Android community.

The changes are broadly in line with what we’ve come to expect from Material Design 2. The bolder-colored header bars and titles of the previous Material Design have been removed, and simpler design with stark white has replaced it. Gentle curves have replaced hard angles, and the boldly colored buttons have gone, replaced by softer pastel colors. The buttons on the bottom row have also been tweaked, with the darker gray areas being removed in favor of a simpler black-and-white design. Finally, the previously gray navigation bar now matches the app’s white color. As a whole, the changes help to open the app up, and make it feel less enclosed.

Aside from these changes in appearance, there’s precious little to report from the update, and it seems that no major features have been added. Android Police reports that users can now access a photo’s info by swiping up on the image, but also noted some major inconsistencies with the gesture triggering. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to trigger this new feature at all, and can only assume it’s a work in progress on Google’s part.

If you want to check out Google Photos’ new look, the update is said to be rolling out. However, if you don’t want to wait for the update to reach your region, you can manually update your app by sideloading the new APK. To do so, just head to APK Mirror’s site for this new update, select the correct APK, and manually install it to your phone. If you need a bit more guidance, you can check out our guide on how to sideload an app on your Android phone or tablet.

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U.S. set to charge North Korean spy with Sony hack and WannaCry cyberattack

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The United States Department of Justice is set to indict a North Korean spy connected to the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment and the 2017 WannaCry malware that crippled the Britain’s National Health Service. The indictment alleges that Pak Jin-hyok conducted the attack under orders from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country’s intelligence agency that’s seen as North Korea’s version of the CIA.

“While U.S. officials have long said that North Korea was responsible for both incidents, the Justice Department is expected to formally announce the charges against North Korean nationals during a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon,” ABC News reported. While the U.S. has explored charging Pak and North Korea with the cyberattack, the indictment process took time “because much of the information against him had been classified and could not be included in a criminal indictment,” The New York Times explained.

The attack on Sony in 2014 was believed to be done in retaliation for the production of the The Interview, a comedy that mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and involved an assassination plot. Although North Korea did not claim responsibility for the hack at the time — and there was no mention of the film in the attack — the cyberattack occurred after North Korean officials sent a letter urging the United Nations to demand Sony not move forward with the movie. The cyberattack wiped out half of the data stored on Sony’s computers, brought down half of the studio’s servers, and crippled Sony’s operations. Leaked internal emails, confidential contracts, and copies of five Sony films were subsequently posted on the internet.

Hackers eventually claimed credit for the Sony attack in December 2014. “Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made,” the hacker said. “The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001.” President Obama subsequently imposed sanctions against North Korea.

The subsequent WannaCry malware was a more widespread attack, taking a toll on more than 230,000 computers across 150 countries. The malware’s effects were felt by hospitals, businesses, government organizations, and more, and the Obama administration blamed North Korea for it, a charge that North Korea denied. However, this indictment is the first time that charges have been brought against any individual connected to the North Korean government, The Washington Post reported.

The Justice Department’s charges are proceeding even as President Trump pursues diplomatic avenues aimed at reining in North Korea’s nuclear program. Early Thursday morning, September 6, Trump praised Kim Jong Un in a tweet.

“Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims ‘unwavering faith in President Trump.’ Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!” Trump said on Twitter.

The Treasury Department is also expected to announce new sanctions on North Korea, the Post reported.

Intelligence officials believe that the Reconnaissance General Bureau is also the culprit behind other recent cyberattacks, including the theft of $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank in 2016.

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