Watch live: Twitter and Facebook executives testify before Congress

Facebook COO Sherly Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey appeared before Congress on Wednesday, September 5, offering testimony on the state of social media. Two congressional hearings were set for the purpose. Alphabet CEO Larry Page and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were also invited but declined to attend, opting instead to send written testimony t0 address issues like Russian meddling in U.S. elections and bias.

The Senate Intelligence Committee hosted the morning session, focusing on efforts being made to keep elections safe. “But we’ve also learned about how vulnerable social media is to corruption and misuse. The very worst examples of this are absolutely chilling and a threat to our democracy,” Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) said.

Facebook and Twitter owned up to their missteps. “We were too slow to spot this and too slow to act,” Sandberg said. “This interference was completely unacceptable. It violated the values of our company and of the country we love.”

Lawmakers praised the efforts that technology companies have made to take down fake accounts and combat hacking, but they remain skeptical that the companies will be able to fight the good fight alone.

“I’m afraid that there is a lot of work still to do,” Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said. “And I’m skeptical that, ultimately, you’ll be able to truly address this challenge on your own. Congress is going to have to take action here.”

In a second session before the House Energy and Commerce Committee this afternoon, the technology companies will address bias within social media. President Trump had fired accusations against Google recently for suppressing the voices of conservatives, a charge that Google denied.

More recently, Twitter found itself in hot water after The Wall Street Journal reported that Dorsey had overruled his staff in reversing the bans on Alex Jones and Richard Spencer. Jones is an alt-right conspiracy theorist and Spencer is a white supremacist. Twitter denied the report, but the move spurred users to demand more monitoring on social media for hate speech, violence, threats, and harassment.

“Twitter does not use political ideology to make any decisions, whether related to ranking content on our service or how we enforce our rules,” Dorsey said in a prepared statement. “We believe strongly in being impartial, and we strive to enforce our rules impartially.”

Social media companies are also under pressure to help users navigate their privacy rights. Earlier this year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified about the company’s privacy practices when it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had improperly accessed the data of more than 87 million Facebook users. Facebook announced a series of changes in an effort to rebuild trust after the controversy.

“The era of the Wild West in social media is coming to an end,” Warner said. “Where we go from here is an open question.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google responds to Trump’s tweet-rage: We didn’t rig search against you!
• Facebook and Twitter introduce new tools regarding ad transparency
• Facebook, Twitter boot accounts tied to Iran, Russia for coordinated deception
• Despite promising to stop sharing your data, Facebook continues to do so
• Two U.S. senators think your TV is spying on you, ask the FTC to investigate

Lenovo IdeaPad 530s vs. Acer Aspire E 15

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

There was a time when budget notebooks were mostly indistinguishable. That is, they were usually equally bad. That’s no longer the case — today, you can spend well under $1,000 and get a notebook with excellent performance, a solid build, and good battery life. We’re not talking bargain-basement pricing here, but it’s no longer true that you need to break the bank to get a serviceable notebook.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad 530s is one of the company’s latest budget-oriented notebooks, aimed at providing value to those with less cash to spend. We’re pitting it against the Acer Aspire E 15, one of our favorite budget notebooks, to see which attempt at low-cost perfection comes closest.

Design

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The IdeaPad 530s brings a solid, all-aluminum build to the budget category, with no flex in the keyboard deck or bottom of the chassis and only the slightest give in the lid. The aesthetic is laid back and conservative, centered around a Mineral Gray color scheme with only some chrome trim around the edges of the chassis and the touchpad to spruce things up a bit. All of this quality feel is jammed into a thin and light chassis, coming in at 0.66 inches thin and 3.72 pounds — quite nice for a notebook with a large 15.6-inch display.

The Acer Aspire E 15 takes a completely different tack. It’s quite thick at 1.19 inches and heavy at 5.27, and thus doesn’t even pretend to fall into the thin and light category. It’s also a mostly plastic build, with an aluminum keyboard deck adding some extra rigidity. Overall, it doesn’t enjoy quite the same structural soundness as the IdeaPad. That doesn’t mean it’s flimsy, though, and all that extra space allows for a rarity in notebooks today: A DVD-RW drive.

Both notebooks offer comfortable keyboards and touchpads that are as pleasant to use as those on much more expensive machines. And both have a wealth of connectivity options, including both USB-A and USB-C ports, HDMI ports, and more. Neither has Thunderbolt 3 support, unfortunately.

Overall, the IdeaPad gets the nod for a more modern design with small bezels against the Aspire’s massive versions, and it’s thinner, lighter, and more solidly built. But the Aspire does benefit from a chassis that offers easy access to the RAM and storage options, and so it can grow with the user.

Performance

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Both notebooks utilize the outstanding Intel Core i5-8250U, an 8th-generation quad-core processor that’s both fast and efficient. Not surprisingly, they achieved similar scores in our suite of CPU benchmarks, and they’re both more than fast enough for even intensive productivity tasks.

Step beyond the CPU, though, and these two notebooks diverge. When it comes to graphics, the Aspire E 15 takes the lead by equipping a discrete GPU, the Nvidia GeForce MX150 that provides for decent entry-level gaming. The IdeaPad 530s relies on the much-slower Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics. Storage is the other area of differentiation, with the IdeaPad using a fast PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) compared to the slower SATA SSD that Acer used in the Aspire E 15.

You’re more likely to notice the much faster graphics on the Acer than you are the IdeaPad’s faster storage. That makes the Aspire E 15 the performance leader, suitable even for some entry-level gaming to offer a distraction.

Regarding display quality, both of these 15.6-inch notebooks have relatively narrow color gamuts and mediocre accuracy. The IdeaPad’s display is brighter, but the Aspire E 15 has better contrast. You’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them except when you’re in a bright environment, where the Lenovo wins out.

Portability

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The IdeaPad is clearly the easier notebook to carry around, being about half as thick and weighing about two pounds less. It’s much easier to toss into a backpack and carry around.

But the Aspire offers a larger 62 watt-hour battery compared to the IdeaPad’s wimpy 45 watt-hour version. That results in a significant difference in battery life, with the Aspire lasting for 12 hours in our video looping test and the IdeaPad failing to make it to eight hours. It was the same story when browsing the web, where the Acer lasted for over nine hours were the Lenovo barely made it past six hours.

Simply put, if you’re going to be putting in a full day’s work, you’ll have to add some bulk to your backpack by including the IdeaPad’s power brick. You can leave that behind with the Aspire E 15, making it the more convenient notebook for true road warriors.

The Aspire E 15 is a better bang for your buck

The IdeaPad 530s starts out at $735 for our review configuration of a Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. At the high end, you’ll spend $950 for a Core i7-8550U.

The Aspire E 15 is a cool $600 for the same configuration, which also comes with a discrete GPU and a much larger battery. Acer charges $150 more for the Core i7 version.

The IdeaPad is prettier, more svelte, and slightly more robust. But the Aspire E 15 offers better overall performance and lasts significantly longer on a single charge. It’s also less expensive, holding onto its place as our favorite 15.6-inch budget notebook.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo IdeaPad 530S review
• Acer Aspire E 15 review
• The best laptops for college in 2018
• Acer Spin 5 vs. Lenovo Yoga 730
• The best laptops for video editing in 2018

How to delete messages in Facebook Messenger

Further reading

How to maintain your privacy on Facebook

Best text messaging apps

How to use Facebook

Let’s face it, we’ve all sent things online that we wish we could just erase from our minds and online history, whether it be embarrassing photos or not-so-nice gossip we told in our younger years. Thankfully, there is a way to delete them forever, should you decide you no longer wish to look at them. Deleting Facebook messages on your desktop or mobile device takes mere seconds, however, keep in mind that deleting the aforementioned messages does not delete them from your friend’s inbox.

Assuming you want to continue, read on for all the details.

Deleting messages on your desktop

Step 1: Log into Facebook like you normally would.

Step 2: Click the chat bubble in the upper-right corner, followed by See All in Messenger. The latter option is located in the bottom left.

Step 3: To delete an entire message thread, hover over the conversation and click the cog icon in the bottom-right corner. Afterward, hit Delete.

Step 4: You will then be presented with three options: Cancel, Delete, or Archive. Click Delete to continue.

Step 5: To delete a part of your conversation, click into the conversation and hover over the message you would like to delete. Then, click the three horizontal dots and hit Delete.

Deleting messages on your mobile device

Step 1: If you haven’t already, download the Messenger app for either iOS or Android, and log in as you normally would.

Step 2: If you want to delete an entire conversation, hold down the thread and select Delete Conversation from the resulting menu.

Step 3: If you just want to delete a single message, go into the conversation, hold down the message you want to delete, and select Delete at the bottom.

If you aren’t ready to part with those embarrassing messages or conversations quite yet, you can always archive them, which will hide them from your inbox until the next time you chat with the person in question. Here’s how.

How to archive messages in iOS

Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Navigate to the Home tab on the left.
Step 3: Scroll through the conversation list and find the one you want to delete.
Step 4: Lightly tap and hold the conversation. Note: Do not use Force Touch.
Step 5: Select More on the resulting screen.
Step 6: Tap Archive.

How to archive messages in Android

Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Tap the Home icon to see a list of your conversations.
Step 3: Press and hold the conversation you want to archive.
Step 4: Tap Archive.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Having regrets? Snapchat adds a tool to delete messages
• How to delete your Uber account
• How to install fonts in Windows 10
• How to delete and reinstall games on your PS4
• How to save text messages in Android and iOS

How to delete messages in Facebook Messenger

Further reading

How to maintain your privacy on Facebook

Best text messaging apps

How to use Facebook

Let’s face it, we’ve all sent things online that we wish we could just erase from our minds and online history, whether it be embarrassing photos or not-so-nice gossip we told in our younger years. Thankfully, there is a way to delete them forever, should you decide you no longer wish to look at them. Deleting Facebook messages on your desktop or mobile device takes mere seconds, however, keep in mind that deleting the aforementioned messages does not delete them from your friend’s inbox.

Assuming you want to continue, read on for all the details.

Deleting messages on your desktop

Step 1: Log into Facebook like you normally would.

Step 2: Click the chat bubble in the upper-right corner, followed by See All in Messenger. The latter option is located in the bottom left.

Step 3: To delete an entire message thread, hover over the conversation and click the cog icon in the bottom-right corner. Afterward, hit Delete.

Step 4: You will then be presented with three options: Cancel, Delete, or Archive. Click Delete to continue.

Step 5: To delete a part of your conversation, click into the conversation and hover over the message you would like to delete. Then, click the three horizontal dots and hit Delete.

Deleting messages on your mobile device

Step 1: If you haven’t already, download the Messenger app for either iOS or Android, and log in as you normally would.

Step 2: If you want to delete an entire conversation, hold down the thread and select Delete Conversation from the resulting menu.

Step 3: If you just want to delete a single message, go into the conversation, hold down the message you want to delete, and select Delete at the bottom.

If you aren’t ready to part with those embarrassing messages or conversations quite yet, you can always archive them, which will hide them from your inbox until the next time you chat with the person in question. Here’s how.

How to archive messages in iOS

Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Navigate to the Home tab on the left.
Step 3: Scroll through the conversation list and find the one you want to delete.
Step 4: Lightly tap and hold the conversation. Note: Do not use Force Touch.
Step 5: Select More on the resulting screen.
Step 6: Tap Archive.

How to archive messages in Android

Step 1: Open Messenger.
Step 2: Tap the Home icon to see a list of your conversations.
Step 3: Press and hold the conversation you want to archive.
Step 4: Tap Archive.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Having regrets? Snapchat adds a tool to delete messages
• How to delete your Uber account
• How to install fonts in Windows 10
• How to delete and reinstall games on your PS4
• How to save text messages in Android and iOS

Cat got your wallet? CryptoKitties virtual feline fetches $170K in crypto cash

CryptoKitties, an Ethereum blockchain-based game that allows users to breed, trade, and sell digital cats, may have scored the most expensive in-app purchase to date with the sale of a CryptoKitty named Dragon for approximately $170,000, or the equivalent of 600 ETH in cryptocurrency.

“I bit Rebecca Black when I was younger, but those days are gone,” her description reads. “Believe it or not, spying on the neighbors is seriously exhilarating. You should try it some time. Let’s connect on ICQ.” She is described as having chestnut eyes and a cotton-candy-colored coat.

As a game, CryptoKitties was one of the earliest attempts to leverage blockchain technology for leisure. Like real cats, each virtual cat carries a unique DNA, and their traits, called cattributes, can be passed down to offspring. Each virtual cat is unique and cannot be replicated or transferred without the owner’s permission, according to Axiom Zen, the studio behind the game.

Generally, earlier generations of the virtual cats are deemed more valuable, making Dragon a rarity in the game — she’s a ninth-generation CryptoKitty. Newer virtual cats have an average selling price of around $60, according to CNET, and a median price of $9.

The previous sales record for the game was held by CryptoKitty Founder Cat #18, which sold for 253 ETH in December, or approximately $110,000 CryptoKitty #4 sold for $107,000. Both Founder Cat #18 and #4 are both Gen 0 cats, making them more valuable. Dragon is CryptoKitty #896775.

It’s unclear why Dragon fetched such a high price, but Rabona is now her new proud owner. Although Axiom Zen generally doesn’t comment on sales, the studio speculated that “maybe there was a personal connection the buyer had to the cat or the seller.” Other theories range from the whimsical (she bit Rebecca Black) to the more cynical (it was a way to launder money), according to The Next Web.

The sale of Dragon may lead to a new resurgence for the game and the app. Since its height in December, the total transactions on the app has dropped by 98.4 percent in January, and volume has remained slow since. Over the past day, Dragon’s sale has elevated the game’s trading volume to the highest level since February. Another milestone is also coming up: CryptoKitties is about to celebrate its millionth virtual cat.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Jon Favreau’s live-action Star Wars series gets one of TV’s biggest budgets
• The most expensive cars in the world
• The most valuable vinyl records on Earth
• ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is ending, but we’ll never forget these 15 guest appearances
• Samsung Galaxy S10: Here’s everything we know

These are the best smart LED light bulbs that work with Google Home

Google has done a great job building out it’s smart home ecosystem by working with a growing number of smart bulb manufacturers. With so many options, it can be overwhelming to decide which brand to invest in, but we’ve broken down the best options that work seamlessly with Google Home.

Add some funky colors to your home

Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit (3-pack w/Hub)

Philips is the the leading manufacturers of wireless LED smart bulbs. The Philips Hue lineup features a multitude of different lighting options for around your home, which must be configured through the Philips Hue Bridge. Your best bet is this starter kit that includes the necessary Hue Hub and three color A19 LED smart bulbs to get you started.

$160 at Amazon

No hub required

LIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb (4-pack)

LIFX offers its third generation of smart bulbs for both indoors and outdoors. Both offer 1100 lumens of brightness, with options to customize the look with 16 million colors and 1000 shades of warm to cool whites. No additional hardware is required to get things set up with Google Assistant as each bulb connects directly to your Wi-Fi network. Get a 4-pack of multicolor A19 bulbs for $196.

$196 at Amazon

Best smart bulbs on a budget

TP-Link Kasa LED Bulbs (3-pack)

If you’re fine with standard white, dimmable smart bulbs and don’t want to spend a fortune, TP-Link offers an insane value. You can get a three-pack of smart bulbs right now for just $40 bucks. No hub is required and everything can be controlled through the Kasa app or configured through the Google Home app to be controlled using just your voice.

$44 at Amazon

Budget bulbs that require a hub

Sengled Element Classic Smart LED bulbs (2-pack w/Hub)

Sengled technically offer the best value for budget-conscious consumers looking to invest in smart bulbs — but you’re going to need to buy a hub. The two-bulb starter pack is a good deal to start, but the value really starts to roll in if you then get an 8-pack of Classic Smart LED Bulbs ($77). Together, these deals allow you to set up 10 smart bulbs throughout your home for just over $100.

$32 at Amazon

If we had to pick one…

While there are some great options available at lower price points, its hard not to pick the Philips Hue as the best smart light ecosystem to invest in. Sure, it requires a hub to connect with Google Home, but once you’ve started investing, you’re able to manage up to 50 different lights and it’s the variety of lighting options that Philips offers that lets them shine brighter than the competition. From the stylish LightStrip Plus ($72) to Flood Light bulbs for use outside, your home will look amazing with Philips Hue bulbs lighting everything up. You can group lights together to create rooms or program scenes that you can activate with your voice.

Our pick

Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit (3-pack w/Hub)

A great way to illuminate your home with fancy colors.

Philips is the the leading manufacturers of wireless LED smart bulbs. The Philips Hue lineup features a multitude of different lighting options for around your home, which must be configured through the Philips Hue Bridge. Your best bet is this starter kit that includes the necessary Hue Hub and three color A19 LED smart bulbs to get you started

$170 at Amazon

Update September 5, 2018: Revamped article with updated pricing and formatting.

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Chromecast Ultra: all you need to know
• Which Chromecast should you buy?

Google Wifi: Google
Amazon
Google Home: Google
Best Buy
Chromecast Ultra: Google
Best Buy

Android Enterprise adds rugged phones to its lineup

Google’s collection of the most secure, up-to-date Android phones around.

Android’s open source nature means that just about any OEM can use the operating system to power its hardware, and while this is great for a large amount of consumer choice, it also results in the market feeling a bit flooded and overwhelming at times.

If you’re buying a phone for work/business purposes, you want to make sure you get something that’s going to stay up-to-date with the latest software, have the most recent security patches, and isn’t tied down by a heap of carrier bloatware.

To aid you in your quest for finding these phones, Google created Android Enterprise Recommended. Here’s everything you need to know about it!

The latest Android Enterprise Recommend news

September 5, 2018 — Google’s adding rugged Android phones to its Enterprise Recommended program

Today, Google announced the latest devices that are joining its Enterprise Recommended program — this time focusing on rugged devices. With this expansion, the following phones are joining the lineup:

• Zebra TC20, TC 25, TC51, TC56, TC70X, and TC75X
• Honeywell Dolphin CT40, Dolphin CT60, and Dolphin CN80
• Sonim XP8
• Point Mobile PM45
• Datalogic Memor 10

Google also notes that rugged Panasonic phones will be joining the lineup in the next few weeks and months. Furthermore, these rugged phones are guarnateed to receive 5 years of security updates instead of 3 like other Enterprise Recommended devices.

All the big details

What is Android Enterprise Recommended?

Android Enterprise Recommended was first announced on February 21, 2018, and as the name of the program suggests, it was created with enterprise buyers in mind — not the average, everyday consumer

Buying smartphones for your business/organization is a critical task to ensure that everyone can stay connected with safe, up-to-date hardware, and unless you regularly keep your finger on the pulse of all things Android, knowing which phones/OEMs are generally good about following these guidelines is no easy task.

Android Enterprise Recommended was created with the main goal of curating the best Android phones from manufacturers that are committed to keeping them secure and easy to deploy to a large workforce.

To hear an explanation about the program from the horse’s mouth, check out the short video above.

Google has a list of strict requirements each phone must follow

Not any phone can get into Android Enterprise Recommended, and that’s a good thing. Before a device can enter the program, it needs to check off a list of requirements created by Google so businesses are 100% sure that it’ll work exactly the way they need it to.

Those requirements are as follows:

• Minimum hardware specifications for Android 7.0+ devices.
• Support for bulk deployment of Android devices including zero-touch enrollment.
• Delivery of Android security updates within 90 days of release from Google, for a minimum of three years.
• Availability of unlocked devices, direct from manufacturer or reseller.
• Consistent application experience in managed profiles and on managed devices.

For more specifics on the requirements, such as the minimum specifications for 7.0+ devices, check the link below.

Android Enterprise Recommended requirements

Speaking of phones, which ones are included?

Once a phone meets all of the above criteria, it’s officially added to the list of Android Enterprise Recommended products. Google initially launched the program with just 22 devices, but it’s steadily growing all the time as new hardware is released.

As it stands right now, here are the 39 phones/tablets supported by Android Enterprise Recommended.

• BlackBerry KEYone
• BlackBerry KEY2
• BlackBerry Motion
• Datalogic Memor 10
• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL
• Google Pixel 2
• Google Pixel 2 XL
• Honeywell Dolphin CT40
• Honeywell Dolphin CT60
• Honeywell Dolphin CN80
• Huawei Mate 10
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
• Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4
• Huawei MediaPad M5 10.8
• Huawei P Smart
• Huawei P10
• Huawei P10 Plus
• Huawei P10 Lite
• Huawei P20
• Huawei P20 Pro
• LG G6
• LG V30
• Moto X4
• Moto Z2 Force Edition
• Moto Z3 Play
• Moto G6
• Moto G6 Plus
• Nokia 3.1
• Nokia 5.1
• Nokia 6.1
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Nokia 8
• Nokia 8 Sirocco
• Point Mobile PM45
• Sharp Aquos SH 10-K
• Sonim XP8
• Sony Xperia XA2
• Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
• Sony Xperia XZ1
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
• Zebra TC25
• Zebra TC51
• Zebra TC56
• Zebra TC70x
• Zebra TC75x

Android P: Everything you need to know

Destiny 2 is free with PlayStation Plus now!

These are the free games you can get right now with your PlayStation Plus membership.

One of the biggest perks of having a PlayStation Plus membership is the free games you get every month. I’ve got a list of the games PlayStation is offering this month, and it includes some popular AAA titles. Start downloading these games, and enjoy your free games for the month of September!

PlayStation 4 free games this month

• Destiny 2
• God of War III Remastered

PlayStation 3 free games this month

• Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition
• QUBE Director’s Cut

PlayStation Vita free games this month

• Sparkle 2
• Foul Play

PlayStation VR free games this month

• Here They Lie

Full game line-up

Read on below to see some quick previews of the games you get for free this month!

Destiny 2

The universe needs saving once again, and your Guardian will play an integral role in the outcome. Jump into Bungie’s shared-world shooter that took the world by storm and get a taste of its upcoming expansion, Forsaken.

See on PlayStation Store.

God of War III Remastered

Before Kratos journeyed through the lands of Norse mythology, he scaled Mount Olympus to take on the Greek gods. Now you can enjoy his earlier outings in glorious 1080p resolution at 60FPS.

See on PlayStation Store.

Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition

This action/platformer first released in 1991 and has since been remastered with full definition graphics. Follow a young scientist as he’s thrust through the boundaries of space and time after a nuclear experiment goes wrong.

See on PlayStation Store.

QUBE Director’s Cut

What better way to spend your first month back to school than with a game that’ll test your mind rather than your reflexes. Use your powers to manipulate the environment and solve puzzles to stop a giant cube hurdling toward Earth.

See on PlayStation Store.

Sparkle 2

Another puzzle game that may be more your speed if you aren’t looking for something quite so challenging. Test your orb matching skills in over 90 different levels.

See on PlayStation Store.

Foul Play

Theatre kids may want to take note of this one. Live out your demon-hunting dreams in Foul Play, a sidescrolling co-op brawling that takes place on the stage. After all, what’s the theatre without a little theatrics?

See on PlayStation Store.

Here They Lie

Take on a creepy and terrifying role of investigating an abandoned home for the mystery that lies beneath. Nothing screams a better horror game than playing literally any of them in VR. If you’re a thrill seeker, you should totally download this game. There are only a rare few horror games I’ve regretted when using my VR.

See on PlayStation Store.

Which is your favorite game you’ve gotten for free with PlayStation Plus?

Let us know which game you’ve loved and which one you’re excited about this month! Drop a comment below or shoot me a Tweet and tell me all about it!

Updated September 2018: We’ve added the free games for this month!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Wireless routers, Xbox controllers, 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 the Airmega smart air purifiers, a Nighthawk wireless router, Xbox One wireless controllers, 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!

A second Razer Phone is in the works

Can the Razer Phone 2 make more impact than the original?

Gaming gear go-to Razer makes top-notch gaming gear for desktop and PC, including the hot, hot, hot Razer Blade laptop line and cross-platform controllers, but their initial foray into mobile hardware was a bit rocky. The Razer Phone sported great specs for gaming and a butter-smooth 120hz screen, but the camera fell flat and that super-smooth display was a creature of the night, unable to stand up to the shine of the sun. Well, it seems that Razer is looking to try again, as they’ve confirmed to stockholders that another Razer Phone is in development in this week’s earnings report.

The Razer Phone came out last winter, and while it may not have been a total success, the phone hasn’t been a dud, either. Sporting a battery that won’t quit and a high-refresh touchscreen that was made to play, the Razer Phone was a great phone for gaming and for theming, as it was the first phone to officially ship with Nova Launcher as the system launcher.

Razer said their next-generation products saw over 400% year-on-year growth spurred by Razer Phone sales, with this little nugget at the bottom of the Others section:

Razer is now focusing its resources into the development of the second generation Razer Phone and accompanying software releases which will extend its software and services from PC into the mobile market.

There’s no release window or date given for the next Razer Phone, nor many hints as to what the new model may be sporting in its next incarnation, but one can only hope they improve the camera and the brightness issues so that you can game with a Razer Phone in brightest day or blackest night. With the Razer Phone’s battery and high-refresh screen, a successor with a good camera could be the ultimate Pokemon Go and AR gaming phone.

What would you like to see in the next Razer Phone?

Best Android Phone for Gamers in 2018