What you missed this week at CordCutters.com

Amazon might not have invented over-the-air TV, but it’s about to make it even bigger.

The new Amazon Fire TV Recast is going to be a big deal for cord-cutters. Actually, that whole over-the-air antenna space is a big deal for cord-cutters, and has been for a long time.

But it also plays a crucial role going forward. One of the biggest questions we get regards local channels. (And for a lot of folks, especially this time of year, college football.) While streaming services are getting better about carrying local channels, the simple fact is that you get more locally available channels with a decent over-the-air antenna. And once you’ve gotten past the initial hardware expenditure — you get get an indoor antenna for as little as $20, and a decent outdoor antenna for maybe twice that — the content is free.

Consider: I can get my local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates on a streaming service. But I can get something like 30 locally available channels with an antenna. Do I watch them all? Nope. But I can if I want to. For free.

Anyway. The Recast is a big deal because, first, it’s Amazon. And also because it makes it super easy to record OTA TV. It might not be the perfect all-in-one device — Tablo and HDHomerun still do great jobs. (Though if I were them I’d definitely be a little worried.) But it’s Amazon. It’s a big deal.

Andrew Martonik was at Thursday’s Amazon event, and we caught up on the Amazon Recast on the latest episode of the CordCutters Podcast.

Here’s what else you missed this week:

• One of the worst films ever made is now on YouTube. Enjoy. Or not.
• Pod Save America is coming to HBO.
• Veronica Mars will be back on Hulu in 2019!
• The full Mary Poppins trailer is just lovely.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender is hitting Netflix.
• Will Captain Marvel save us all? Let’s hope so.
• Wait — OnePlus is making TVs? OK.

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Where can I buy a Jaybird X3 replacement charger?

Best answer: Although you can’t buy just the charger for the X3, Jaybird does sell an accessory pack that includes a charger, ear tips, cord clips, and more for $10.

Jaybird: X3 Accessory Pack ($10)

Buying directly from Jaybird is your best choice

If you need a replacement charger for your X3 earbuds, we recommend buying directly from Jaybird. The company’s Accessory Pack includes the charger, costs just $10, and the $6.15 shipping brings things to a little over $16 once all is said and done.

There are third-party sellers on Amazon that are also selling the Accessory Pack, but the markups they’re charging are beyond ridiculous and not worth messing with at all.

The Accessory Pack comes with more than just a charger

What’s great about the Accessory Pack is that you get way more than just a charger for the Jaybird X3. Also included are:

• Ear fins
• Ear tips
• Shirt clip
• Cord management clips
• Carrying pouch

Oh, and it’s available in six drastically different colors!

The replacement works just like the original

Once you’ve got your replacement charger, it works exactly how your original one did.

Snap the clip onto the back of the X3’s in-line controls, plug the other end into a USB port, and you’re good to go! After the red light indicator turns green, you’re good to take the X3s off the charger and get back to listening like normal.

Get your buds back in shape

It can be easy to lose the Jaybird X3’s tiny charging adapter, but thanks to the Accessory Pack, ordering a replacement is dead simple.

Our pick

Jaybird X3 Accessory Pack

$10 at Jaybird

Comes with an extra charger and so much more.

We wish Jaybird sold just the standalone X3 charger, but for $10, it’s hard to argue with the Accessory Pack. In addition to the charger, you also get more ear fins, ear tips, a shirt clip, cord management clips, and another carrying pouch.

How to measure distance in miles or kilometers in Google Fit

Google Fit is great for tracking everything related to health data, even if you just want something basic to track your runs. If you want to make sure your distances are displayed in the correct measurement, here’s what to do!

Products used in this guide

• Any Android smartphone
• Google Play Store: Google Fit (Free)
• Amazon: TicWatch Pro ($250)

How to change from miles to kilometers

Open the Google Fit application.

Tap Profile in the lower-right.

Tap the Settings icon in the upper-right.

Tap Distance.

Tap Kilometers or Miles.

That’s it! Now Fit will display distance in the appropriate format!

Our top equipment picks

If you’re all in on Google Fit, it’s worth getting a Wear OS watch to track your workouts right from your wrist.

The best watch for Google Fit

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro

$250 at Amazon

The best Wear OS watch is also the best for tracking your workouts.

The Ticwatch Pro features a GPS tracker, heart-rate monitor, and NFC payments.

The Ticwatch Pro is a genuinely good watch even if you don’t care about fitness tracking. If you do, it’s even better. There’s a GPS chip to better track your jogs, a heart-rate monitor for keeping your beats in check, and an NFC chip so you can leave your phone at home and still use Google Pay.

Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition features new bosses, quests, and much more

The acclaimed indie metroidvania is bringing new content to consoles.

Hollow Knight made its debut on PC early last year before hitting Nintendo Switch this June at E3, but it was slow to make its way to PlayStation and Xbox. Thankfully the wait paid off for players as developer Team Cherry announced that it would hit Sony and Microsoft’s platforms with the Voidheart Edition, packed with extra content that’s been added since launch.

Ahead of its release on September 25 for the two aforementioned consoles, we’ll break down just what exactly is new with the Voidheart Edition and what content players can look forward too.

See at PlayStation

Four new content packs

Team Cherry has released four content packs for Hollow Knight featuring a slew of gruesome new insects, quests, locations, bosses, and abilities along with additional songs for its soundtrack. Whether you’re looking for hours of new content while you’re hammering out quests or just want to test yourself against a vicious bug, you’ll likely find what you’re looking for.

Hidden Dreams

Hollow Knight’s first content pack, Hidden Dreams, brought with it two bosses, three enemies, a new ability, and another fast travel system in the form of a Stag Station.

Bosses

• White Defender: Located in the Royal Ratways, the White Defender is a variant of the Dung Defender, and as such features similar attacks.
• Grey Prince Zote: The Grey Prince Zote is a more powerful variant of the Zote. It is found in Dirtmouth.

Enemies

• Hopping, Winged, and Volatile Zoteling: The Grey Prince Zote is able to summon three Zoteling forms during your boss battle, each of which has a different method of attack.

Ability

• Dreamgate: This ability allows you to place a Dream Gate at any location and warp to it from wherever you are. Only one Dream Gate can be placed at a time.

The Grimm Troupe

The Grimm Troupe is Hollow Knight’s second content pack, and it contains a lot more than its first. Not only did players get new bosses and enemies, but they also received new NPCs, charms, and an entirely new area.

Bosses

• Grimm: A powerful boss found within Dirtmouth that utilizes several fire-based attacks.
• Nightmare King: An even more powerful variant of the Grimm.

Enemies

• Grimmkin Novice, Master, and Nightmare: These three Grimmkin variants pop up across the map when the Knight approaches a flame with the Grimmchild charm equipped.

Area

• Path of Pain: This area was added to the White Palace as an optional section for those masochistic enough to take on its harder challenges.

Godmaster

The third content pack, Godmaster, is Hollow Knight’s biggest. It contains seven boss encounters, two enemies, three areas, new quests, a new game mode, and a host of new mechanics.

Bosses

• Winged Nosk: A variant of a previous boss found within the game, the Winged Nosk features wings, as you may have guessed, and a completely different head from its counterpart.
• Paintmaster Sheo: This hulking beast uses a paintbrush to unleash devastating attacks.
• Nailmasters Oro and Mato: These two brothers trade Sheo’s paintbrush for more intimidating weapons; nails.
• Great Nailsage Sly: This little guy may look small (almost like an ant), but he wields a nail that looks like the equivalent of Pyramid Head’s Great Knife for his small form.
• Pure Vessel: An agile creature, the Pure Vessel is a more challenging version of the base Hollow Knight enemy.
• Sisters of Battle: These ladies are a counterpart to the Mantis Lords boss battle.
• Absolute Radiance: A variant of the Radiance boss, defeating Absolute Radiance will reward you with one of two new endings.

All of these bosses are located within one of the new locations, Godhome.

Enemies

• Flukemunga: You’ll know this enemy when you see it. It looks like a little, fat, disgusting larva. You’ll encounter it in the Royal Waterways.
• Pale Lurker: When traversing the Colosseum of Fools, you may come across the Pale Lurker, another agile enemy that will drop spikes along its path.

Areas

• Godhome: If you’re looking for a place to hone your skills against deadly new bosses, you’ll find it in Godhome.
• Junk Pit: A sub-location in the Royal Waterways.
• Land of Storms: A sub-location in Godhome.

Lifeblood

Lifeblood is the flimsiest content pack, for lack of a better word, as it mainly focused on optimizations and other technical aspects of the game, however it did include a new boss battle.

Boss

• Hive Knight: A very intimidating bumble bee.

See at PlayStation

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

Take control over your door with the $200 August Smart Lock Pro

Knock. Knock.

The silver August Smart Lock Pro is down to $199.99 on Amazon. This lock normally sells for $230 and has only started dropping in price recently. The Dark Gray version is also down to this price.

You could also consider the Smart Lock Pro and August Connect bundle for $249.99. That’s not the lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s better than its usual $280 price. Plus, since the Connect is around $78 on its own you’re saving money over buying these individually. The Connect serves as a bridge between the 3rd generation smart lock and your smart home ecosystem.

August’s 3rd gen smart lock gives you wide-ranging control over your front door. With August’s Door Sense, you’ll be able to know if your door is closed and locked from anywhere. You’ll be able to control access, too. For example, you can create guest access for visitors that only lasts for a few minutes or a few weeks. You can track the door’s activity 24/7, too. The lock works with most single-cylinder deadbolts, and you’ll be able to keep your existing locks and keys. It will lock automatically behind you and unlock when you approach. This lock uses the Z-Wave Plus wireless protocol, so you will need a hub to connect to other systems.

See on Amazon

The $130 SanDisk 400GB microSD card is at its most affordable right now

Large card, small price.

SanDisk is a trusted brand when it comes to SD cards, and the company is pushing the limits. We’ve seen a few discounts recently on SanDisk’s 400GB microSD card, but none of them have dropped it down this low. Right now, Amazon has the card at just $129.95, which is one of the best prices we’ve ever seen on it.

It’s a Class 10 card with transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s, which would allow you to move up to 1,200 images in just 60 seconds. You can use this in your smartphone, tablet, action camera, and more. Most current-gen smartphones will recognize this card, but not all action cameras, tablets, etc will, so you may want to consider grabbing the 128GB option at its lowest price ever of $27.48, or the 256GB one at an all-time low of $64.92.

See at Amazon

The best microSD cards for the Note 8

The Galaxy Note 8 is still an absolute workhorse of a phone a year on from its release. You can get more done with the S Pen, and really the only limitations you’ll face will be battery life and internal storage. If you’ve used up the 64GB of base internal storage on the Note 8, you should invest in a quality microSD card and add up to 256GB of additional storage. The best part is the prices for microSD cards are getting better and better!

Straight from Samsung

Samsung microSD EVO+ 256GB

Using Samsung’s own microSD card offerings might make sense if you’re a huge Samsung fan, and it also helps that they’re some of the best you can buy. Go all out with the 256GB card for a breezy $92. With read speeds up to 95MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s, you’ll be able to record HD video straight to the card.

$92 at Amazon

200GB for less

SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSDXC Card

With read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s, this 200GB card from SanDisk will let you able to record in HD or 4K to your heart’s content. There are several microSD card options available — from 8GB all the way up to 400GB — but the 200GB card is your best value here.

$44 at Amazon

Best value

Kingston Canvas Select 128GB microSDHC Card

This Class 10, UHS-I microSDXC card from Kingston features a 64GB capacity and advertises a read speed of 80MB/s and write speed of 40MB/s. Not quite as fast as others on this list, but with the SD adapter you’ll be able to easily load up all your favorite media for your phone.

$28 at Amazon

Which microSD card you go with will depend heavily on your budget and whether you plan on loading the card up with your favorite media, or use it to expand your phone’s storage for photos and video. Our recommendation would be the 256GB card from Samsung ($92) which should satisfy even the most storage hungry users.

Updated September 2018: This article has been updated with new pricing and model information. These are the best prices we’ve seen in a long while!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8+
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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Keep your internet browsing encrypted with ProtonVPN for $80!

So much of what we do these days is done online. From paying bills to opening credit cards to your browsing and downloading history, there’s a constant threat of having that information stolen in different ways. From browsing on an unsecured connection to malware, you are vulnerable each time you sit down and connect to the internet — but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Save 66% on a two-year subscription! Learn More

Securing your browsing sessions doesn’t have to be crazy expensive, nor hard to do, especially with great subscriptions like this one for ProtonVPN Plus. Connecting to a VPN will prevent data mining, allow you to browse anonymously and even block ads, trackers, and malware. Sounds like something you need, right?

Some of the other things that this VPN can do include:

• Protect your data w/ AES-256 encryption, Perfect Forward Secrecy & Secure Core Servers
• Ensure you’re surfing on a secure connection w/ OpenVPN protocols
• Benefit from the strong legal protection of a Swiss-based VPN
• Get added security from DNS leak protection, kill switch & built-in Tor support
• Critical infrastructure is secured in former military bases & underground structures

Save an additional 10% when you use coupon code PROTONVPN10 at checkout! Learn More

Normally you’d pay around $240 for a two-year subscription, but not right now. This limited time deal scores you huge savings and lets you pick it up for just $79.99!

See at Android Central Digital Offers!

OnePlus Switch gets update ahead of impeding OnePlus 6T event

Have a OnePlus phone? Here’s what’s new with your latest update.

OxygenOS is the software that powers OnePlus phones, and even if you’re not enrolled in the Open Beta, it’s still frequently updated with new features and bug fixes to keep an eye out for.

It can be tough to keep track of what’s new, so we’ll be updating this guide with each new OxygenOS update that’s rolled out.

September 23, 2018 — OnePlus Switch gets big update ahead of OnePlus 6T event

If you’re going to update your device transfer application, right before you launch a new phone that uses will be upgrading to sounds like the perfect time. OnePlus is gearing up for the launch of the OnePlus 6T, which we believe is coming in October, and those upgrading from another OnePlus phone — or phones from other manufacturers — will be able to transfer over a little more using the OnePlus Switch app:

• Support migrate launcher, wallpapers, and arrange of application
• Support manual connection to mobile hotspots
• Support backup application data
• Compatible with more Android models

In addition to application data, downloads, contacts, call/SMS backups, and so much more, OnePlus Switch will be able to transfer your wallpaper to your new phone and your default launcher selection. If you used OnePlus Launcher on your old OnePlus phone, you’ll also be able to transfer your home screen application layout. As a reminder, widget data is super weird is still super hard to backup properly, even on the most advanced launchers on the market.

See at Google Play

August 22, 2018 — August security patch and Project Treble come to the OnePlus 5 and 5T

OnePlus has started pushing the OyxgenOS 5.1.5 update to the OnePlus 5 and 5T, and at first glance, the official changelog looks pretty barebones:

• Updated Android security patch to August 2018
• Confirm lock screen PIN without tapping the checkmark (Settings -> Security and lock screen -> Screen lock-> PIN)

However, thanks to numerous reports on Reddit and confirmation from our friends at Android Police, it would appear that this update also brings Project Treble to all 5 and 5T owners.

Project Treble previously came to these phones as part of the OyxgenOS Open Beta back in early July, so it’s exciting to see that OnePlus is now bringing this feature to the official public build of the OS.

Google designed Project Treble to make it easier for OEMs to update their phones to new Android versions, and should everything go as we hope, this will allow the 5 and 5T to be updated to Android 9 Pie in a timely manner.

August 15, 2018 — OnePlus 6 gets better HDR camera performance and a fix for screen flickering

OxygenOS 5.1.11 is rolling out now to the OnePlus 6, and there are a couple big highlights that users should be quite excited to see.

For one thing, this new software further improves the HDR mode for the OP6’s already great camera. Along with this, there’s also a fix for a screen flickering issue that various owners have been complaining about.

Other goodies included with this update are:

• Optimizations for network connections
• Better stability for Wi-Fi connections
• Confirm your lock screen PIN without tapping the checkmark (Settings -> Security and lock -> PIN)
• General bug fixes and improvements

July 30, 2018 — Improved photo clarity, group messaging, and more come to OnePlus 5/5T with OxygenOS 5.1.4

The OnePlus 5 and 5T are getting a new OTA update to OxygenOS 5.1.4, and while it’s not a particularly large upgrade, there are still a few welcome changes we’re excited to see.

First off, you’ll find a new feature in the battery settings called Sleep Standby Optimizations. Once turned on, your 5/5T will learn your sleeping patterns and turn off network usage when it detects you’re catching some zzz’s. Right before your wake up, your network access will be re-enabled so you don’t miss out on emails, Twitter mentions, or other notifications you got while asleep. OnePlus says this helps to reduce battery usage throughout the night and can be enabled by going to Settings -> Battery -> Battery optimization -> Advanced optimization -> Sleep standby optimization.

Along with this, you’ll also find improved photo clarity with the camera, support for group text messaging, the July 2018 Android security patch, and general bug fixes with the Gallery app.

July 20, 2018 — OnePlus 3/3T get July 2018 security patch with OxygenOS 5.0.4

Have a OnePlus 3 or 3T? You should be getting an OTA update soon that updates it to OxygenOS 5.0.4.

This is a pretty minor update, with the highlight being the July 2018 security patch. On the camera side of things, OnePlus has added a fix for an issue when adjusting manual ISO in third-party camera apps and improved the image quality for the front-facing camera.

You’ll also find bug fixes for a parallel WhatsApp crash issue and problems users have had when zooming in with the front camera in Snapchat.

This update is rolling out to all OnePlus 3/3T owners now, and if you have the phone but it’s enrolled in the Open Beta, OnePlus says it’ll update the download link once the global rollout is finished so you can switch back to a stable build now that the beta program has ended for the two older phones.

July 17, 2018 — OxygenOS 5.1.9 brings better dynamic range to OnePlus 6 camera, Google Lens integration

OnePlus is starting to roll out OxygenOS 5.1.9 build, with the update focusing on the OnePlus 6’s camera. The update will bring improvements to the autofocus and edge detection in portrait mode, as well as further enhancements to image clarity and dynamic range.

Additionally, the update will also bring Google Lens integration to the OnePlus camera app, allowing users to scan QR codes and get information about real-world objects. OnePlus says Google Lens will be making its way to the OnePlus 5 and 5T in addition to the OnePlus 6.

The update should be rolling out to select regions starting later today, and will be available more widely from July 20.

June 18, 2018 — OxygenOS 5.1.7 and 5.1.8 bring bootloader fixes

OnePlus is rolling out the OxygenOS 5.1.7 build, which includes the usual bug fixes and stability improvements along with a fix for the bootloader vulnerability that was discovered a few days ago. The build also includes fixes for scheduled DND settings.

The OxygenOS 5.1.7 build won’t be making its way to Indian users, and OnePlus is instead rolling out the 5.1.8 build, which offers the same fixes as the global build. The 5.1.8 build also includes system and network stability fixes, and features optimizations to the call quality.

June 8, 2018 — OnePlus 6 gets Portrait Mode for the front-facing camera and scheduled Do Not Disturb

OxygenOS 5.1.6 is now rolling out to the OnePlus 6 around the globe and comes with a bevy of new features to play around with.

There are two big updates to the camera situation, including a Portrait Mode for the front-facing camera and a Light Bokeh effect that can now be used with the rear camera.

Also included with this update is the ability to schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on at set times and dates. Additionally, you can create your own custom rules for DND to make it work just the way you want.

Other improvements with 5.1.6 include:

• Battery percentage can be seen in the status bar
• Improvements for sound quality and volume with ringtones
• A dual 4G option now available in SIM & network settings
• Stability improvements for dual SIM cards
• Idea VoLTE now working in India
• Optimized call clarity
• Added smart answer for Bluetooth – automatically answer incoming calls when connecting to Bluetooth devices
• Optimized power consumption and Improved system stability

June 1, 2018 — May security patch comes to OnePlus 5 and 5T

OnePlus pushed out a small update to the OnePlus 5 and 5T on June 1 (OxygenOS 5.1.2), with one of the most notable changes being an upgrade to the May 2018 Android security patch.

OxygenOS 5.1.2 adds a few smaller fixes/features as well, including:

• Fixed auto-rotation stability issue
• Fixed Wi-Fi connection issue
• Fixed microphone not functioning issue for AKG earphones
• Added double-tap to lock screen
• Gallery app updated with Places (map view of where your photos were taken) and a Recently Deleted folder.

May 25, 2018 — Face Unlock comes to the OnePlus 3/3T with OxygenOS 5.0.3

The OnePlus 3 and 3T may be getting up in their age, but that doesn’t stop OnePlus from pushing new features to them. OxyenOS 5.0.3 is rolling out to the phones now, and the highlight here is easily the addition of Face Unlock.

This is the same technology introduced on the OnePlus 5T, allowing you to quickly unlock your 3 or 3T by just looking at it. Other items included with the update are as follows:

• Android security patch updated to May 2018
• Refined UI for the Shelf
• New app shortcuts design
• More options when long-pressing an app icon
• OnePlus Gallery gets Places menu, ability to share photos to Shot-On-OnePlus, and Recently Deleted collection
• Large Files category in File Manager
• OnePlus Weather app gets new widget, improved positioning accuracy, and refresh interval setting

May 24, 2018 — OxygenOS 5.1.5 adds May security patch and super slow motion video to OnePlus 6

OnePlus just opened sales for the OnePlus 6 a few days ago, but even so, the company already has a new software update that’s rolling out to it.

This isn’t a particularly big update, but two notable additions include the May 2018 Android security patch and a super slow motion mode for the camera that records video in 720p at 480 FPS and 1080p at 240 FPS.

Other goodies include:

• Preloaded OnePlus Switch app
• Toggle for showing/hiding the display notch
• Quick capture when the camera’s in portrait mode
• More actions for recently deleted files

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

Watch media anywhere with these Anker projectors on sale today only

Create your own theater anywhere.

Amazon has two Anker projectors on sale today. This is one of Amazon’s daily deals so don’t expect the prices to stick around forever.

The first deal is the Anker Nebula Mars Lite portable cinema for $229.99. This mini projector has been selling for closer to $400 recently. The last deal we shared on it was when it dropped to $270 at the beginning of September. Turn any wall into a movie theater screen, even when you’re at a party or outside somewhere. It has a battery that’s large enough for three hours of runtime and can be plugged in for a longer time.

You could also go for the Anker Nebula Prizm 480p LCD multimedia projector for $109.99. That’s $40 off its regular price and the first real discount this projector has ever had. It has built-in 5W speakers, plenty of connectivity options including HDMI and USB, and a worry-free 12-month warranty.

See on Amazon