These are the best wireless keyboards for your NVIDIA Shield TV!

The NVIDIA Shield TV is a fantastic device for streaming the best movies and TV shows from your favorite streaming services — but the included remotes and gaming controllers are pretty lousy for inputting your log-in credentials or searching for content. Fortunately, there’s support for wireless and Bluetooth keyboards that will make things oh so much easier!

For your NVIDIA Shield and more!

Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480

One of the key features of this keyboard is the ability to quickly switch between multiple connected devices, so you can watch your favorite shows while typing comfortably on a tablet or computer.

$29 at Amazon

Wireless USB with Trackpad

Logitech K400 Plus Wireless Touch TV Keyboard

This compact and comfortable keyboard connects via USB with a 33-foot range that’s perfect for your living room. The built-in trackpad and volume controls are great, as is the battery life.

$25 at Amazon

Pocket-sized with a freaking laser

Rii Mini Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Touchpad with Laser Pointer

This pocket-sized device includes a full backlit QUERTY keyboard, along with a trackpad, and a built-in laser pointer. A great keyboard for the living room or for use in more professional settings.

$25 at Amazon

Backlit on a budget

TeckNet Universal Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard

Ultra slim and portable, this is a great option for typing in a dimly-lit home theater setup. The perfect combination of style and function and the best deal on our list.

$18 at Amazon

Palm-sized Bluetooth keyboard

Jelly Comb Mini Bluetooth Keyboard

Ergonomically designed for easy two-handed typing, this keyboard remote features a touchpad mouse right in the middle. Compatible with practically any device that supports Bluetooth.

$20 at Amazon

The NVIDIA software has just been updated with improved support for keyboards so now’s a great time to invest in a quality wireless keyboard for your home. Which option you choose will be a matter of personal preference but we’ve tried to highlight options that are compact and stylish — something that you won’t mind leaving out on your living room table. While Bluetooth keyboards work great, the best keyboard for the NVIDIA Shield might just be the Logitech K400 Plus Wireless Touch TV Keyboard ($25). It’s a reliable wireless option that’s well designed by Logitech with touchpad and volume controls conveniently located.

This $18 AmazonBasics mini desktop mic can help start your streaming career

Improve the audio of your commentary!

The AmazonBasics Desktop Mini Condenser Microphone is down to $18.46 at Amazon today. This deal brings it down to its lowest price ever and saves you over $24. This is a new product which was just released earlier this summer. All three color options are within a dollar of each other, with the white one being the lowest and the silver being the most at just $19.35

This mini single-capsule condenser microphone features a unidirectional pick-up pattern along with plug-and-play USB connectivity so you can easily start using it right out of the box without needing to install any programs or drivers. It comes with a 4.9-foot USB cable, a 3-legged adjustable stand, and is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

AmazonBasics includes a one-year warranty with this mic’s purchase.

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Our favorite Fortnite: Battle Royale tips, tricks, and cheats!

Take every bit of help you can get. You’re going to need it.

Fortnite is an easy game to get into and appears to be a much simpler affair than something like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at first glance. What you’ll find with time, though, is that this game is deep in strategy and requires a strong mastery of mechanics to find consistent success.

Constant practice is the best way to get better at something, but these 20 Fortnite pro tips should help get you on the road to your first Victory Royale.

Pro tips for winning in Fortnite

Seasoned a little and looking for an edge to take you closer to the top 10 or even toward your first victory? These advanced tips will go a long way toward your improvement.

Pick your fights carefully

Anyone watching YouTube footage or a live stream of serious Fortnite players might see them engaging with any enemy they can find and they often go looking for that trouble. We’re here to tell you that this is counterproductive to a winning strategy.

One of the biggest things you’ll need to learn right away is that it’s OK to not engage or to run away after an encounter has gone sour. Remember, your objective is to survive, not rack up a ridiculous kill/death ratio as if you’re playing Call of Duty.

Do NOT get caught in the storm

The other first rule of Fortnite: do not mess with The Storm. It’s a beast of a thing that can’t be controlled. It is your biggest enemy, even scarier than the 99 others standing between you and Victory Royale.

This is especially true as you get closer to the top 10, as the safe zone gets smaller and the storm hits much harder. Run away from it, always. If you can’t make it on foot, try looking for a golf cart. This is the only automobile in the game and it’ll get you from point A to point B much faster than your legs will.

Shoot first, loot later

As you’re out there looking for the items and tools to help you to victory, don’t forget that those tools won’t do you any good if you’re dead. When you’re coming to a new area, take time to scope it out and see if anyone is lingering around before you start putting your head inside loot crates.

Don’t be one dimensional

You know how you’re never supposed to bring a knife to a gunfight? Well, the same thing is sort of true in Fortnite: you never want to go into battle without a balanced loadout that will help you adapt to changing conditions. Just as you wouldn’t want to use a sniper in close quarters, you wouldn’t want a shotgun up against someone who can land accurate shots from hundreds of meters out.

An example of a well-balanced loadout is a shotgun, an assault rifle, and a sniper rifle, with the other 2 slots of your inventory taking up healing items. You don’t always have to go this route (in fact, as you play more you’ll find that this is harder to achieve than you think), but the idea is to be able to protect yourself the most you can from any distance.

Use your surroundings to track enemy players

If you picked up some tracking skills in the Boy or Girl Scouts, it’s time to put them to use here. Due to the nature of how people build in Fortnite, you will come across structures abandoned in the world for one reason or another. These structures may be one ramp or a mile-high fortress, but either way, you’ll want to take note of where they are and how certain elements are positioned.

For instance, if you see a ramp leading up a mountain, you can probably bet (or you should at least assume) that enemies have taken a position up there. Whether you use that information to find a fight or take a flight, well, that’s up to you.

High ground is key

In any shooter, high ground tends to be the most favorable position against your enemies because you can scout and see more, which also means you can shoot at more areas that they try to hide in.

That concept holds true for Fortnite, but the wrinkle that the building system brings in makes it even more crucial to your success. Being able to build a multi-tiered structure over your opponent’s head while they’re struggling to dodge your shots can make them panic, and your ability to dictate the pace of the engagement by making them build up to you almost always tips the scales in your favor.

You can get to hard-to-reach places by jumping on tires

If you see a stack of tires in the game, jump on them. Not only is it extremely fun, but it lets you jump much higher than the game’s already-ridiculous height cap allows. This is especially useful if you want to get on top of a building but don’t have (or want to use) materials to get up there.

You can knock bases down in one hit

While some bases in Fortnite can seem insurmountable, they do have a weakness: their base. Like any structure, if you take out its foundation it’ll come toppling to the ground.

You don’t even have to run up and hack away with your pickaxe: pour enough bullets into a ramp or a wall and it’ll fall to pieces. Completely separate the building from the ground and watch the whole thing come crashing down. Oh, and if you’re lucky enough to find grenades or rocket launchers, they make the job ten times easier.

Know when to disengage

One of the skills you’ll need to pick up on right away is gauging the war of attrition. We tend to speak of ammunition in that regard, but it’s impossible to know how much they’re carrying.

Instead, use the health prompts to figure out whether you can win a fight. When you shoot an enemy, you’ll see numbers appear above their head indicating how much damage you’ve dealt. If the numbers are blue and then begin turning white or yellow, it means they had a shield potion and you’ve completely exposed their health bar.

If your shots aren’t showing blue and you still have some of your shield, you’re winning. If not, you’d better look into your options for retreating fast. One of the best options for a quick getaway is rifts or rift grenades. These things will allow you to jump into a portal that’ll teleport you to the sky, allowing you to windsurf to a safer or more advantageous position. Be on the lookout for these rifts at all times.

Supply drops are extremely rewarding death traps

As the late game draws near, you’ll have more opportunities to find supply drops. These drops contain the rarest guns in the game — legendary SCAR-L rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, you name it. They’re highly contested.

If you’re in a position to safely snag one of these yourself, build a dome around you and crack it open like a pinata. But know that others may be in the area looking to get it for themselves and they may be leaving it as bait, waiting to shoot you the moment you step toward it. Feel free to take that tactic yourself for some easy kills.

Ain’t no mountain high enough to climb

Whether you need to get away from the storm, hole up atop a mountain, or close the distance between you and your opponents, building is a great way to cut down your travel time. Can’t make it around the mountain? Go above it. That lake too risky to swim across? Run across it — no, not with superpowers, but with your wooden planks!

Wood is your most important material

You may go into this game thinking that the strongest building material is metal, followed by brick, and then wood. And from a pure health and strength standpoint, you’d be right. But what the game doesn’t tell you is that wood may often be your best form of cover.

This is because of the way the game initializes each building piece’s health. They load up with a fixed percentage of their maximum health, scaling top-down from wood to metal.

Wood coincidentally starts with more HP and is the fastest to get its HP fully built up, so it’d take 2 shots from a shotgun to knock down a freshly erected wooden wall compared to one shot for metal or brick. This makes it the go-to choice for those high octane engagements where you just need to lay down constant walls of wood to save your butt.

Have a little time and safety on your hands? Build a sturdier long-term base with the other materials.

Switch controls for easier building

Since the building mechanics are so important, you’ll want to know that there’s a build-centric control scheme built into the game. Called Builder Pro, this scheme places your build buttons as shoulder buttons, with the left and right trigger offering access to stairs and walls, respectively. This control scheme allows you to build without having to take your finger off of other buttons, making it not only faster to do, but far safer.

Get health boosts by eating nature’s bounty

Often in Fortnite, you’ll come across consumable items that are scattered throughout an area. Some areas will have a bunch of Apples which restore a small portion of your health, while the material left behind by the big meteor crash seems to have introduced some shield-generating space tofu. Find them — especially the shield food — and never worry about health again.

Tips for Fortnite Duos and Squads

Teaming in Fortnite can be a much different experience compared to playing it solo. If that’s the route you’re going then you’ll want to keep these things in mind.

Focus on the ones with guns

Anyone who has ever made the jump from solo to duos or squads knows how jarring it can be to see players get a second wind when you shoot them. They’ll fall to their knees for a chance to get revived by nearby teammates.

But before you go dumping the rest of your bullets into the downed enemy, take time to clear your surroundings and make sure their friends aren’t right around the corner. Remember, the ones on the ground can’t shoot you. The others can (also, you can use the downed enemies as bait to draw their teammates in, so let them live a little).

Sometimes, you have to let them die

On the flipside, if your teammates are downed then you’ll also want to exercise patience and caution. See if you can eliminate the threat or if your teammate can get to a safe spot where neither you or him will get shot. If you can’t get him, then chalk it up to the will of the game, because it’s always better for one person to survive than none at all.

Don’t be a loot goblin

While greed may get you far in life, it won’t fly in Fortnite. If your teammate is carrying a smoke bomb and you have two shotguns, a pistol, and an SMG, drop a couple of them. If someone needs ammo and you have over 300 rounds, you can spare a little. If your teammate has 2HP and you have all the medkits, drop them.

Having three able-bodied teammates will make things easier for you, so try and think of it as an investment for your success if you’re having trouble with this.

Communication is your greatest weapon

What’s the first thing you should do when you spot an enemy? On your own, it may be to take a shot and pray for the best, but when you’re in a squad it’s worth relaying everything you learn about your enemies and their position to your teammates before you decide to make a move.

You should also get on the squawk box to talk about the items you find, the location of the storm and the safe zone, whether you have ammo, or need to heal or reload. Some of this info may seem small in a vacuum, but together it will dictate your strategy in every single phase of the match.

Don’t get ahead of yourself

While greed may get you far in life, it won’t fly in Fortnite.

One of the worst feelings in Fortnite is getting caught out on your own and being too far from your teammates to be helped. When you drop from the bus, try to drop in the same general vicinity.

You don’t have to follow each other from house to house. Trust us, there’s not enough loot to go around for that, much less space. But try to stay close enough so that you can get to a fight in under 15 seconds.

Have any other tips?

There are many more little things you could mention about Fortnite that could help you in success, but it’s impossible to list them all. Give a holler in the comments section if you have a pro tip of your own that you want to share!

Should you buy Fortnite for PS4?

Updated September 2018: We’ve updated some of these tips with info about new tools and features in the game which help you survive.

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Apple to Invest in Mangrove Forest Restoration Project in Colombia

Apple has announced it will invest in a mangrove tree restoration project for a 27,000-acre forest in Colombia, as part of a broader effort by the company to achieve carbon neutrality (via Fast Company).

Apple VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives Lisa Jackson gave details of the investment at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, but stopped short of disclosing how much cash Apple intends to earmark for the project, which is being undertaken in partnership with the non-profit Conservation International.

Image via Fast Company

“These forests are critical because they’re one of nature’s most important tools in the battle against climate change – they can absorb and store up to ten times more carbon than a terrestrial forest,” Jackson told the audience.

The project will involve tree-planting in degraded areas of the Colombian forest and tree preservation, which should help capture an estimated one million metric tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime. Projections over the first two years indicate 17,000 metric tons in reduced emissions.

That’s the same amount of emissions generated by the cars that will update Apple Maps over the next decade, making the program carbon neutral for the company, notes Fast Company.

According to M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, mangrove trees are excellent absorbers of carbon and are able to store carbon dioxide in their leaves and branches, as well as siphon off the gas into surrounding soil and sediment through vast underwater root systems.

Mangrove trees “have the densest carbon storage of any habitat on Earth,” said Sanjayan. “If you want to actually change the thermostat of the world in your lifetime, then ending the destruction of mangroves and restoring them is one of the biggest things you can do.”

Conservation International has calculated how much “blue carbon” the trees sequester underwater, which will allow the project to quantify the trees’ ability to act as “carbon sponges”.

“By investing, [Apple] opened the door for others to also think about blue carbon as a viable way to sequester carbon and reduce emissions globally,” said Sanjayan.

Back in 2015, Apple partnered with the Conservation Fund to acquire over 36,000 acres of working forest in Maine and California, ensuring the maintenance of the forests and preserving the supply of raw materials for paper. Later that year, Apple committed to protecting one million acres of forest in China.

Underlining its environmental commitments, Apple announced in April that its global facilities, including retail stores, offices, data centers, and more, are powered with 100 percent clean energy.

Tag: Environmental Responsibility
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Samsung may launch a Galaxy phone with four cameras on October 11

Samsung’s next Galaxy phone may feature four rear cameras.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 9 earlier this month, but it looks like the company isn’t done yet. The South Korean manufacturer is set to unveil its next phone at “A Galaxy Event” on October 11, with the device set to offer “more ways to express yourself than ever before.”

With recent rumors on Twitter hinting at a Galaxy phone with four rear cameras, it’s possible we’ll see the device break cover next month.

SamsungCamera Camera Camera Camera

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) September 2, 2018

The wording suggests we could see the next-gen Galaxy A series, but the time-frame for that is usually around January/February. Samsung has confirmed that it will launch a foldable phone this year, so the upcoming phone could be the long-awaited Galaxy X device.

With the launch just under a month away, we’ll likely hear much more about the device in the coming weeks. In the meantime, what do you think we’ll see from Samsung? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Apple Watch Series 4 Now Available for Pre-Order

Alongside the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the Apple Watch Series 4 is now available for pre-order from Apple’s online storefront and through the Apple Store app.

Apple Watch Series 4 marks the first ever design change for the Apple Watch since its debut, with the new models offering displays that are up to 30 percent larger along with a smaller, thinner case. The new models are available in 40 and 44mm size options, up from 38 and 42mm.

Several new watch faces have been designed for the Apple Watch Series 4 to take advantage of the additional screen real estate, and all models now use black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing for better cellular service.

Haptic feedback has been built into the Digital Crown, which is also equipped with electrodes to enable a new feature that lets the watch take an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading. Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 is equipped with a faster, more efficient S4 chip and a next-generation accelerometer and gyroscope enable fall detection. Despite the new features, Series 4 models continue to offer “all-day” 18-hour battery life.

Pre-orders for the cellular Apple Watch Series 4 models are available in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, UK and US.

Non-cellular Apple Watch Series 4 models are available for pre-order in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.

Major U.S. carriers – Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile – are accepting pre-orders for the LTE Apple Watch Series 4 models, as are other carriers around the world. Major online retailers including Best Buy and Target are also accepting pre-orders starting today.

Supplies of the Apple Watch Series 4 could potentially be limited and the device may be in high demand given that it’s a major upgrade over the Series 3, so customers interested in launch-day delivery should order as soon as possible.

Apple Watch Series 4 models are available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold in both aluminum and stainless steel. Apple is offering multiple configurations and band options for the Series 4, with a full list of options available here.

The first Apple Watch Series 4 pre-orders are expected to arrive to customers on Friday, September 21, the official launch date for the device. Nike+ Series 4 models are available for pre-order today but won’t be shipped out to customers until October 5.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, watchOS 5Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Now Available for Pre-Order

Apple is now accepting pre-orders for the new iPhone XS and XS Max models through its online storefront and through the Apple Store app.

Available in 5.8 and 6.5-inch screen sizes, the iPhone XS and XS Max feature super sharp edge-to-edge OLED displays with support for Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and Wide Color.

Design wise, the new smartphones look like the iPhone X with stainless steel frames and glass bodies, but there’s a new gold color option, improved IP68 waterproofing, and the internals have been upgraded. The new iPhones are equipped with the A12, which is faster and more efficient than the A11.

Face ID unlocking is faster than before, and the dual-lens camera system has been upgraded with a bigger sensor for sharper, crisper photos in low light, plus there’s a new Smart HDR feature that brings out more detail in images and a new Depth Control option that allows for adjustable depth of field.

Pre-orders are available in first wave launch countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.

All of the major U.S. carriers — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — are accepting pre-orders for the new devices, as are many other carriers around the world. Major online retailers including Best Buy and Target are also accepting pre-orders starting today.

Pricing on the iPhone XS begins at $999 for 64GB of storage, with 256GB of storage priced at $1149 and 512GB of storage priced at $1349. iPhone Upgrade Program customers will be able to get the iPhone XS starting at $49.91 per month.

Pricing on the iPhone XS Max begins at $1099 for 64GB of storage, with 256GB of storage priced at $1249 and 512GB of storage priced at $1449. iPhone Upgrade Customers will be able to purchase the iPhone XS Max starting at $54.08 per month.

In the United States, customers can purchase iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models from any of the four major carriers using Apple’s site, or choose a SIM-free version. That SIM-free models are available suggests supplies are plentiful, but it’s still always a good idea to place orders early.

Customers who successfully place an order for launch day delivery can expect to begin receiving their devices starting on Friday, September 21, the official launch date for the iPhone XS and XS Max.

Related Roundup: iPhone XS
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iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4 Shipping Estimates Begin Slipping

Apple began accepting pre-orders for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 models at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and a half hour later, shipping estimates have slipped for many iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4 models in the United States. At launch, all devices listed delivery estimates of Friday, September 21, but now estimates have largely slipped to October.

iPhone XS Max models in all colors and all capacities from Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are now listing delivery dates ranging from September 28 to October 12, but in some areas, in-store pickup on launch day remains an option.

For the SIM-free iPhone XS Max models, which must be purchased in full up front and are not eligible for the iPhone Upgrade Program, most continue to list September 21 delivery dates. Shipping estimates for the iPhone XS have not slipped and supplies of that device appear to be plentiful.

Almost all stainless steel Apple Watch Series 4 models are now listing shipping dates of October 5 to October 12 with the exception of some 40mm models, and supplies of aluminum Apple Watch Series 4 models available for launch day delivery are also beginning to wane.

Multiple Cellular + GPS models are still available, but the less expensive GPS-only models are almost all listing October shipping dates.

Shipping estimates for the Apple Watch Series 4 and iPhone XS Max are likely to continue to slip as additional orders are placed. Those who were not able to place an order early will not be able to get launch day delivery through an online shipment, but Apple retail stores are likely to have stock available for walk-in purchases.

The first pre-orders for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 will be delivered on Friday, September 21, the official launch date for the devices.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, watchOS 5, iPhone XSBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Forget the OnePlus 6, here’s why you should buy the LG G7+ ThinQ in India

The LG G7+ ThinQ costs the same as the OnePlus 6 in India while delivering much more value for your money.

OnePlus gets all the attention in the premium segment in India, but if you’re looking for a device that offers the most amount of value for your money, then the LG G7+ should be at the top of your list. The phone is available in India for just ₹39,990, which is identical to what the 128GB variant of the OnePlus 6 retails for in the country.

The LG G7+ has much more going for it, in the form of a QHD display, excellent cameras, IP68 dust and water resistance, along with a MIL-STD-810G rating, and a Quad DAC that delivers the best audio experience on Android today. Here’s why you should buy the LG G7+ in India.

The QHD+ display is fantastic

LG was one of the first manufacturers to switch to the Quad HD resolution, and the G7+ offers a 6.1-inch QHD+ 19.5:9 display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440. There’s a notch up top — which LG calls a second screen — and you have the option to customize the area on either side of the cutout with various accent colors.

Although the phone doesn’t have an OLED panel (it uses an IPS display) it sports excellent sunlight visibility. The maximum brightness in auto mode is more than adequate for reading the contents on the screen even under harsh sunlight, and there’s a super bright mode that cranks the brightness up all the way to over 900 nits. Aside from sunlight legibility, the panel offers vivid colors and deep blacks.

Furthermore, the LG G7+ is one of very few devices to come with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, and you’ll be able to see a tangible difference when streaming select titles on Netflix and Prime Video.

The LG G7+ also has better in-hand feel when compared to the OnePlus 6. At 71.9mm, the LG G7+ is narrower than the OnePlus 6 (75.4mm), making it easier to hold and use one-handed.

Great wide-angle camera backed by AI

LG’s differentiation in the camera space comes from its wide-angle camera. The G7+ comes with dual 16MP cameras at the back, with the secondary sensor pulling duty as the wide-angle lens. The ThinQ branding comes from the fact that the G7+ has a smattering of AI capabilities, including the ability to automatically select the best shooting mode based on the subject in focus. LG isn’t the only manufacturer offering such a feature, but it has done a great job ensuring it is just as good as the scene recognition feature on the Huawei P20 Pro.

There’s also Google Lens integration built into the camera app. LG even offers a dedicated hardware button to invoke Google Assistant, and double pressing the button launches Google Lens. The G7+ also has AR stickers just like the Pixel 2.

The camera itself is one of the best in this category, and LG has leveraged 4-to-1 pixel binning to produce detailed photos in low-light scenarios. The resultant 4MP images do a great job in situations where there’s little to no ambient lighting available.

Excellent for audio

If you care about wired audio, LG should be your go-to brand. With more and more manufacturers getting rid of the 3.5mm jack, it’s great to see LG double down in this area. The G7+ comes with a Quad DAC that offers the best audio experience on a phone.

The phone doesn’t have stereo speakers, but the single speaker located at the bottom is one of the loudest on any phone in the market.

It delivers incredible value

If there’s one thing Indian customers value above all, it’s aggressive pricing. The LG G7+ is powered by the Snapdragon 845 and comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard, and the phone retails for ₹39,990. It’s a shame that LG isn’t in a position to promote the G7+ more aggressively in India, because the device has plenty going for it.

The OnePlus 6 offers 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage, but it falls behind in several key areas. Not only do you get a higher-resolution display and better cameras than the OnePlus 6, but the G7+ also comes with wireless charging. Furthermore, the G7+ is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, and has an MIL-STD-810G rating that gives it added resilience against the elements.

There really isn’t a feature that the G7+ misses out on when talking about hardware; if anything, LG is providing one of the best packages in this category. With the G7+, LG has created one of the best phones of 2018. It doesn’t have an eye-catching design, and the software needs a lot of work, but those frustrations melt away in day-to-day usage.

What you’re left with is a rugged phone that has a fantastic screen, an excellent wide-angle camera, and great audio. You cannot ask for much more than that from a phone in this category.

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• LG G7 ThinQ review: Wide angle, narrow appeal
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• Join the LG G7 forums

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Apple’s Online Store Down Ahead of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 Pre-Orders

Apple has taken its online storefront down in order to prepare for pre-orders for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4, with orders set to launch at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time or 3:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 14 in the United States.

In other countries, pre-order times will vary based on local time zone. Pre-orders will kick off at 6:01 p.m. in Sydney, for example, 3:01 p.m. in China, and 8:01 a.m. in the UK. For details on when pre-orders go live in your country, make sure to check out our post that lists all of the pre-order times.

Apple will plans to accept pre-orders through the Apple website and the Apple Store app. T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon will all be accepting pre-orders for the iPhones and cellular Apple Watch Series 4 models in the U.S., as will major retailers like Target and Best Buy.

Pre-orders for iPhone XS and XS Max will be available from Apple at 12:01 a.m. PT in the following first wave launch countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.

Pre-orders for the cellular Apple Watch Series 4 models will be available in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, UK and US.

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Non-cellular Apple Watch Series 4 models will be available for pre-order in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands.

Because it’s not clear whether Apple has adequate supply of iPhone XS, XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 models, customers hoping to get one of the new devices on launch day should order as early as possible. We haven’t heard word of shortages, but it’s still always best to order as soon as you can.

The iPhone XS and XS Max, which are priced starting at $999 and $1099, respectively, are available in 64, 256, and 512GB configurations in Silver, Gold, and Space Gray.

Apple Watch Series 4 GPS-only models start at $399, while Apple Watch Series 4 models with GPS and LTE start at $499. Apple Watch Series 4 will be available in Silver, Gold, and Space Gray aluminum and stainless steel.

The first Apple Watch Series 4, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS orders placed today are expected to be delivered on Friday, September 21, the official launch date for the devices.

Pre-orders for the iPhone XR are not set to go live until October 19, so customers who prefer Apple’s lower-cost device will need to wait until then to make a purchase.

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