Insecurity Camera [#acpodcast]

Daniel Bader, Andrew Martonik, and Russell Holly are joined by our very own Hayato Huseman! The deluge of new phones in October continues with the launch of OnePlus 6T and RED Hydrogen One — the crew have in-depth looks at both devices.

But before they get to the main event(s), they talk about the various controversies surrounding Pixel 3, but Daniel explains why it is becoming his favorite phone of all time. Plus, they make sense of the charging speed discrepancies between Pixel Stand and Qi compliant wireless chargers. Finally, Russell professes his love and devotion to Google Home Hub.

Listen now

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Show Notes and Links:

• Here’s why the Pixel 3 charges faster on a Pixel Stand than other wireless chargers
• Google Pixel 3 second opinion review: Quickly becoming my favorite phone ever
• OnePlus 6T review
• OnePlus 6T specs
• RED Hydrogen One review
• Google Home Hub Review: Little, fierce, and nearly perfect

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Use smart home tech to make your Halloween home a bit more terrifying

Use your Connected Home tech for evil.

Most of the time your Connected Home tech is busy lighting your home, pinging your phone when there’s a water leak, and letting you know who is at the front door.

While any Halloween supply store will gladly sell you something that will flicker a strobe light from a remote control while you’re hiding in the bushes dressed as a murderous clown, some of your Connected Home tech could help you have a lot more fun. Here’s a quick list of ways you can freak out Trick or Treaters with your smart home!

Activating the smoke machine when people walk up the driveway

This can be a lot of fun. Set a programmable button under a floor mat in the driveway. When people step on the mat, it activates a smoke machine on your front porch. This way you don’t have to have the smoke machine on the whole night, and when that fresh puff of fog shows fills the porch it sets the stage really well!

For this you’ll need:

• A good smoke machine
• Logitech Pop smart button
• Samsung SmartThings Outlet

This is fairly easy to set up, especially if you’ve already got this hardware in your house. Through IFTTT, you can set Logi Pop to trigger an on command to the SmartThings Outlet. Connect your smoke machine to the SmartThings Outlet, and when the Pop button is triggered the smoke machine will start!

Setting your front porch lights red when someone walks up to the door

Is there anything creepier than things changing when it’s not clear no one is around? When people walk up to your front door, make the porch lights turn a bright red to greet them!

For this you’ll need:

• Philips Hue Bulbs
• Hue Motion Sensor

This one is real easy, since the Hue motion sensor is wireless and can be set up anywhere. Place your motion sensor somewhere sneaky and set it to activate the lights on your front porch when motion is detected, and set the Hue lights to red as the command trigger. When someone trips the motion sensor the lights will turn red automatically and everyone will wonder what they have gotten themselves into!

If you’re looking for more ways to have Halloween fun with your Hue bulbs, the Philips Hue labs includes a whole section on Halloween-themed scenes for your home.

Triggering a scream when someone presses the door bell

Some people can’t be scared by smoke and lights. That’s what loud noises are for! This setup lets out a loud scream once someone presses your doorbell, guaranteed to make people jump for their treats.

For this you’ll need:

• Amazon Echo Dot
• Ring Doorbell
• Samsung SmartThings Hub

This is a little tricky to get right, but so worth it. Set up your Echo Dot on your front porch, but hide it so it doesn’t stand out. Bonus points if you hide it inside carved pumpkin, but not totally necessary for this. Set up your SmartThings Hub to fire up a scary sounds playlist on your Echo, and configure an IFTTT trigger to make SmartThings start the playlist when someone presses your Ring Doorbell. It’s one hell of a surprise, even for people who think they aren’t scared of anything.

Don’t have an Echo Dot? No worries, this same trick works on Google Home!

Turn all the lights off when you open your door

Loud noises and flashing lights not enough? Show off your acting chops by demonstrating how haunted your house is. When you walk through the front door to get people their candy, make sure all the lights go out and scream as the door slams shut!

For this you’ll need:

• A convincing scream — Not available for purchase 🙁
• Samsung SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor
• Philips Hue bulbs

Sit outside your house and tell everyone you’re afraid there’s something happening in there, but you’ll reach in real quick and grab your visitors some candy. Place the SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor on your front door so when it opens, IFTTT can tell your Hue bulbs to all turn off. All the lights will go out when the door opens, leaving you ready to scream and slam the door to save everyone waiting for candy!

Got any other connected home tricks you’re excited to pull on visitors this Halloween? Share them with us in the comments!

Updated October 2018: This post has been updated with new scares and new tech so you can have tons of smart home fun this Halloween. Or, you know, any day of the week. No judgement here.

Will a OnePlus 6 case fit the OnePlus 6T?

Best answer: Unfortunately, you can’t use a OnePlus 6 case on the OnePlus 6T. The new phone is slightly taller than the outgoing model, and it’s not close enough to let even flexible or loose cases fit on the new phone. You’ll have to buy a new case to match.

OnePlus: Official cases ($19.95+)

The OnePlus 6T isn’t dramatically larger than the 6, but it’s enough

The OnePlus 6T moves to a larger screen, a full 6.41 inches, and that necessitates a larger casing. It’s about 2 millimeters taller, but because of the also taller 19.5:9 aspect ratio the phone is actually narrower than the OnePlus 6. With a larger battery in tow, it’s a bit thicker as well.

This all adds up to the reality that a OnePlus 6 case just won’t fit on a 6T, no matter how loose or stretchy it may be. Aside from the general issue of the OnePlus 6 case having a hole in the back for a fingerprint sensor that isn’t there on the 6T, the corners are just too far stretched to make even a flexible silicone case fit — believe us, we tried.

If history is any indication, there will be a robust market of third-party cases for the OnePlus 6T — we’ll just have to wait for them to be released. Obviously OnePlus itself has a solid set of cases available from Day 1, running the range between a thin and grippy “sandstone” up to a thicker and rugged “nylon” case. Take your pick.

Our pick

OnePlus official cases

$19.95+ at OnePlus

Time to buy a new case for your new phone

The OnePlus 6T is slightly taller and thicker than a OnePlus 6, so you’ll need to buy a new case for the new phone. Thankfully, OnePlus makes great cases for its own phones, and they’re available right away at reasonable prices.

Save 15% off Blink indoor and outdoor HD security cameras

Don’t blink, you might miss this deal.

Add some extra security to your home with 15% off a Blink camera system today. Whether you need hooking up with indoor security cameras or a weatherproof system for protecting the area around your home, this limited-time sale has got you covered.

Blink’s Indoor line of cameras offer motion detection, instant 720p HD recording and notifications straight to your smartphone. You can also check in on your home in real time from anywhere in the world via the Blink app. They are super simple to set up and run wirelessly for two years on AA batteries. The 15% discount applies to everything from a single add-on camera — now just $76.49 — to the 5-camera system which has a $52 saving.

Blink XT offers all of the above smarts and adds weatherproofing so you can monitor your home’s surroundings. The upgraded cams also bump the resolution to 1080p HD and add in infrared night vision for around the clock security, even on those dark wintery nights. The 1-camera system is down to just $110.49 and the largest, 5-camera system is now $424.99 — $75 off its usual price.

Blink offers free cloud storage for recorded video clips, so you don’t have to pay for a monthly subscription such as those offered by Arlo or Nest. Being an Amazon brand, Blink’s camera systems offer tight integration with the Amazon Echo ecosystem and can be controlled using just your voice. We are living in the future, people.

See at Amazon

OnePlus plans on launching the first 5G phone in Europe in 2019

The 5G phone will exist alongside OnePlus’s other LTE handsets.

OnePlus just announced the OnePlus 6T earlier this morning, but even so, the company’s already hard at work on its successor. In an interview with The Verge, CEO Pete Lau confirmed that it plans on launching a 5G-capable phone in Europe as early as next year.

Lau said, “We’re very happy that our efforts with OnePlus will include 5G smartphones in the very near future.” Furthermore, he also noted that OnePlus is working with carriers in Europe to make sure everything’s compatible and that “We’re confident we’ll be the first 5G phone in Europe.”

Another interesting thing to note is that this 5G phone will live alongside OnePlus’s other 4G LTE handsets. New OnePlus phones typically replace their predecessors, so this suggests that the 5G phone will be separate from the company’s regular release schedule.

Does that mean we’ll get a OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 (5G) next year? Maybe something entirely different like what Apple did with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X? According to Lau, “It doubles the workload for us because it’s an additional product. It will be its own line of phones.”

Are you looking forward to a 5G phone from OnePlus?

OnePlus 6T review: 90% of the phone for 60% of the price

OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6T review
• Latest OnePlus 6T news
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• Join the discussion in the forums

Aukey’s $12 Power Strip features 4 outlets and 4 USB ports

Power all the things.

Aukey’s Power Strip with 4 USB Ports and 4 Outlets is down to a new low price of $11.99 when you enter coupon code 6YI3ALOA at checkout.

With four outlets and four USB ports, this power strip is super useful for areas like your home office, bedroom or for plugging in the multitude of devices behind your TV while keeping the cables out of sight.

It can output up to 2.4A per port, has a five-foot long cable, and features built-in safeguards to protect your devices. Existing users rate it 4.1 out of 5 stars on average and Aukey backs it up with a two-year product replacement warranty.

If you’d prefer something that goes straight into the wall, Aukey is also offering 10% off its 2-outlet charger with 4 USB ports.

See at Amazon

Best Cases for OnePlus 6T

The OnePlus 6T is a good-looking phone. Heck, it’s actually quite stunning. Those good looks do come at a cost, however, as the all-glass back will likely show signs of use a lot sooner than you’d like. Thankfully, you can prevent that and keep the 6T looking brand new with a case. Here are the best ones we could find.

Straight from OnePlus

OnePlus Bumper Case

OnePlus’s official bumper case is one of the best you can get. It provides edge-to-edge protection, shock-resistant bumpers, and a hard outer shell. You’ve also got your choice between Karbon, Ebony Wood, and Nylon.

$30 at OnePlus

All-around champ

Dretal Carbon Fiber Case

Need a basic, durable case that’s easy on the wallet? Dretal’s carbon fiber case is a great pick. The TPU rubber is scratch resistant, has a sleek design, and offers fantastic grip while being shockproof. Black is the only available color, but at least it’ll match your black 6T, right?

$8 at Amazon

Thinnest you can get

Anccer Colorful Series

Once again, Anccer delivers one of the best thin cases you can get. Measuring in at just 0.3mm, the Anccer Colorful Series case offers basic scratch and drop protection so your 6T will keep looking nice without adding any extra bulk. Better yet, you’ve got eight gorgeous colors to pick from.

$13 at Amazon

Simple folio

OnePlus Flip Cover

If folio cases are more your jam, OnePlus offers an official one for a little over $20. Opening the cover will automatically turn the screen on, while closing it shuts the display off. It’s made out of PU leather and has room for one credit/debit card.

$21 at OnePlus

The clear winner

VRS Design Crystal Chrome

Want to show off your OnePlus 6T to the world without risking its safety? This clear case from VRS Design is for you. The TPU bumper keeps the 6T safe from nasty drops and is resistant against scratching and yellowing that some other clear cases are prone to.

$12 at Amazon

So grippy

KuGi TPU Case

This case from KuGi is an all-around great choice. It comes in three colors (navy, black, and red) and features a unique texture on the back that provides really nice grip you won’t find with a naked 6T. You also get a 100% satisfaction guarantee that lasts for 30 days.

$9 at Amazon

Serious protection

MYLB Hybrid Rugged Case

For our readers that need maximum protection, we recommend getting this MYLB case. It has a dual layer design that protects the OnePlus 6T from just about anything, and all four corners of the phone are covered with a TPU airbag for maximum security. This thing is a beast.

$6 at Amazon

Sandstone has returned

OnePlus Protective Case

Want to relive the sandstone material that was made so popular on the OnePlus One? The official protective case is outfitted with just that and gives the 6T a truly unique look and feel. Add that together with raised edges over the screen and a sleek profile, and you’re all set.

$21 at OnePlus

Functional wallet case

DUX DUCIS Folio Cover

Another great wallet case for the OnePlus 6T comes from DUX DUCIS. Made out of a PU leather and available in three colors, this provides full protection for the 6T’s front and back, can double as a stand for watching movies, and holds one debit or credit card.

$8 at Amazon

If it were my money, I’d probably splurge for the official OnePlus Protective Case. It offers solid protection in a slim profile, but most importantly, it has the OnePlus’s iconic Sandstone material. On the lower end of the price spectrum, cases from Dretal and Anccer have proven to be top-notch with other smartphones and are definitely worth a look.

With these heavy duty cases, your Google Pixel 3 is in good hands

Some people prefer to use a brand new phone without a case — but if you’re on the exact opposite end of the spectrum and know you need the most rugged protection for your Pixel 3, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up some of the best heavy duty cases available for the Pixel 3, from perennial favorites like the Otterbox to more wallet-friendly options from other trusted brands we like. We’re sure you’ll find a case that speaks to you and your needs.

X-cellent protection

Ringke Fusion X

The Ringke Fusion-X is one of the more unique-looking cases you’ll find for the Pixel 3. It offers heavy-duty protection with a clear PC backplate combined with an impact-resistant bumper around the edges to protect against drops and bumps.

$10 at Amazon

Spigen’s toughest

Spigen Tough Armor

This case offers maximum durability without adding too much bulk to the Pixel 3’s design. Designed with a shock-absorbing TPU sleeve hugged by a rugged shell, the Tough Armor will live up to its name with a built-in kickstand offering a nice little bonus.

$16 at Amazon

All-round protection

Poetic Revolution 360 Degree Protection 

The only case on this list that comes with its own screen protector, Poetic Revolution is able to claim 360-degree protection with this heavy duty case that certainly looks the part. Thick, textured edges should ensure you always have a solid grip on your phone, and there’s a built-in kickstand that works in both landscape and portrait orientations.

$17 at Amazon

Best on a budget

CoverON HexaGuard Series

CoverOn offers a great budget option for those who want to protect their Pixel 3 for under $10. This is a dual-layer case that is designed to take the abuse of your daily use (hey, that rhymes!). The back features a basketball-inspired grip pattern that looks and feel great in your hand.

$8 at Amazon

Iconic brand

OtterBox Defender Series 

One of the most trusted names in smartphone cases, OtterBox offers its premium product for the Pixel 3. This is by far the most expensive option on our list, but if you’ve ever bought an OtterBox case before and dealt with its superb customer service, you know that you’re likely to get your money’s worth.

$50 at Amazon

Front, back, and belt

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro

Supcase’s dual-layer, rugged holster has an inner shell of flexible, shock-absorbent TPU rubber, a hard plastic outer shell, and a built-in screen protector. There’s also an included belt clip, and a dust cover for the charging port, making for all-around protection.

$20 at Amazon

Drop survivor

Caseology Legion

This all-black case is comprised of a flexible bumper case made of hard yet flexible TPU rubber, as well as an outer shell made from hard, textured plastic, so it’s sturdy and provides an excellent grip surface. The button covers provide great feedback, while all the necessary cutouts are precise.

$16 at Amazon

These are the best cases that offer heavy-duty protection for your Pixel 3. If you’re also interested in adding a screen protector to your phone, the Poetic Revolution is worth considering, but my recommendation goes to the Spigen Tough Armor. Spigen’s products are always top quality and the Tough Armor style in particular is a reliably rugged option for any smartphone. If you don’t mind spending a lot of extra money, the OtterBox Defender Series is going to be worth the money.

Amazon Alexa can now control NVIDIA Shield TV

Just in case the built-in Google Assistant isn’t good enough for you.

You can now control your NVIDIA Shield TV — that’s the uber-powerful streaming/gaming box that runs Android TV with Google Assistant — with Amazon Alexa.

Just in case you’d rather use an Amazon Echo to control the box that works directly with Google Assistant, which already can be triggered with an Android phone, or a Google Home speaker, or with the NVIDIA Shield TV remote, or hands-free with the NVIDIA Shield TV game controller.

Says NVIDIA:

Comfortably holding the crown as the most open streaming platform, SHIELD gives you more of what you want than any streaming media device. It’s the streamer with access to more of your music, movies and TV shows from multiple ecosystems. Not to mention the widest range of 4K content.

That now extends to voice services as SHIELD is the only streamer you can control with both Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. Available through a new Amazon Skill, you can ask Alexa to help with navigating and enjoying your favorite movies, TV shows, music and more.

Another cool feature for SHIELD users in the Amazon ecosystem: Dolby Atmos passthrough support for Prime Video. In addition to the jaw-dropping 4K HDR visuals, you now get breathtaking spatial audio to match in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

So, there’s that. Hit the link below to get things set up, then get your Alexa on.

Get the NVIDIA Shield Alexa Skill

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

Amazon Fire tablets, Vitamix blenders, and more are discounted today

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

There’s never a shortage of deals available, but sorting through all of them can be difficult at times. We’ve handpicked all the best tech, and everyday essentials discounts that you can take advantage of right now and brought them to one central location. From the Fire 7 tablet to Pretty Little Liars, these are today’s best deals.

Tech Deals

Everyday Essentials

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