A new laser eye surgery fixes your vision without any gnarly eyeball slicing

As someone who wears glasses, the idea of corrective laser eye surgery is certainly tempting. But then you start reading about how the invasive surgery is actually performed, along with some of (admittedly rare) risks, and suddenly glasses don’t seem so bad. Things could change, however, thanks to research coming out of Columbia University. Researchers there have developed a new noninvasive laser eye surgery which could permanently correct vision — minus any of the less pleasant-sounding aspects of regular laser surgery.

“The main difference between our approach and commonly used refractive surgeries is that in our method there is no flap cutting and no ablation,” Sinisa Vukelic, a researcher on the project, told Digital Trends. “Patients with thin corneas and other abnormalities that make them ineligible for refractive surgery could be treated with the proposed treatment, which in turn increases the population of eligible patients.”

The new methods involve something called a femtosecond oscillator, an ultrafast laser capable of delivering pulses of low energy very quickly. Using this laser, it’s possible to change the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the eye’s corneal tissue. Unlike laser-assisted corrective surgeries like Lasik, this can be done without thinning — and thereby potentially weakening — the cornea. Instead, the procedure involves using the laser to ionize the water molecules within the cornea. This creates a reaction oxygen molecule which interacts with collagen fibrils to selectively form “crosslinks” or chemical bonds that change the eye’s properties. Doing this can alter the overall corneal curvature of the eye, modifying its refractive power in order to correct the patient’s vision.

“We have done a lot of basic science to prove the principle and establish the technique,” Vukelic continued. “We have also done a lot of work on animal models which has proven the efficacy of the proposed treatment. At the moment, we are working on a clinical prototype. We do hope to disseminate this technology to the public, and we also hope that it will be widely adopted.” Clinical trials are planned to begin by the end of 2018.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Nature Photonics.

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It’s still short of a billion, but Windows 10 adoption hits a big milestone

Microsoft once stated that it hoped Windows 10 would reach a billion devices within a few years of release. While we aren’t quite at that stage yet, the numbers are steadily growing and at its latest Build conference, Microsoft revealed that more than 700 million Windows 10 devices were now in operation around the world.

The adoption of Windows 10 has been a little different than previous generations of Windows. Microsoft made waves with its latest operating system by offering free upgrades for Windows 7 and 8.1 users as it transitioned to more of a software as a service model for its flagship operating system. That appears to have paid off with faster adoption rates than its predecessors.

Although Windows 10 install numbers are behind where Microsoft may have once hoped it would be nearly three years after its debut, they are better than both Windows 7 and 8. Windows 7 had sold 630 million copies three years on from its release, while Windows 8 was on pace to report just two-thirds of that — though Microsoft stopped reporting after only 200 million devices were recorded after 15 months.

Most impressively, Windows 10 growth actually appears to be accelerating. After achieving 350 million installs after a year, it reached 500 million in 2017. Now at more than 700 million, it could well hit a billion installs before 2020.

As WindowsCentral points out, the only caveat to these numbers is that Microsoft does count a lot of different hardware types as Windows 10 devices — we aren’t just talking desktops. You have to factor in laptops, Surface 2-in-1s, Xbox One consoles, Hololens, and Windows 10 mobile devices.

That said, unifying the Windows platform has been a major goal of Microsoft in recent years. Alongside making its operating system more modular and able to evolve with users — rather than the periodic releases of yesteryear — it’s looking to build unique Windows systems for different devices that are all based on its Windows Core OS experience. That’s not something we’re expecting to be realized for a few years, but if you’ve been keeping an eye on things like Windows 10 S, you know Microsoft has some intriguing tricks up its sleeves.

For those of you wanting the full Windows experience with no restrictions, here is what you can enjoy in the latest big update.

Editors’ Recommendations

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• Microsoft is working to cut the file size of the basic Windows 10 install
• Windows 10 ‘Lean’ shows up in a preview build for Windows Insiders
• Hackers can bypass the Windows 10 S lockdown due to security flaw
• Code in latest Windows 10 preview hints at a Surface Phone

Take control of your LG G7 ThinQ with these helpful tips and tricks

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

As LG’s newest flagship, the LG G7 ThinQ offers the perfect blend of gorgeous design and powerful specs. While it packs many of the same features you will find on other Android phones, it has a few awesome tricks up its sleeve. If you have managed to get your hands on LG’s latest and greatest, here are a few of our favorite LG G7 ThinQ tips and tricks to get you started.

How to customize or turn off the top notch

Love it or hate it, the notch is becoming a common feature on smartphones. However, if you’re a traditionalist and prefer a notch-free display, LG has you covered.

If you wish to remove the notch from your display, simply go to Settings > Display > New Second Screen. Select the Custom radio button and tap on the black circle below. If you wish to change the way the corners on the app display, you can also adjust that under the App Corners heading.

How to turn on the Always-on display

One of our favorite Android features is the Always-on display. The feature allows you to easily see the time and various notifications even when your display is turned off.

Setting up the Always-on display on your LG G7 ThinQ is simple. Go to Settings > Display and toggle on the Always-on display option. Once the feature is enabled tap the overflow (three-dot) icon to customize your display, change its brightness, or turn it off during certain times.

How to enable Floating bar

If you’re looking to access certain apps and features quickly, you’ll want to check out the Floating Bar on the LG G7 ThinQ. With Floating Bar you simply swipe from one side of your screen to access app shortcuts, capture screen GIFs, control the music player, and find frequently used contacts.

To enable Floating Bar, simply go to Settings > General and toggle on Floating Bar. Once the feature is enabled, tap the overflow (three-dot) icon to customize its position and active features.

How to disable Smart Bulletin

Since LG customizes Android for its phones, things are a little different than what you’ll find on phones with the stock OS. For example, instead of seeing the Google News Feed when you swipe right from the home screen, you will see something called Smart Bulletin.

Smart Bulletin allows you to quickly access features you use on a regular basis. From the Smart Bulletin screen, you can get customized app suggestions, keep track of your health goals, catch up with news, and even use the built-in music app.

While all of these features sound nice, some people just aren’t fond of Smart Bulletin. Luckily the feature is easy to disable. Simply long-tap on the home screen and select the Home screen settings icon. From this window, you simply need to toggle off the Smart Bulletin feature.

How to emulate an E-Ink screen for reading

One of our favorite features on the OnePlus 6 is the Reading mode. The feature allows you to switch to a monochromatic display that looks similar to that of an ereader. A similar feature, called black and white mode, is available on the LG G7 ThinQ. If you want to give black and white mode a whirl, go to Settings > Display > Comfort view and toggle on the Black & white slider.

How to set up Face Recognition

Want to unlock your phone with a quick glance? Well, the LG G7 ThinQ has you covered. With the G7 you can select from one of several different options to unlock your phone. Fingerprint authentication may be the quickest, but facial recognition is a lot more fun.

To set up face recognition go to Settings > Lock screen & security and tap the Face Recognition tab in the Biometrics section. Tap Next and enter your PIN; if you’ve not set up a PIN you will need to do so before you can continue. From here select Next and follow the prompts to register your face.  Once you’re finished you can tap Improve face recognition and Advanced face recognition to make your phone more secure.

How to get awesome sound (with headphones)

When you use the LG G7 ThinQ, it’s easy to see audio was a priority for the smartphone giant. In addition to the new Boombox mode, LG also added several new features to help you get awesome sound when using headphones.

If you want to tweak your sound preferences, first plug your headphones or earbuds into the 3.5mm jack on the bottom of the LG G7 ThinQ. Then go to Settings > Sound > Sound quality and effects. From this screen, you can normalize volume, tweak the equalizer, and turn on DTS:X 3D Surround or Hi-Fi Quad DAC.

How to use the G7 ThinQ with one hand

Although the LG G7 ThinQ features a 6.1-inch display, it’s pretty easy to hold. While you shouldn’t have a problem holding it one-handed, it may be hard to navigate the far edges of the display. Fortunately, the G7 ThinQ has an option that allows you to easily use the screen with one hand.

To enable the feature go to Settings > Display and toggle on the Mini view slider. Once enabled, simply slide your finger across the navigation icons to minimize the screen. To return to the full-size display, simply tap the X icon in the upper righthand corner.

How to optimize your LG G7 ThinQ

Sure, your new LG G7 ThinQ is blazing fast when you first pull it out of the box, but what happens in a few months when you’ve taken a chunk out of your storage for apps and photos? Not to worry, it’s easy to optimize your LG G7 ThinQ from the settings menu.

When it’s time to clean up your phone, just go to Settings > General > Smart Cleaning and tap the Optimize button. If you optimized your phone and are still having performance issues, you may want to test your hardware; to do so just tap the Test hardware button at the bottom of the screen.

How to turn on Comfort view

There is a good chance you’re one of the many people who glance at their phone display before bedtime, so you will want to check out Comfort View on the LG G7 ThinQ. Comfort view allows you to make adjustments to your screen to minimize blue light, in hopes of getting a better night’s sleep. If you’re finding yourself sleeping fitfully or waking unrefreshed you may want to check this feature out.

Setting up comfort view only takes a few seconds. Go to Settings > Display > Comfort view. From the Comfort view screen you adjust the blue light filter, and schedule active times for the feature.

Editors’ Recommendations

• LG V35 ThinkQ hands-on review
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: A brains-versus-brawn comparison
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Clash for the heavyweight title
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. iPhone X: Which phone comes out on top?
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. LG V30: Which LG flagship phone is best for you?

How to get Microsoft Office for free

Microsoft Office can be expensive: The standalone versions of the software, which are becoming increasingly rare as Microsoft grows Office 365, start around $150 and only go up from there. Subscriptions to Office apps start at $7 per month or $70 per year, and quickly increase for professional versions of the software. The good news is that future versions of the software will probably be the same price. The bad news is that that can be costly for consumers.

Either way it’s a lot to spend for basic productivity tools, but there is some good news. If you’re not a power user and don’t need all the latest, premium features, you can save a lot of money on Microsoft Office.

How does free sound? Let’s take a look at your options for how to get Microsoft Office for free!

1. Use the free web and mobile apps

Microsoft has been gradually expanding the number of apps you can use online for free, and now offers an impressive suite that can easily merge with downloaded apps if necessary, and has plenty of functionality for the average project.

It’s also really easy to sign up: Go this web page, pick the app that you want (scroll down for all options), and log into your Microsoft account to get started. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, signing up is easy—plus, since you need Office Online, it’s a good idea to create one anyway. This allows you to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Calendar, and other traditional Microsoft apps. It also gives you access to more niche apps, like Sway, an interactive report/presentation app; People, which is an advanced, Skype-friendly contact list, and Docs.com, for uploading and sharing documents.

So, if this is all here and available for free, why does the rest of this article exist? Because while these apps are useful, they’re also limited to only work for very basic functions. They don’t offer the full features that Office 365 provides and, of course, you need an online connection to use them. It’ll work for simple tasks, like putting together a simple document — but it won’t work for more complicated tasks.

2. Get Office through your school

If you are part of an education organization (student, faculty or staff), take time to enter your school email address on this site and see if you can get a version of Office 365 for free. Microsoft extends this to all students, but your school needs to be signed up first or just get very lucky.

If your school isn’t part of the program, an administrator can sign you up easily. The benefits are basically the same as the trial version of the software, with the addition of a separate Class Notebook for class management, unlimited online meetings, and intranet customization options.

3. Try a free 30 day trial of Office 365

Ahh, the free trial lives on. If you want to experience Office 365 for free, you can – for a full month. Just head to the free trial page and sign up. The trial allows you to download Office 365 on up to five PCs or Macs, and allows you to use the Office mobile apps on up to five tablets and five phones. Plus, you get 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage for each user to experiment with. The trial includes the Office 2016 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other apps.

The downside is that you only get a month of service, which obviously isn’t beneficial if you need long-term use. Another caveat is that Microsoft requires your financial account information before the download and will start automatically charging you after the month is up, which can make disentangling yourself from Office 365 a little difficult (which is the point). It’s a good way to try out the full version of Office 365 to see if it offers enough to be worth the price tag but be ready to cancel if you don’t want to be charged.

Side note: Some product offers can be a little tricky, like the “Try Office 365 Personal for free” hook on the Microsoft Store. Be warned that this is still referring to the one month trial version, even if it doesn’t come right out and say so. In addition, don’t try those “free product key” websites, which tend to be pretty sketchy and rarely deliver.

4. Sign up for an evaluation (30 to 60 days)

Over at its TechNet Evaluation Center, Microsoft also runs an evaluation program that allows you to test out certain Office apps for a period of time. This includes Project Professional 2016 (60 days), Visio Professional 2016 (60 days), and Office 365 ProPlus (30 days). It’s basically another way to get a free trial, but with more specific and full-featured software.

However, remember that it is an evaluation period, so the service will stop after the set period of time. Also, Microsoft may use this service to help work out the kinks in newer apps, so don’t expect everything to be perfect the first time around.

Don’t forget that you can use free Microsoft Office alternatives

If you need Office-like apps and need them fast, there are a lot of free versions and alternatives out there. These apps tend to have interfaces very similar to Office apps, and their files can often be transferred over to the Office suite with little to no hassle.

That makes these solutions great in a pinch — or just when you need to save some money.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Lenovo’s Yoga Book with the cool touch keyboard may get a follow-up this fall

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Lenovo appears to be working on a follow-up to its Yoga Book according to a listing on the Bluetooth SIG website. It’s labeled as the Yoga Book 2 Pro along with the Yoga Book Pen 2. This is a 2-in-1 we’ll likely see this fall during the back-to-school season although the “pro” branding seemingly suggests older students much like the original target audience for the Surface Laptop sporting Windows 10 S. 

We don’t know any of the hardware specifics associated with the Yoga Book 2 Pro just yet outside the obvious Bluetooth connectivity. The original version launched in August 2016 during the IFA show in Germany packing either Windows 10 Pro or Android Marshmallow (aka Book UI). It was followed by the A12 in 2017 sporting a larger screen and a smaller price, but without the Yoga Book branding. 

At its heart, the Yoga Book is a 2-in-1 device although Lenovo heavily uses the “tablet” term. It sports a tablet-like 10.1-inch screen that is connected to an all-black “touchscreen” of the same size using a unique, 360-degree three-axis hinge. 

“The hinge is engineered to be smaller and features a custom-made three-axis hinge, with 130 different mechanical pieces comprising five different materials,” the company says. “Lab tested more than 25,000 times, the Yoga Book form offers a smooth, seamless transition between the four modes — Browse, Watch, Create and Type.” 

It’s this touchscreen that makes the Yoga Book unique: It replaces a physical keyboard with a touch-based Halo Keyboard that appears when needed. Want to draw or manually write? The Halo Keyboard will convert into the Create Pad supporting the included Real Pen stylus. Lenovo’s peripheral supports 2,048 levels of pressure so that every stroke looks just as good in digital form as it does on paper. The benefit here is that, unlike tablets, your hand isn’t blocking the screen when you draw. 

The current model still in stock relies on Intel’s Atom x5-Z8550 “Cherry Trail” mobile processor, 4GB of system memory (LPDDR3), and 128GB of storage. The screen itself is based on IPS technology providing wide viewing angles and rich colors. It packs a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 16.7 million colors, and a brightness of 400 nits. The screen is joined by an 8MP auto-focus camera on the back and a 5MP fixed-focus camera on the front. 

As for other specifications, the Yoga Book measures just 0.38 inches thin, provides Wireless AC (433Mbps) and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and relies on an 8,500mAh battery promising up to 13 hours on a single charge. The Windows 10 Pro version ships in Carbon Black while the now-depleted Android stock shipped in Gold or Gunmetal. 

What Lenovo plans to shove into the Yoga Book 2 Pro is anyone’s guess although you’ll likely not see an Atom processor in this installment. Given the A12 was a larger 12.2 inches, perhaps we will see the Yoga Book 2 Pro move up into laptop territory with a 13.3-inch screen, an eighth-generation Intel Core processor, and maybe even discrete graphics. A Chrome OS-based version is possible, too, even though the rumored first-generation Yoga Book version never showed up in 2017.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 3 vs Microsoft Surface Book 2 13
• Lenovo Yoga 920 review
• Microsoft Surface Pro (2017) review
• Asus ZenBook Flip 14 vs. Lenovo Yoga 920
• Lenovo Yoga 730 13-inch review

Ticketfly goes offline after refusing to pay hacker’s Bitcoin ransom

Ticketfly has been down since Thursday, May 31, after a hacker had digitally attacked the Eventbrite-owned ticketing website and leaked stolen customer information. The hacker who called himself IsHakdz vandalized the site by replacing the website’s content with an image of Guy Fawkes from the film V for Vendetta along with the phrase “Your security down I’m not sorry.” The page also contained links to files allegedly containing customer information, prompting Eventbrite to temporarily shut down Ticketfly until the security situation could be assessed and resolved.

“Following recent site issues, we determined that Ticketfly has been the target of a cyber incident,” the company said in a statement. “To protect our clients and fans, and to secure the website and related data, we have temporarily taken all Ticketfly systems offline.”

In addition to breaching Ticketfly while keeping the site’s HTTPS certificate intact, the hack also affected Brooklyn Bowl, Pear Street Warehouse, and Lafayette Theater, according to The Verge. And because Ticketfly was unable to comment on what information may have been compromised during this attack, if you’ve recently made any transactions through Tickefly or any of the affected sites, you may want to keep an eye on your credit card statements and credit report. Motherboard was able to confirm that home addresses, emails, and telephone numbers of customers were part of the files leaked by the IsHakdz. Additionally, the hacker said that he may release more stolen information on his website, PCMag reported.

The hacker claimed to have initially warned Ticketfly about the site’s vulnerability that would allow him to take control of the site and all its database, but he demanded a payment of one Bitcoin to reveal the details. Ticketfly didn’t reply, and it appears that the hacker went ahead and put his knowledge to use in hacking Ticketfly’s site, Motherboard reported.

If you had purchased a ticket for an upcoming event from Ticketfly, a support page notes that these tickets may be available at the door. You’ll need three forms of ID, Ticketfly advised, which includes an original photo ID and a copy of the printed digital ticket. If you’re not the original purchaser, you’ll also need a note from the buyer authorizing you to pick up the tickets.

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The Mito drone captures underwater action without the nausea-inducing footage

Underwater drones open up ocean exploration without getting wet, but placing a drone in the current can create some shaky footage. Startup Navatics is attempting to fight that with an aquatic drone equipped with stabilization. Now on Kickstarter, the Navatics Mito is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) with a 4K camera and advanced active stabilization.

The Mito uses a floating teether to transmit signals to the controller, but the teether also uses a built-in solar panel to extend the battery life of the drone from two hours to up to a four-hour run time. The drone is rated to dive to 135 feet and the teether allows for 165 feet of navigation away from the float.

The drone uses four thrusters to move underwater and can also tilt up or down up to 45 degrees without changing the depth. Mito can travel as fast as four knots, which is about 6.5 feet per second.

The ROV is equipped with a 4K, 30 fps camera for video, with eight megapixel still photos. Two LED video lights are also built onto the drone. Underwater footage often suffers from odd colors, so the drone’s app, available on iOS and Android, also has built-in color correction.

The drone is operated with an included controller that also uses a slot to attach a smartphone. The built-in camera can livestream to the app for navigation in 1080p quality.

Navatics says they built the Mito to fit into a carry-on suitcase or backpack at 15 inches on the longest side. The drone weighs 6.6 pounds.

“With Navatics Mito, our goal is to create an underwater drone with the ability to stream high-quality video and maneuver with maximum stability to get the best footage,” Navatics CEO Andreas Widy said in a statement. “We want to provide this professional level experience so that anyone from the hobbyist consumer to the professional videographer can experience the marine world without limitation.”

Navatics is a 2016 startup sparked from a college project of the founders at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The Mito is the company’s first underwater drone.

Navatics is using Kickstarter to crowdfund its first drone. The group reached its funding goal after five hours on the platform. Pledges that include a drone start at $1,199. If the Mito is successful, it’s expected to retail for $1,999.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Funding Nemo: Kickstarter underwater drone streams 4K footage from the deep
• Underwater swarms and sonar-bombing drones: Meet the deep-sea Xprize finalists
• The best drones of 2018
• Yuneec Breeze review
• Slice through the water like a dolphin with the AquaJet H2, now on Kickstarter

Sensory deprivation float tanks can cost a fortune, but this one is different

Until now, if you wanted a sensory deprivation flotation tank in your home you’d better be a tech millionaire or international arms dealer, based on how much they cost. With prices that can easily reach into the tens of thousands of dollars, float tanks simply aren’t something within budget for the vast majority of folks. But a new Kickstarter campaign promises to change all that. Created by the Zen Float Company, it’s an inflatable sensor deprivation chamber which will set you back a more palatable amount of cash. After all, average Joes and Janes need zen relaxation, too!

“Floating, or sensory deprivation, involves lying in a tank or pod filled with about 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt,” creator Shane Stott told Digital Trends. “The salt renders you weightless so once you lie on your back you automatically float. While you are in there your skin is absorbing the magnesium and your mind is free of all sensory distractions, allowing yourself to just clear your mind and recharge. The water is heated to skin temp so it’s like you can’t even feel it.”

Unlike some of the pricier options on the market, the Zen Float Tank is fully inflatable (and deflatable) — which also helps if you’re living in a regular apartment, where space is at a premium. It’s made using drop-stitch inflatable technology, the same method used for blow up paddle boards and kayaks. Despite being made out of thousands of finely woven strands, once it’s fully inflated the exterior is rock solid. Setup can be completed in just 15 minutes, and while it requires a bit of weekly maintenance, the water and salt can last up to two years.

“I used to suffer from debilitating anxiety and panic attacks,” Stott explained. “It came to a head one night in Las Vegas, and the only thing I could think to do to escape the attack was to hop into the bath with the water up to my ears. Weeks later, I discovered floating and it was all over from there. Floating changed my life completely, and we have lots of similar stories from our customers. At the time, there were no float spas in Utah so I did some research and built a tank out of a fertilizer tank and aquarium parts.”

Since then, the Zen Float Company has gone from strength to strength — including a previous 2014 Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $300,000. As ever, we offer the usual warnings about the risks inherent in crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you understand these and still want to get involved, head over to the team’s Kickstarter page to pledge your cash. Prices start at $2,905, with shipping set for October 2018.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Best Samsung Fitness Tracker in 2018

• Best overall
• Best with more features
• Best for less

Best overall

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

See at Amazon
See at Best Buy

When looking at Samsung’s range of wearables, for many the Gear Fit2 Pro is its best overall performer. It checks all of the boxes for fitness tracking, with the sensors and software capable of following everything from your daily movements all the way up to running, gym workouts and swimming.

The Fit2 Pro manages to be relatively small compared to full-blown smartwatches, but still has a big enough screen that you can see everything you need to. It can even handle basic “smartwatch” tasks like showing you your notifications and incoming calls to your phone. It also has standalone GPS, storage and Bluetooth for headphones, so you can leave the phone behind if you want to go for a run unencumbered.

Bottom line: The Gear Fit2 Pro does everything you’d need in a fitness band, and also has some basic smartwatch-style features as well.

One more thing: Be sure to look at the size guide and choose whether you want a small or large band to properly fit your wrist.

Why the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is the best

For the Gear Fit2 Pro, Samsung took what it learned from its last few rounds of general-purpose smartwatches, added in some knowledge from the first Gear Fit2, and came out with a great overall fitness tracker. The Fit2 Pro is a bit bigger than the barebones trackers out there, but for good reason: it has a great display for showing you all of your fitness-related information, and can even pull in notifications from your phone.

It’s a fitness tracker for almost every kind of person, and has some smartwatch-like features too.

Sure it does the typical daily tracking of steps and floors, but can also be utilized for running (with GPS tracking), gym workouts and now swimming as well. The newly designed strap will stay on your wrist through vigorous workouts unlike the original Fit2, and it can be swapped out for different sizes and styles if you want to change the look.

Beyond the basic on-person tracking, the Gear Fit2 Pro can also sync up with Samsung Health for tracking other parts of your health like food and water intake, as well as heart rate and sleep information. There are also partner apps from big names like Under Armour, MapMyRun and more so you can integrate the Fit2 Pro into your existing routine.

Best with more features

Samsung Gear Sport

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See at Best Buy

As the name implies, the Gear Sport offers a near-identical feature set to the Gear Fit2 Pro. It can do all of the same daily and active tracking for all of your workouts, but it just does it in a larger smartwatch form factor instead.

That means you get a larger circular display that gives you more information per screen, as well as a great rotating bezel for navigation. You also get full-on smartwatch features like interacting with and replying to notifications, installing apps and managing more local data on the smartwatch itself.

Bottom line: For a full-featured smartwatch that’s still extremely capable for fitness tracking, the Gear Sport is the one to get.

One more thing: This may not be the best choice, size-wise, for intense gym workouts or swimming — even though it can track those activities.

Best for less

Samsung Gear Fit2

See at Amazon
See at Best Buy

Though it lacks the “Pro” moniker, the original Gear Fit2 is still a great fitness tracker — and now that it’s getting older, it’s much cheaper. It has the same overall dimensions and core capabilities as the new Fit2 Pro, but has a weaker strap and lacks the hardcore waterproofing required for swim tracking.

When it comes to getting the basic fitness tracking, run tracking and notification management done, the Gear Fit2 will handle the task the same as the newer Fit2 Pro will. Just be sure to know the exact limitations before choosing to save some money compared to the Fit2 Pro model.

Bottom line: For a great core fitness tracking solution for a bit less money, the standard Fit2 is still a great choice.

One more thing: Consider a different style of band if you plan to use the Fit2 for high intensity workouts where it could come off.

Conclusion

The Gear Fit2 Pro is the best fitness tracker Samsung makes, and in general one of the better fitness tracker options out in the market today.

Best overall

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

See at Amazon
See at Best Buy

When looking at Samsung’s range of wearables, for many the Gear Fit2 Pro is its best overall performer. It checks all of the boxes for fitness tracking, with the sensors and software capable of following everything from your daily movements all the way up to running, gym workouts and swimming.

The Fit2 Pro manages to be relatively small compared to full-blown smartwatches, but still has a big enough screen that you can see everything you need to. It can even handle basic “smartwatch” tasks like showing you your notifications and incoming calls to your phone. It also has standalone GPS, storage and Bluetooth for headphones, so you can leave the phone behind if you want to go on a run unencumbered.

Bottom line: The Gear Fit2 Pro does everything you’d need in a fitness band, and also has some basic smartwatch-style features as well.

One more thing: Be sure to look at the size guide and choose whether you want a small or large band to properly fit your wrist.

Update June 2018: Samsung hasn’t released any new fitness trackers, so these are still the best available.

HQ Trivia for Android: Everything you need to know

What you need to get started with the hottest trivia game for Android!

We love trivia games. Whether they be on the television or at the table-top, quiz and trivia games have been a long-time favorite for a lot of people. HQ Trivia is the evolution of everything from those old black and white shows from yesteryear through to today’s newest tech, all mashed together into one heck of a fun app.

HQ can be a lot of fun, and with a chance to win real money — a lot of it — everyone is playing! Each game averages around one million players, with prime time and weekend games regularly surpassing two million players. Prizes range from $5,000 to $300,000 and are split between the players who make it through all 12 questions. Do you have what it takes to win HQ?

June 1, 2018 — HQ Trivia is giving away big money throughout the NBA Finals!

HQ Trivia has announced an insane sponsorship with the mobile game Toon Blast that will deliver some crazy big prize pools throughout the NBA Finals. Game one saw $100,000 up for grabs (with 4000 winners getting $25 each) and HQ plans to increase the prize pool by $100k per game throughout the Finals — with a potential Game Seven trivia game with $700,000 up for grabs!

Tonight we had a $100,000 game. Sunday at 9p ET… we’re upping the ante to $200,000.See you there 💰 pic.twitter.com/TDYnShbyPs

— HQ Trivia (@hqtrivia) June 1, 2018

HQ also popped a surprise game during halftime of a new “HQ Sports” trivia game. It seemed to be a test that was made available to some players but could be a sign of big things to come as HQ continues to expand its trivia empire. The next big game is this Sunday at 9PM ET — don’t miss out!

May 9, 2018 — See your friends’ answers and other people playing nearby

More HQ goodies are on the way, with this latest bundle launching during the Friday, May 11 game.

According to HQ, it’s officially launching “Friends Friday” which will allow you to see your friends’ answers during Friday’s game. This is something we caught an early glimpse of last month, and it’s a great way to see how your friends are doing while you all play together.

Also new is something called Nearby Freinds. If other people are playing HQ around you but aren’t in your address book/contacts, you’ll still see them pop up during a game.

Download: HQ Trivia (Free)

Interested in participating in the HQ phenomenon? Here’s everything you need to get started having fun and winning some cash.

What is HQ Trivia?

Think of HQ Trivia as a live game-show app. It’s very much like Jeopardy! except you don’t have to fly to a TV studio to get in on the action and play.

Twice on weekdays at 3 pm and 9 pm Eastern, a host hands out multiple choice questions on a wide range of topics and you answer as best you can. Get all 12 correct and you win a share of the pot. Get a question wrong, and you’re out for the session and will need to wait until the next round to try again.

You watch and play right from your phone, as it happens in real time, against hundreds of thousands of other players. Prizes range from a few dollars to a whopping $20,000 we saw given away in that Super Bowl game and it goes straight into your PayPal account. It’s a lot of fun and a chance to win real money — two things we all love. Prizes for Sunday night games now regularly top out around $25,000

How to download HQ Trivia

That’s the easiest part! HQ Trivia for Android is officially out of beta so all you need to do is fire up the Google Play Store app!

Downloading and installing HQ Trivia is completely free.

Download HQ Trivia from Google Play (free)

How to sign up

You’ll need a unique username and a phone number to get started with HQ Trivia.

You sign up right inside the app and it is the first thing you’ll be asked to do when you open it. When a game isn’t in session, opening the app tells you when the next one starts and lets you see your total winnings or look through the leaderboards.

Be sure to read the terms and conditions before you go any further, and after you’re properly signed in you are asked f you’d like to receive push notifications letting you know when games are about to begin so you can get in on the action.

How to play

Right now HQ Trivia is free to play and free of any ads. Make sure you’re signed in on your phone and every day at 9 pm and weekdays at 3 pm all you need to do is open the app to get started.

You’ll be asked a question and given three possible answers. Questions cover just about every topic imaginable and just like the game shows you’ll see on TV they can be hard or they can be easy, but get progressively more trivial as the game goes on. Answer correctly before the 10-second timer runs out and you move to the next question. Get it wrong or take too much time and you’re out of the game, but can keep watching to see how many people win.

There’s a live chat during each game if you want to be a little social, but you can also swipe it off the screen if it gets too distracting. Even if you get eliminated early you can keep watching — and finding out how many lucky dogs make it to the winner’s circle is the fun part!

Extra lives

Like any good game worth its salt, HQ Trivia gives you extra lives.

If you have an extra life while you’re playing a game, you get a chance to answer a question wrong or take too much time and not be ejected from the game. If that happens and you have an extra life on your account, you’ll get the option of spending your extra life to stay in the game. You can only spend one extra life per game so make them count!

You earn extra lives by referring your friends to HQ Trivia. For example, if you used the referral code crackberry kevin I’d get a free life. Go ahead and try, I’ll let you know if it worked.

How much can I win?

A lot! While HQ Trivia is free to download and play, you can win real money if you make it to the end of a game.

The cash prize for a basic weekday game starts at $5,000 and is split evenly between everyone who survived the 12-questions. On the rare occasion that everyone is eliminated, the prize rolls over to the next game. It keeps going until someone wins. Sunday games are typically in the $25,000 range or more and often go up to 15 questions and HQ has started regularly involving a special guest host for Wednesday games with the cash pool rising exponentially. Most recently, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosted a $300,000 game in part to promote his film Rampage, and HQ regularly drops hints about future surprises on Twitter.

HQ used to have you wait until you hit the $20 mark you can cash out via PayPal, but they’ve changed the rules so you can cash out your winnings no matter the prize amount. You won’t need to enter a credit card or pay anything to play.

Update June 2018: Added the latest info on the big payouts being offered during the NBA Finals!