How to download the data Apple has about you

Europe’s new, more insistent data privacy and control guidelines are going into effect at last. It’s no surprise then to see Apple has making some updates to its own privacy policies. Some of these updates help Apple meet specific GDRP requirements, including the interesting ability to access all the data that Apple has collected about its users.

Apple’s rollout is likely delayed in some areas for logistics reasons, so the ability to access all your data will be limited by region and may take a while to roll out even in the US. However, if you’ve ever used an Apple service and are located in the US or Europe, let’s walk through exactly how to download the data Apple has on you.

Step 1: Visit the Apple privacy website and sign in

Fortunately, Apple has provided a website dedicated to seeing all the collected data for its accounts. Your first step is to visit the Apple Data and Privacy web page.

Here you will see a web form to sign in using your Apple ID and password. If it’s been a while, there’s also a blue link if you “forgot Apple ID or password” that will allow you to change them. If it helps, your Apple ID is typically an email address.

Step 2: Enter an authentication code

If two-factor authentication/verification is enabled for your account (Apple encourages this), then you’ll need to take an extra security step. Apple will shoot you an authentication code, which you need to input on the website to access your account data. Make sure it is correct as you type it in!

Note that if you have another Apple device, the default is to send the code to that device, so you will want to have it handy for this step.

Step 3: View your Apple services

You will now see a screen with a list of all the Apple services that your account is connected to under the heading “Get a copy of your data.”

This includes services like the App Store and iTunes, your Apple devices, the Apple online store, AppleCare, the various aspects of iCloud, and much more. Some of these have options to expand into more specific sections.

To the right, you will see checkboxes that all you to select each separate service, with an option up top to select all of them. Select all the services that you want to receive data from, and then select “Continue.” It may be worth browsing a little at this stage before moving on so that you can note all the services Apple has connected to your account and if this appears accurate to you.

This is where you may run into regional trouble, in which case no services will appear. If Apple’s privacy website is particularly busy, you may also get an error message here, in which case you should try to log in again in a few minutes.

Step 3: Choose your data delivery options

Apple will now take you to a page to summarize the apps and services you are requesting data from. It will also ask you to choose a “maximum file size.” This is the maximum size of the files that Apple will provide for you to download.

Apple will divide all your user data into packages of this size and send them consecutively. Choose a size that fits your computer’s speed and storage. It’s smart not to go too large if you have a lot of Apple services, or you’ll get a massive file that may be tough to download and transfer.

When you are finished, choose “Complete request.”

Step 4: Wait

As you can imagine, Apple is seeing a lot of requests for data. You may have to wait several days or longer for Apple to process your request and send your data to your email. Wait times of up to a week or more are currently possible, so don’t count on a turnaround within a day or two.

When you receive your data files, remember that Apple also provides you with an option to correct your personal information or delete your account, depending on what you find.

Editors’ Recommendations

• You’ll never read Facebook’s new data policy, so we did it for you
• How to delete your Facebook account
• Save data, save money: How to reduce your data usage on Android or iOS
• How much of your data is Apple collecting? Not much, and here’s how to see it
• Here are five tips to keep your data private on Facebook

LG V35 ThinQ vs. LG G7 ThinQ: Which phone prevails in stablemate showdown?

The LG G7 ThinQ isn’t even out yet, but LG is already taking the wraps off its next phone, LG V35 ThinQ. Being stablemates, these two phones have a lot in common, with powerful hardware, huge screens, and LG’s A.I. smarts. But when it comes down to the real nitty-gritty, which of these two should you be spending your hard-earned dollars on? We put them head-to-head in a specs comparison.

Specs

LG V35 ThinQ
LG G7 ThinQ

Size
151.6 x 75.4 x 7.4 mm (5.97 x 2.97 x 0.29 inches)
153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm (6.03 x 2.83 x 0.31 inches)

Weight
158 grams (5.57 ounces)
162 grams (5.71 ounces)

Screen size
6-inch OLED
6.1-inch IPS LCD

Screen resolution
2,880 x 1,440 pixels (537 pixels per inch)
3,120 x 1,440 pixels (564 pixels per inch)

Operating system
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage space
64GB

64GB, 128GB

MicroSD card slot
Yes, up to 2TB
Yes, up to 2TB

Tap-to-pay services
Google Pay, LG Pay (in South Korea only)
Google Pay, LG Pay (in South Korea only)

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM
6GB
4GB, 6GB

Camera
Dual 16MP (with OIS) and 16MP wide-angle rear, 8MP front
Dual 16MP (with OIS) and 16MP wide-angle rear, 8MP front

Video
Up to 4K at 30 frames per second, 720p at 240 fps
Up to 4K at 30 frames per second, 720p at 240 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C

Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes

Water resistance
IP68
IP68

Battery
3,300mAh

QuickCharge 3.0

Qi wireless charging

3,000mAh

QuickCharge 3.0 (4.0 with adapter not included)

Qi wireless charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
AT&T, Project Fi
T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Aurora Black, Platinum Gray
Aurora Black, Platinum Gray, Raspberry Rose, and Moroccan Blue

Price
$900
$750

Buy from

AT&T, Project Fi

Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint

Review score
Hands-on review
3.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

You’re likely to not see much of a difference between these two models when it comes down to performance, as both are using the latest Snapdragon 845 processor. It’s an exceptionally powerful chip, and most phones we’ve tested with it have proven to be lightning fast, with no issues handling even the most demanding games. We haven’t had a chance to fully test the LG V35 ThinQ yet, but we expect it to perform extremely well. The G7 comes with 4GB RAM with the base model, but the V35 ups it to 6GB of RAM.

We were slightly disappointed with the size of the G7’s battery on launch, but the 3,000mAh capacity proved capable enough to last a little more than a day. Again, we haven’t tested the V35 ThinQ properly yet, but we reckon the slightly larger battery size and OLED display should mean it’s a slightly stronger performer in battery life. Charging-wise, you can plunk either of these down on a Qi wireless charger, or connect with a USB Type-C charging cable for superfast QuickCharge 3.0 recharging.

There’s a lot that’s similar between these two phones, but the larger battery capacity and the extra RAM on the V35 ThinQ push it ahead. It wins this round.

Winner: LG V35 ThinQ

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

There’s a lot to like on the LG G7 ThinQ, but design isn’t necessarily high on the list. It’s not a bad style — the notched display and bezel-less design marks it firmly as a 2018 flagship — but it simply doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself in terms of its looks. The V35 ThinQ is a little more uniform on the front, because there’s no notch, but since it’s a design we’ve already seen on the V30S and the V30, it’s hardly exciting.

Both phones feel very light in the hand, which lends an air of cheapness — not something you want to feel in a premium flagship. We don’t recommend dropping either of these phones, thanks to the large amount of glass used on both. Get a case for either one and your peace of mind will improve. Surprisingly, the G7 will be slightly more durable because it uses Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, as opposed to Gorilla Glass 4 on the V35. Both phones fare better in terms of water and dust-resistance, thanks their IP68-ratings. That should mean both of them can take a trip down the toilet or into the bath and come out mostly unscathed (though we don’t recommend testing that).

One other big difference is the power button. The V35 uses the fingerprint sensor as the power button, but the LG G7 adds a new power button on the right edge of the phone.

The LG G7 ThinQ is slightly more durable than the V35, and we think its design is at least a little more interesting. It takes the win.

Winner: LG G7 ThinQ

Display

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

We hope you like big screens, because both of these phones come with huge displays, thanks to bezel-less designs and extended aspect ratios. The G7 ThinQ comes with the larger screen, sporting a 6.1-inch Super LCD screen with a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution, and delivering a super-sharp 564 pixels per inch (ppi). The V35 ThinQ has a smaller 6-inch screen and a smaller ppi of 537, but with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 pixels, it’s likely tough to notice a difference.

There is a difference between the types of screens used. While the G7 ThinQ uses a Super LCD screen, the V35 ThinQ is rocking an OLED screen, with all the advantages that screen tech delivers. The Super LCD on the G7 ThinQ looks great, but it can’t offer inky blacks like an OLED display. The G7 does have a trick up its sleeve: Super Bright Mode. Tap a button on the brightness slider and the screen will hit 1,000 nits — plenty of brightness to see the display outdoors in daylight. It only lasts 3 minutes, but it makes the screen far easier to read than an OLED outdoors.

The notch design on the G7 is a point of contention. You can turn it off via software in the settings, but you won’t have to deal with this problem at all on the V35.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both screens. While we love OLED displays, the Super Bright Mode is certainly handy outdoors, and the sharper screen helps,too. This round’s a tie.

Winner: Tie

Camera

We haven’t had much chance to test out the LG V35 ThinQ’s camera yet, but it has the exact same camera we saw in the LG G7 ThinQ. Both phones’ camera suites are comprised of two 16MP lenses on the back — one standard, one wide-angle. These cameras are quite capable, with the wide-angle delivering some rather spectacular shots on occasion — but it’s when the lights go down that performance really takes a hit. Despite LG’s Super Bright mode, the G7 ThinQ just doesn’t deliver in low-light situations — and based on the numbers, the V35 ThinQ will probably suffer from the same issue.

The V35 ThinQ will also come with the same A.I.-powered camera smarts that will change your settings based on what’s in frame, 4K video recording, and a 240 fps slow-motion video mode. There’s nothing different here, so this category is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It’ll likely come as no surprise to anyone that you’ll find much the same versions of Android 8.0 Oreo on both of these LG flagships. It’s not stock Android and both have a couple of LG’s pre-installed apps, but there are plenty of settings to help you customize the phone to your liking.

In terms of updates, as flagships, we expect these two will get a good few years of updates from LG, and will most likely be updated to Android P. Judging by past performance, you can expect the LG V35 ThinQ to get an update before the G7 ThinQ, but there’s unlikely to be a huge difference between the two. This is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Special features

We’re seeing more and more A.I. integration in the market, and LG’s products are no stranger to A.I. smarts. The “ThinQ” name indicates an entry into LG’s A.I.-assisted world, and that means that both the LG G7 ThinQ and V35 ThinQ will be able to talk to any of LG’s other ThinQ-branded products. But it doesn’t end there (thankfully), as LG has ramped up integration of the Google Assistant. The G7 ThinQ comes with a dedicated button that can be used to talk to the Google Assistant without having to say a hot word — similar to how the Bixby button works on Samsung phones. The V35 ThinQ doesn’t have a button, but like the G7, you can ask Google Assistant to complete specific phone-related tasks.

The BoomBox speaker was one of the more impressive parts of the G7 ThinQ, using the inside of the phone as an echo chamber to enhance sound quality. The V35 ThinQ doesn’t have this specific feature, but it does have get a Quad DAC and DTS-X Virtual Surround Sound like the G7.

Winner: LG G7 ThinQ

Price

The LG G7 ThinQ is currently available for pre-order, and will ship June 1, with prices starting from $750. It will be available on all carriers except for AT&T. Pre-orders for the LG V35 ThinQ will start June 1, with the phone shipping June 8. It will cost $900, and it will be sold exclusively on AT&T and Google’s Project Fi network.

Overall winner: LG G7 ThinQ

The LG V35 ThinQ may be the company’s latest phone, but we think the G7 ThinQ is worth the money. It has a slightly flashier design, and handy features like the Super Bright Screen, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and the Boombox speaker. But if you hate the notch, the more expensive V35 might be the phone for you if you’re on AT&T or Project Fi. The V35 does have a bigger battery, an OLED screen, and more RAM.

Editors’ Recommendations

• LG G7 ThinQ vs. LG G6: Out with the old, in with the new
• LG V35 ThinQ vs. LG V30: Is the newer model worth the extra cash?
• OnePlus 6 vs. LG G7 ThinQ: Can the flagship killer sink LG’s latest?
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. LG V30: Which LG flagship phone is best for you?
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. iPhone X: Which phone comes out on top?

Schlage locks and Google Home team up to make your smart home safer

If you have a Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt, your front door just unlocked a new capability.

Schlage announced that its smart locks will now work with Google Home, Google Assistant on Android devices and the Google Assistant app on Apple devices. The company first announced in January it was working on the integration at CES 2018, and the feature went live on Tuesday, May 29.

“Schlage has been at the forefront of IoT security solutions since launching the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt in 2014,” Rob Martens, a futurist at Allegion, the maker of Schlage locks, said in a statement. “This new integration and functionality is a testament to our ongoing commitment to raise the bar for innovation, convenience, and security and to support consumers’ choice of IoT platform.”

The update enables users to lock their door and check whether it’s locked or unlocked with their voice. Users can activate the capability by saying, “OK Google, is my door locked?” or, “OK Google, lock my door.” However, the upgrade does not include the ability to unlock the deadbolt with your voice.

Using the new functionality requires the Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapter, which Schlage sells separately $69. The adapter also enables users to remotely access their lock using the Schlage Sense app on iOS and Android devices.

The Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt lets users create up to 30 unique access codes, schedule access codes and look at past activity to identify which codes were used when.

The smart locks already work Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri. Schlage introduced the ability to lock and check the status of your door via Alexa in October and added the ability to unlock it by speaking a pin earlier this month.

For security reasons, the Alexa unlock feature is disabled by default. To enable the functionality, users must log in to their Amazon Alexa app and then create a PIN. After three incorrect voice code attempts, the feature will be disabled.

The Google Home update makes the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt more competitive with other smart locks, such as the August Smart Lock and the Kwikset Obsidian, which are also compatible with Google Assistant.

The Schlage Connect and Schlage’s Connected Keypad do not yet have compatibility with Google Assistant. Consumers now await the next update, wondering whether that will include compatibility with these other smart locks and the ability to unlock your door via voice command.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to connect your smart home gadgets to your Amazon Alexa device
• Thanks to Alexa, August Home will let you see who’s at the door, let them in
• Google Home review
• Want a smart home? Start with these best smart home devices
• Google Home vs. Google Home Mini vs. Google Home Max: It’s all about the sound

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip will take VR, AR to the next level

As expected, Qualcomm introduced the world’s first platform dedicated to extended reality (XR) with the launch of its Snapdragon XR1 chip and headset design. As previously reported, XR is an umbrella term used to group virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality hardware and experiences. Companies already lined up to use the platform include Meta, HTC’s Vive brand, Vuzix, and Pico.  

Up until now, mobile-based VR and AR applications relied on a chip optimized for smartphones. The takeaway from Qualcomm’s announcement is that despite the Snapdragon brand, the XR1 chip wasn’t designed for smartphones and tablets. Instead, it’s optimized for extended reality experiences including augmented reality applications backed by artificial intelligence. 

Outside packing ARM-based CPU cores and a GPU unit, the new chip includes an A.I. engine for on-device processing. That means the resulting headset won’t require a tethered connection to a PC, nor will it need the cloud to process A.I.-based functions. Given extended reality experiences powered by A.I. require loads of processing, Qualcomm tuned the chip for high performance and power efficiency to prevent the parent device from quickly gobbling up the battery’s charge.

“Other key features include an advanced XR software service layer, machine learning, the Snapdragon XR Software Development Kit (SDK) and Qualcomm Technologies connectivity and security technologies,” Qualcomm says. 

The new platform can support 4K video at 60 frames per second, and the latest graphics APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL, and OpenCL thanks to the integrated Spectra Image Signal Processor. It also supports visual-inertial odometry, a technology that allows you to interact with augmented reality objects and freely move around in the virtual world without cables. 

Manufacturers creating headsets based on the XR1 chip can implement three or six degrees of freedom head tracking. For example, six degrees of freedom means you can move up, down, left, right, forward and backward without the need for a tethered PC or external sensors. Three degrees is what you typically see on smartphone-based headsets that support head rolling (pivot up and down), pitching (look up and down), and yawing (look left and right). 

Qualcomm put a lot of work into the audio aspect, too. The platform relies on the company’s 3D Audio Suite, Aqstic Audio, and AptX Audio for not only high-quality sound but to provide voice assistance that is always an and always listening. Meanwhile, head-related transfer functions will give audio a 3D-like experience, locking down sound sources to specific points in virtual and real-world spaces no matter where you’re facing. 

In a separate announcement, Vuzix said its next-generation Blade smart glasses will be based on the Snapdragon XR1 platform. The combination of Qualcomm’s platform and Vuzix’s “proprietary waveguides and display engines” will create smaller, more fashionable devices. The Snapdragon XR1 will also be used in the next Vuzin M-Series smart glasses for the enterprise.

Products produced by Vuzix aren’t expected to appear until sometime in 2019. HTC, Pico, and Meta did not make any official announcements at the time of this publication.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Qualcomm expected to reveal Snapdragon chip dedicated to VR, AR next month
• Mozilla announces Firefox Reality, a browser for augmented and virtual reality
• Apple working on depth-sensing technology that could show up in a future iPhone
• Apple’s wireless, mixed-reality glasses could launch in 2020
• Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream review

Reddit beats out Facebook to become the third-most-popular site on the web

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Reddit has now surpassed Facebook and is now the third-most-popular internet destination for users in the United States, according to rankings published by Amazon subsidiary Alexa (no, not that Alexa), a website that tracks and analyzes web traffic. Despite its recent controversial site redesign, this means that Reddit now trails Google and YouTube, but ranks ahead of Facebook and Amazon.

While Reddit still doesn’t attract the same amount of traffic as Google or YouTube, the good news for the site is that users spend more time browsing the site, averaging 15 minutes and 10 seconds every day, The Next Web reported. For comparison, users spend just 7 minutes and 16 seconds on Google, 8 minutes and 31 seconds on YouTube, 10 minutes and 50 seconds on Facebook, and 7 minutes and 37 seconds on Amazon. Reddit also outranks the top five sites on Alexa’s list with more daily page views per visitors. Rounding out the top 10 sites are Wikipedia, Yahoo, Twitter, eBay, and Netflix.

Reddit’s rise comes at a tumultuous time for Facebook, which has experienced a number of high-profile scandals over user privacy and data sharing in recent months. Most notably, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, impacting as many as 87 million Facebook users, has resulted in users calling for a boycott of Facebook over the company’s data collection and advertising practices. In response to the scandal, Facebook unveiled changes to make its site safer, and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR, subsequently went into effect to help make the internet a safer place for users.

Reddit itself has also been a subject of controversy. Created by founder Alexis Ohanian, the site merged with Aaron Swartz’s Infogami in 2006. In 2011, Swartz was charged with federal hacking laws for downloading millions of academic articles from a subscription service, to which he was given a guest account through MIT. Two years later, Swartz was found dead in his apartment by suicide. Most recently, Reddit made headlines when it refused to ban hate speech on its site, arguing that free speech should be protected unless there is a threat of violence or harm. In a separate incident, Reddit was also the home where the personal images of celebrities were uploaded following an Apple iCloud attack.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Reddit continues to protect racist language in favor of free speech
• Which social media platform wins?
• 9 things to know about Facebook privacy and Cambridge Analytica
• Logging in with Facebook may let Javascript trackers steal personal data
• After Warner Music deal, Facebook is in league with all three major labels

In Boston’s newest restaurant, all the chefs are robots

When you look at how many startups offer well-stocked cafeterias among their employee perks, it’s no great surprise to hear that people working in the tech industry love food. But how many love it enough to launch their own restaurant? At least four: Recent MIT graduates Brady Knight, Michael Farid, Luke Schlueter and Kale Rogers. They recently launched a new fast food restaurant called Spyce. Its hook? The fact that the entire kitchen is staffed by robots.

Now open for business in downtown Boston, Spyce offers a half dozen bowls of food in Latin, Mediterranean, and Asian styles. Prices start out at just $7.50 a bowl. The explanation for the budget conscious price tag is because using robots to prepare the meals saves on costs. These savings are then passed directly on to the customer for an experience that’s both high-tech and wallet-friendly.

“While we expected many people to come to the restaurant at first because of the novelty of the robot, the real benefit of our robotic kitchen comes from the quality of meals we are able to serve,” co-founder and lead electrical engineer Brady Knight told Digital Trends. “Being that our robot does the portioning and cooking, we can ensure the meals are being made consistently and accurately. Another advantage is that our technology allows employees to focus on creating more meaningful connections with our guests.”

Spyce

When customers enter Spyce, they are met with a human guide who shows them to a touchscreen kiosk where they can place their order. This order is then sent to the kitchen — which is visible to the customers — where the food is prepared by robots. Finally, it’s handed over to a human employee to add garnishes like cilantro or crumbled goat cheese, before being distributed to the customer.

Don’t worry about a lack of human chef expertise, though. The Spyce robots precisely execute recipes created by Sam Benson of the celebrated Café Boulud. The company also boasts Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud on its advisory board, having agreed to participate after seeing a demonstration of the robot in action.

“Running a restaurant is quite difficult,” Knight acknowledged. “It’s an industry of low margins, with high turnover rates, and little room for error. While I can’t speak to the industry as a whole, our technology has allowed us to deliver incredible meals for $7.50 and serve them consistently. We’re excited to be part of the industry and grow with it.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• Hello Fresh vs. Blue Apron: Which meal-delivery service is better?
• Flippy gets fired: Burger bot shut down after one day on the job
• Flippy the burger-flipping robot is now working alongside humans at CaliBurger
• Plated plans to take meal kits from your doorstep to the grocery store
• Robot chefs are the focus of new Sony and Carnegie Mellon research

How to Mount your Amazon Echo Dot on the Wall, Ceiling, or Under the Counter

Mounting Amazon Echo Dots around your home is easier than you think!

If you’re looking to turn your house into an Alexa-enabled Smart Home, there’s no better way than with the Amazon Echo Dot. It’s plenty powerful, but most importantly it’s small, allowing it to blend in with the decor of your home.

Out of the box, the Dot is designed to sit on a countertop or end table, and that’s pretty good, but there are plenty of options for mounting your Amazon Echo Dot in clever ways around your home. That way, Alexa is always there to answer your questions or control the lighting around your home without being right there on the table.

We’ve rounded up some of the best options for mounting an Echo Dot (2nd Gen.) around the house, and the best news is they’re just as affordable as the Dot itself.

• ProCase Wall Mount
• The Flush Mount by Mount Genie
• FStop Labs Home Outlet Wall Mount Holder
• CUVR Silicone Case and Mounting Pad
• Fintie Wall Mount with Hanger Loop

ProCase Wall Mount

Mounting an Echo Dot to your wall seems like the perfect solution except for one thing — the Dot needs to be plugged in, which means an ugly cable running from the wall mount to the outlet.

ProCase offers a pretty smart solution for mounting your Dot by addressing that cable issue with a smart cable management system within the case housing. During installation, you’ll wind up the cable on the inside to keep all the excess cable hidden. You can mount the case on practically any surface with a super sticky gel pad on the back as long as you’re in range of an outlet.

This is a compact wall mount that will look really good in any space. You can get this great wall mount case for just $12 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

The Flush Mount by Mount Genie

If you own your home and are looking to permanently install some Echo speakers throughout your house as part of a smart home renovation, you need to consider The Flush Mount by Mount Genie. It lets you mount an Amazon Echo Dot right into a drywall wall or ceiling.

It will take some handy work to complete, but once you’ve cut the hole with the accompanying template and run your cables to a power source and optional speakers the mount and the Echo Dot are held in place by a combination of pressure fit and wire placement.

Since the speaker on the Echo Dot is at the bottom of the device, Mount Genie designed the mount with a channel that effectively provides an unmuffled result. The Flush Mount sells for $19.99 each or as a 5-pack for $89.99. This is certainly the most elegant solution to mounting Echo speakers around a home, although it’s also the most intensive installation.

See at Amazon

FStop Labs Home Outlet Wall Mount Holder

So you’ve got an Echo Dot in your kitchen, but you’d rather not have it right there on the countertop or deal with that cable running to the outlet. You need this clever outlet mount from CloverTale, which solves both problems by allowing the Echo Dot to take up about as much space as a nightlight.

The mount comes with 3M adhesive tape for extra security but essentially hangs from the plugged connection to the outlet. It works no matter the orientation of the outlets and could greatly improve the microphone’s reception depending on where you’re able to better place it in the room.

There’s no installation or tools required here — simply pop the Dot into the cradle and plug it in with the included USB cable. It’s a quick and easy way to mount an Echo speaker in any room in your house and can be easily moved without much fuss. Get yours for just $8 from Amazon or get a two-pack for just $11!

See at Amazon

CUVR Silicone Case and Mounting Pad

The CUVR is an Echo Dot case that doubles as a way of mounting your Echo Dot to a wall, on the ceiling, or even on the underside of a table.

The case is made of soft silicone and precisely designed to fit the form of the Dot Echo with cutouts for the cables and speaker. It looks stylish used on a coffee table, or you can use the included 3M mounting pad to stick your Echo onto nearly any flat surface. Walls, plastics, woods, metals, tiles, glass — you’re only limited by the cable.

With six colors to choose from, this is a great accessory for dorm rooms and bachelor apartments. Available for just $15, so get one for each of your Dots!

See at Amazon

Fintie Wall Mount with Hanger Loop

If you’re not looking to fuss around with adhesive pads, cutting drywall, or any of that business, you might just be looking for this simple and elegant wall mount by Fintie.

Made of sturdy metal with a nice little hanging loop, all you need to do is hammer a nail or use a 3M hook and boom! You’ve cleared a bit more valuable counter space for yourself.

This is a great option for anyone who just needs to get the Echo Dot and its cables up and away from children or pets. It’s also quick and easy to install or move. They’re available in black, rose gold, or white to match your decor and start at $11.

See at Amazon

Where would you place an Amazon Echo Dot?

Have you tested different placements for your Amazon Echo Dot? Let us know your best locations in the comments!

Update May 2018: Added the ProCase wall mount to our list and updated pricing info across all our entries.

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Echo Spot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

See at Amazon

Philo now has a referral program so you and a friend can save some cash on streaming TV

There’s no limit on the number of referrals you can get each month.

Streaming upstart Philo today announced a referral program. Every time someone signs up using your individual referral code, you’ll get a $5 credit on your bill, and your friend will get $5 off their first month.

Philo is a low-cost streaming service that has a limited number of channels but also tops out at $20 a month. So if they have what it is you want to watch, you’re going to be saving a lot of money. And the really cool part here is that there’s no limit as to the number of folks you can refer — so theoretically you could be watching Philo for free month after month.

To find your individual referral code, head over to this link.

The fine print? This (obviously) applies to new subscribers. They’ll have to be coming to Philo for the first time. If someone cancels before they pay for their first month of Philo, you won’t get the referral credit.

Credits don’t expire. (Though if you pause your account a ix-month clock will start ticking.) So if you were to refer, say, five new accounts (for a total of $25 in credit), the extra money would roll over to your next bill. (You’ll still have to pay taxes each month on remaining balance, though.)

Also: These credits are also only good for new sign-ups after May 25. Nothing before that counts.

Philo is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Xbox One, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV later this summer, and on desktop browsers. (Though it gets a little tricky because not every channel is available on every device.)

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Severe Weather and Android: Everything you need to know

Whether the weather you need to weather is coming by land or by sea, we’re here to help you prepare for it.

We’re right in the thick of tornado season, and hurricane season is just days away. We can’t know how severe this severe weather season will be, but we can be prepared, and in an uncertain world, luck favors the prepared. Your Android phone is a tool that helps you through most major events in your life, and severe weather is no exception, so long as you properly prep your phone and have a plan in place to follow with it. We are here to help you through whatever storms are to come, so let’s batten down the hatches and get the barn doors shut.

• Weather Essentials
• Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms
• Hurricanes
• Severe Weather Accessories

Weather Essentials

Regardless the kind of weather you’ll face when you step outside your door, there are some weather essentials everyone should have ready on their phones, and that starts with a reliable weather app. Whether you check your forecast once a day, once a week, or once and hour, a good weather app will keep you from getting caught in the rain — or far worse conditions.

Read more: Here are our favorite weather apps

There are dozens of weather apps on the Play Store, and while they have various layouts and features, the most important aspect of a weather app can’t really be reviewed for everyone: how accurate it is for you. See, weather apps can pull their data from a variety of weather services, and some are better in some regions than others. To this end, if you live in an area prone to severe weather, it’s important to find a weather app that doesn’t just look good, but one that’s accurate for your area, so that you get the best forecasts available and can be better prepared.

This brings me to the second requirement on our phones for severe weather: a meteorologist you trust. Many local TV stations have weather apps that offer up forecasting directly from their team of meteorologists, and they usually offer live streaming during severe weather events. Even if your chosen station or meteorologist doesn’t have an app, chances are they have a social media page they’ll be active on during severe weather. Whatever the case, make sure that during a severe weather event, you have a way to listen to what your meteorologist is saying. They’re going to give you the most up-to-date information and warn anyone in the storm’s path more efficiently than a simple NWS alert from a national or international weather app.

Beyond having a weather app and a meteorologist you trust, there are a few things that are useful to have on your phone at all times:

• Get the number for your local Emergency Management Office, as this is the office that will run things when an event happens in your county. Find their number and put it in your Contacts.
• While you’re at it, add in the numbers for your insurance companies, because trying to look them up on spotty, overloaded networks after a major weather event could be difficult or impossible.
• A current photo of yourself, your loved ones (including pets), and your vehicles.

Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms

We’re in the thick of tornado season here in the south, and while there may be a few days heads up that some kind of severe weather might happen, usually you’re lucky if you get 30 minutes warning before a tornado hits. This is why proper watch and warning settings on your weather app of choice is critical.

Alert settings in 1Weather and First Alert 25

On many weather apps, Severe Weather Alerts are an all-or-nothing setting — a single toggle — but some apps understand that different levels of weather alert warrant different levels of alarm. For instance, on 1Weather, you can set different sounds and dictate which levels of alert trigger a Vibration or Flash to alert you.

This means that for a Watch, when severe weather is possible, you can have your phone just vibrate but not play a sound, while a Warning, when severe weather is expected or already arriving, gets to cue the lights and sirens. Meanwhile, on the First Alert 25 app used in Central Texas allows you to pick which watches and warnings you are notified for, but they all notify you the same way. If you don’t want to be bothered with thunderstorm warnings but do want to know about tornado watches and warnings, you can do that.

Radar pages in Weather Underground and The Weather Channel

Broken lines of supercells and isolated tornadic storms are quick to develop, quick to move, and quick to change, and having a good radar app is extremely useful. Nothing quite convinces you to get back inside like a nasty mess of yellow and red bearing down on your little location icon on a radar map.

Most weather apps have some kind of radar included, but some are more robust than others. Not everyone needs the professional-level radar of $10 (and then a subscription) RadarScope, unless you’re foolhardy enough to go storm chasing, but Weather Underground offers an hour loop on its radar as opposed to the half-hour radar loop on most weather apps. The Weather Channel sports a two-hour radar loop. Some apps offer “future radar” rain forecasts, but during severe weather, that isn’t going to be all that accurate.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are powerful, devastating, and — for better or worse — slow-moving. If you are in the path of a hurricane, you will (hopefully) have days to prepare, but you, unfortunately, will have far more you need to prepare for. Radar and weather alerts are slightly less helpful in a hurricane considering how large an area tends to fall under Tropical Storm and Hurricane Watches and Warnings, but there are a number of things you can and should do with your phone to prepare:

Go to your mobile browser of choice and bookmark The National Hurricane Center’s website. It’s going to spit out new predictions every six hours, and there are a variety of ways to keep up with those predictions, but the easiest are Twitter or email. Here’s the American Red Cross’s Hurricane app, if you need step-by-step tips and guidance through your first hurricane. The Red Cross’s app isn’t infallible, but it can be a resource.

Another great app that is used by our very own Phil Nickinson is SeaStorm Hurricane Tracker. This keeps track of tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. You’ll get tracking and forecasting of named storms, depressions and other cyclones. The base price for the app is $2, with additional add-ons.

If you haven’t already turned on photo backups in Google Photos, do it right now and start photographing everything for insurance. Your home, your cars, your tech, your loved ones. Turn on Google Photos’ free backups and photograph everything, throw it in a folder in Google Photos, and hope that you don’t need to use them to convince your insurance agent that there was not, in fact, a tree on top of your car before the hurricane came. While you’re taking photos, switch over to a Google Sheets document as you go and inventory things.

If the network goes down, the network goes down, and while it’ll be back quicker than power in most places, make sure you have what you need while it’s down: the emergency numbers we mentioned back at the beginning of this article, and whatever music/books/movies will keep you and your brood sane. If you have old/spare phones and tablets, load them up with media so you don’t kill the batteries on the phones that matter once the power’s out and you’re relying on portable batteries.

Severe Weather Accessories

Portable batteries are a lifeline for our technology in many, many situations, but during severe weather, they can turn into lifelines, so if you haven’t invested in one or five yet, now is the time. Portable batteries are getting smaller and cheaper every year, it seems, and whether you just need a pocket-friendly battery to last you through a lightning-caused blown transformer or PowerHouse to keep you powered through days of darkness, there’s a portable battery out there for every power — and price — point, so charge up accordingly.

Check Thrifter for deals on battery packs. Seriously, there’s a portable battery of some shape or size on sale almost every day.

Most importantly, charge early and often. Once the power’s out, you don’t know when it’s coming back on.

Of course, you also need your phone to stay dry, and while waterproof phone pouches are marketed more for beach vacations than flash flooding, they’re three for ten bucks and can protect your thousand dollar phone and possibly your only method of communication. They even come with handy lanyards for making sure your phone stays within reach. And if you don’t need them this season, you can use them the next time you go to the water park.

See Mpow Waterproof Case at Amazon

Are you ready for the storm?

What other preparations do you make with your phones for severe weather season? And what non-phone preparations have you made? Is there a storm kit in your car or your house? What severe weather alerts do you have set up on your phone? Let us know your severe weather setup in the comments, and if you have any tools in your prep kits that served you well during last year’s very active hurricane season, share them!

This article was updated in May 2018 with the addition of SeaStorm Hurricane Tracker.

Keep RAVPower’s $30 jump starter and portable battery in your car for emergencies

All-in-one for roadside emergencies.

The RAVPower 10000mAh 400A car jump starter and battery charger is down to $29.99 with code 9BHR4JD5 on Amazon. It normally sells for $50 and has rarely dropped from that price. This is the best price we’ve seen even including other coupon code deals.

The portable charger carries a 10000mAh battery, which is enough to charge even the most recent smartphones a couple times over. The micro USB input can recharge the battery in less than six hours. The jump starter has a peak of 400A and works with cars, motorcyles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and more. If you hold down the power button, you can make use of the built-in flashlight. It even has an SOS mode and warning strobe. Like any modern charger, it also protects against overvoltage, overheating, short circuits, and more. Users give it 4.1 stars based on 42 reviews.

See on Amazon