If you want YouTube Premium, now is the time to sign up for YouTube Red

YouTube’s best features are getting a price hike next week, so lock them in while you can.

YouTube Music is coming and while there looks like there’s going to be a lot of love here, one thorn in the announcement was that YouTube Red is being replaced by YouTube Premium and becoming a $2/month add-on to the new YouTube Music. Currently, YouTube Red, the current YouTube Music, and Google Play Music are all rolled into the same $10/month subscription bundle. If you’ve been debating YouTube Red at its current price for a while, now looks to be the time to buy.

YouTube Red includes a bevy of small but irreplaceable features in YouTube:

• Eliminates YouTube ads on YouTube for desktop, mobile, and set-top devices like Android TVs, Roku, and Chromecast as well as on the YouTube Kids YouTube Gaming apps
• Access to YouTube Red Original shows like Cobra Kai and Escape the Night
• Save videos to watch offline, allowing you to stockpile YouTube videos for a Wi-Fi-less plane ride or a road trip
• Background playback, so you can listen to YouTube videos in the background while you do other things with your phone and even listen to YouTube videos with the screen off, except purchased videos. Background playback doesn’t apply to purchased videos for some reason.
• Access to YouTube Music and Google Play Music.

The new prices take effect next week, so if you’ve ever wanted YouTube Red, you’ll want to go subscribe right now and lock in your price. If you sign up right now, you’ll get a 30-day trial and should be charged $9.99/month after that, as that was the price you agreed to when you signed up. You can also sign up for YouTube Red’s family plan today at $14.99/month for up to 6 members ages 13 and up.

If you’re already a YouTube Red (soon to be YouTube Premium) member, don’t worry you’ll still enjoy your current price.

YouTube has already said that current YouTube Red and Google Play Music subscribers will keep their current pricing when the new YouTube Music goes live next week, and while there isn’t a cut-off listed for what counts as current, this weekend is no doubt your last chance to lock in the current price.

So are you going to subscribe while you can, wait to see what the new changes actually bring, or are you going to take your video subscription money to another service? Let us know in the comments.

See YouTube Red ($9.99/month individual, $14.99/family)

Sprint adds a new unlimited plan for seniors 55 and older to match T-Mobile

You can get two lines of unlimited everything for $35/line.

Sprint’s adding a new wireless plan to its lineup targeted specifically at senior citizens. It’s called “Unlimited 55+”, and for all intents and purposes, is a direct copy of T-Mobile’s same plan by the same name.

One line with Sprint Unlimited 55+ costs $50/month, but you can add a second one for just $20/month — resulting in an overall per-line cost of $35 each with Autopay turned on.

For that price, you’re getting everything that comes with Sprint’s regular unlimited plans, including unlimited talk, text, and data. Videos are streamed “in DVD quality up to 480p+”, music can be streamed at a max of 500Kbps, cloud games are capped at 2Mbps, and your unlimited mobile hotspot speeds are limited to 3G.

Unlimited 55+ also comes with Sprint Global Roaming, meaning you can get “text and basic data” in over 185 countries at no additional cost.

Sprint Unlimited 55+ will be available for customers 55-years-old and above and launches May 18.

T-Mobile and Sprint Merger FAQ: The good, the bad, and the ugly

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• Join the Discussion

Aukey’s $11 HDMI switch lets you add two sources to one port

Connect multiple HDMI sources simultaneously with ease.

This Aukey bi-directional 2-in-1 4K HDMI switch is down to $11.24 with code AUKEYH04 on Amazon. That’s 25% off its regular street price of $15 and one of the best deals we’ve ever seen.

This switch performs a pretty simple, but possibly crucial, function. If you have one HDMI display but multiple HDMI sources, you can use Aukey’s switch to connect both of them and switch between them at will. It’s especially important if your display only has one or two HDMI ports. For example, if you own an Xbox One and PlayStation 4 but only one TV, you can use this whenever you’ve decided you’ve had enough Sea of Thieves and want to play some God of War. The switch supports 4K UHD video and 3D content. It works with a wide range of devices from TVs to PC monitors to Blu-ray players. All Aukey devices have a two-year warranty.

The switch does not include HDMI cables, so you should grab one or two if you don’t already have them.

See at Amazon

Apple Sold an Estimated 600,000 HomePod Speakers During the First Quarter of 2018

Apple sold an estimated 600,000 HomePod speakers during the first quarter of 2018, according to new estimates shared this morning by Strategy Analytics. Apple’s sales allowed it to capture just 6 percent of the global smart speaker market, coming in well behind Amazon and Google.

Amazon shipped an estimated 4 million Echo smart speakers during the quarter, for a 43.6 percent share of the market, while Google shipped an estimated 2.4 million Google Home speakers for 26.5 percent market share. Alibaba also came in ahead of Apple with 700,000 shipments, while Xiaomi trailed behind with 200,000.

Apple has a long way to go to catch up to Google and Amazon, both of whom have seen an enormous growth in shipments over the course of the past year. Amazon’s shipments increased by two million compared to Q1 2017, while Google’s increased by 2.1 million.

Amazon’s market share has fallen year over year due to strong sales of Google speakers and new entrants to the market like Apple, Alibaba, and Xiaomi, but Amazon continues to be the number one smart speaker vendor in the world by far.

David Watkins, Director at Strategy Analytics commented that “Amazon and Google accounted for a dominant 70% share of global smart speaker shipments in Q1 2018 although their combined share has fallen from 84% in Q4 2017 and 94% in the year ago quarter. This is partly as a result of strong growth in the Chinese market for smart speakers where both Amazon and Google are currently absent. Alibaba and Xiaomi are leading the way in China and their strength in the domestic market alone is proving enough to propel them into the global top five.”

In total, across all vendors, there were an estimated 9.2 million smart speaker units shipped during the first quarter of 2018. Apple is, at the current time, the fourth largest smart speaker brand worldwide with the HomePod, but its meager sales are not yet impacting major players Google and Amazon.

Both Google and Amazon have been in the smart speaker business for a longer period of time and the two companies also offer speakers at a range of price points. A Google Home speaker, for example, can be purchased for as little as $129 (or $49 for the mini version), while an Amazon Echo costs just $99.99. The Echo Dot is even more affordable at $49.

Apple’s sole speaker, the HomePod, is priced at $349. Apple focused heavily on audio quality with the hopes that consumers would be willing to pay more for a device that had superior sound, but the higher price tag, a delayed feature set, and the lack of native support for music services like Spotify have likely stymied Apple’s sales.

The HomePod is still new and Apple has just entered the smart speaker market, so improvements and changes to future products could drastically change its position and present some real competition for Amazon and Google. Apple is rumored to be considering a lower-priced HomePod that would perhaps sell for $150 to $200.

Related Roundup: HomePodTag: Strategy AnalyticsBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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Nvidia may release the GTX 1180 Founders Edition in July

Amidst speculation over what Nvidia’s next-generation graphics cards will actually be called and what their performance will be like, the latest rumor is that they could see a general release as soon as July. The first cards to debut will be the Founders Editions, we’re told, with third-party alternatives showing up in August or September.

It’s been more than two years since the original release of Nvidia’s Pascal generation of graphics cards, which first debuted with the GTX 1080 and 1070. Since then we’ve seen prices and availability issues due to various factors, but just as things appear to be getting back under control, we may be set to be blessed with a new-generation of GPUs.

Potentially based on the same core-architecture as Nvidia’s previously released, enterprise Titan V graphics card, the allegedly titled GTX 1180 is said to be ready for a July release, according to Tom’s Hardware sources. If previous generations of new graphics card releases are anything to go by, those Founders Edition cards will be limited in number — especially if cryptocurrency miners are interested, too — and slightly more expensive than the eventual third-party releases, which are expected to show up a month or two later.

Tom’s Hardware sources claimed that Nvidia would send off reference designs of its cards to its graphics cards partners around June 15, which with typical sampling and testing procedures, would see factory overclocked options with advanced cooling available as we head into the last few months of the year. Laptop versions of those same graphics chips are said to be slated for a release before the start of 2019.

The details of the graphics chips at the heart of the new-generation remain frustratingly vague at this time. Part of that confusion comes from Nvidia having previously discussed two future generations of graphics cards: Turing and Volta. While the Titan V was built upon the Volta architecture, it’s not clear if cards aimed at gamers will be part of that lineup, or be built upon a Turing process instead. One is expected to cater to enterprises and potentially cryptocurrency miners, while the other is expected to be built with gamers in mind.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Here’s how you can watch Nvidia’s GTC 2018 keynote kicking off at 9 a.m. today
• New report says Nvidia unlikely to reveal new GeForce cards in March
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1180 graphics card shows up in online GPU database
• Nvidia’s next gaming cards could be the GTX 11 Series, pack GDDR6 memory
• Nvidia graphics cards may be back in stock, but they’re disappearing quick

There’s a Wear OS alternative called AsteroidOS that you can install now

Not really feeling your current smartwatch OS? Well there’s no longer any need to feel shackled to Google’s Wear OS or older Android Wear, as a new option has just launched. After four years of development, AsteroidOS has launched with support for Android smartphones.

If you want to try it out, you’ll need one of a fairly limited list of smartwatches, with the LG G Watch, LG G Watch Urbane, LG G Watch R, Asus Zenwatch 1, Asus Zenwatch 2, Asus Zenwatch 3, and Sony Smartwatch 3 being currently supported on this version of the OS. Don’t worry if your watch isn’t currently supported — support for more devices is planned, and a guide on how to port new watches to the OS has been written.

If you’re lucky enough to have an already supported device, there’s an installation guide to walk you through the process that also includes details on exactly how supported each smartwatch is — for instance, there’s no support for sensors on the LG G Watch Urbane, while the Asus Zenwatch 1 has full support.

There’s the option to dual-boot or completely replace whichever OS your watch is currently running, and although the selection of functions is unsurprisingly limited, the first release of AsteroidOS comes with notifications, an agenda, an alarm clock, a calculator, a music controller, a weather forecast app, as well as other various bits and pieces. It’s an impressive roster, and all you need if you just use your watch for notifications, music control, and as — well — a watch. There’s also support for 20 languages, including Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, and others. Future updates plan to add various features like always-on display, calendar syncing, and more.

If you’re a tad handier with code than the usual user, then you might be interested in the also released development SDK. Being open source and based on Linux, it shouldn’t be too hard for would-be developers to get going on AsteroidOS, and some examples and a tutorial have been put together for anyone who’s willing to look into developing new apps for the OS. Because AsteroidOS has been built on Linux and some other handy-dandy Linux tech, the devs boast that AsteroidOS will be able to run pretty much anything — including Quake.

AsteroidOS seems to have been something of a labor of love for its developers, with lead developer Florent Revest thanking the 100 contributors who helped AsteroidOS grow and mature.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The only guide you need to get started with Google’s Wear OS
• Wear OS vs. Apple Watch: Which one will ‘wow’ your wrist?
• Everything you need to know about Google’s Wear OS for smartwatches
• Kronaby Apex Review
• Qualcomm smartwatch chip may include eye-tracking support for AR glasses

Best Moto G6 Accessories

Get the most out of your Moto G6 with the right accessories!

Motorola leads the pack when it comes to mid-range smartphones, and the Moto G6 is the latest and greatest. Covered with curved Gorilla Glass 3 and sporting a dual-camera setup and a bright, gorgeous screen (along with the snappy software Motorola is known for) this is a phone that absolutely looks premium without costing an arm and a leg.

Starting as low as $249, you get a lot of phone for a reasonable price — which leaves you with more money to spend on accessories!

• Spigen Rugged Armor Case
• Poetic Karbon Shield Case
• Mr Shield Tempered Glass Screen Protector (3-pack)
• Motorola TurboPower Wall Charger
• Samsung EVO 128GB MicroSD Card
• Belkin USB-C Car Charger
• Anker Powercore II Slim

Spigen Rugged Armor Case

Motorola kindly includes a thin and clear case with the G6, but if you’re looking for something a bit more substantial, we have to recommend the Spigen Rugged Armor case.

It’s got that carbon fiber look at the top and bottom with a matte finish elsewhere, along with Spigen’s air cushion technology in the corners to help absorb impacts.

You can check this one-piece case out direct from Spigen for $13.

See at Amazon

Poetic Karbon Shield Case

Another great rugged option for the Moto G6 comes from Poetic. The Karbon Shield case is lightweight and slim with a carbon fiber-style finish on the back that’s both stylish and functional.

Poetic is currently accepting pre-orders for this case. You can order yours for just $10, and it ships May 31.

See at Poetic

Mr Shield Tempered Glass Screen Protector (3-pack)

If you’re worried about scratches or cracks for the screen, you should definitely invest in some tempered glass screen protectors. Tempered glass offers the best protection from drops and the daily shuffle and rub of your pocket.

Mr Shield is a trusted brand that offers a three-pack of tempered glass screen protectors for just $7. That way, if you mess up the installation (Pro-tip: Take your time, be sure to clean your work area, and be sure to wipe down the screen before installation) or if your first one takes the brunt of a nasty drop, you’ve got a couple backups waiting at home.

See at Amazon

Motorola TurboPower 15W Wall Charger

Motorola includes its TurboPower wall charger with the Moto G6 that it claims delivers hours of battery life in just minutes of charging. Suffice to say, not all wall bricks work the same with different phones.

If you want that same fast-charging tech in the office but would rather not transport your wall charger back and forth, pick up a second one for just $14 and keep the peace of mind that you’re using charging accessories that were actually designed to work with your phone.

See at Amazon

Samsung EVO 128GB MicroSD Card

The Moto G6 comes with internal storage options of 32GB or 64GB, but also allows for expandable storage of up to 128GB with the microSD slot.

That’s great news because you can get some great microSD cards, such as the Samsung EVO, that will max out your Moto G6’s storage for just $40. That way you can load it up with your favorite movies, music, or whatever media you want to have on you at all times. It’s a great deal and a fantastic way to increase the utility of your phone over time.

See at Amazon

Belkin USB-C Car Charger

The Moto G6 boasts impressive all-day battery life — but if you drive a lot for work or love to road trip you may want a car charger for your phone so you never arrive with a near-dead phone battery.

This car charger from Belkin is a great option. It features a hardwired USB-C that’s capable of the same output as the Motorola TurboPower wall charger, and also features a second USB-A port for charging additional devices. Get it for just $35.

See at Amazon

Anker Powercore II Slim

It’s always a sensible idea to travel with a battery pack, and the Anker Powercore II Slim is as compact and fast as they get. With 10,000mAh of charge, you’ll be able to top up your multiple times as needed and with support for up to 18W output Anker is able to charge your phone quickly and safely. The pack comes with a charging cable and a travel pouch and is backed by Anker’s worry-free 18-month warranty.

Get this ultra-portable battery pack for just $30.

See at Amazon

What are your go-to accessories for a new phone?

These are our recommendations, but we want to know what you’ll be buying for the Moto G6! Let us know in the comments!

Rid your car of its winter grime with Meguiar’s discounted cleaning kits

Restore its original shine!

Amazon is currently offering $5 off a variety of Meguiar’s car cleaning supplies when you use coupon code 5DEALS4DAD. This drops the ultimate liquid wax down to just $10.29 from an average selling price of around $18. You can also grab this headlight restoration kit for $19.47 which is a new all-time low for it.

The classic wash and wax kit is $32.99, the complete car care kit drops to $48.88, and you can go all out with the ultimate car care kit for $99.64. If you need something to keep a motorcycle clean, this sale has you covered as well.

Whether you’re looking to get a head start on your Father’s Day shopping or just want some new cleaning supplies for your own vehicle, you won’t want to miss out on these deals.

See at Amazon

Stop paying your ISP rental fees and get this $35 TP-Link cable modem

Better than a rental.

The TP-Link TC-7620 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem is down to $34.99 on Amazon from a street price around $58. This cable modem rarely drops below $55, but it recently dropped to $45 and the coupon code 10762010D3 takes another $10 off the price. It’s definitely the best deal we’ve seen.

We always recommend buying your modem and router instead of renting from your Internet Service Provider because the devices end up paying for themselves soon enough. You should also check with your ISP to make sure this router is compatible with your Internet. You’ll need to pair this cable modem with a router, so we’d recommend a budget router like the TP-Link Archer C1750.

The cable modem has channel bonding of 16 downstream channels and four upstream channels. It can work with Internet plans up to 300 Mbps and comes with a two-year warranty. Users give it 4.2 stars based on 466 reviews.

See on Amazon

Google Assistant rolling out to Sony’s two biggest wireless headphones

Available now for the WH-1000XM2 and WI-1000X.

Sony announced at CES this January that it was updating many of its headphones with official support for the Google Assistant, and we’re now seeing that promise come to light as Google’s virtual helper is making its way to the WH-1000XM2 and WI-1000X.

Android Police first caught wind of this news, with screenshots showing what you can expect when the update comes your way.

A pop-up in the Sony Headphones Connect app will alert you once the update’s arrived, and after upgrading your headphones’ software to v2.0.0, the Google Assistant will be fully integrated into them.

Although you could technically access the Assistant prior to this update by using the call button, this now allows for faster responses, notifications can be read back to you, and if you’ve got the Assistant app installed on an iOS device, that works, too.

Once the update is complete, you’ll want to make sure you dive into the settings and change the function of the noise cancellation button from Ambient Sound Control to Google Assistant.

The Assistant should also be arriving on the WF-1000X, WH-CH900N and the H.ear on 2 WH-H900N, but it’s unclear when their respective updates will arrive.

See at Amazon