This TP-Link smart plug is down to just $15, its lowest price ever

Lowest barrier of entry for you to start your smart home is right here.

The TP-Link smart plug is down to $15.29 on Amazon, which is a new all-time low. It normally sells for closer to $25, and right now you can get a two pack of TP-Link smart plugs for just $30. The mini version, which takes up less space, is available for $26.99 if you’d prefer it.

This is one of the easiest ways to start adding smart home elements to your appliances. It needs no hub and comes with a free app. So all you have to do is plug it in, connect it to your Wi-Fi, download the free app, and you can turn whatever you’ve plugged into it on and off with your phone.

If you do already have an Echo Dot or something similar, you can connect it to that easily to enable voice control. The smart plug has 4.3 stars based on more than 18,000 user reviews.

Amazon is also offering Alexa owners a way to grab a smart plug and bulb for just $10 each, so don’t miss out on those offers.

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Casio WSD-F30 hands-on: MrMobile’s favorite smartwatch gets an upgrade

For my money, nobody builds a better summertime smartwatch than Casio. The company’s ProTrek series has it all: alti-barometers, rugged casings, standalone GPS, and dual-layer displays that offer incredible readability in direct sunlight. Even occasional outdoorsmen such as myself can appreciate the ProTrek F10 and F20 for the sheer boldness of their oversized designs, while those in search of more petite wearables have understandably gone elsewhere.

With the ProTrek WSD-F30, Casio seems to have gotten the memo that bigger is only better up to a point. It’s still a thick watch, barely half a millimeter thinner than the F20, but it’s now almost 4 millimeters narrower, which makes a real difference on the wrist. Casio has also made the watchband more flexible, while also adding notches for more granular sizing options. On the tech side, the older LCD watchfaces have been swapped out for a higher-resolution OLED panel, while the monochrome secondary display now includes health info alongside the time.

Most exciting for fans of Android-powered wearables is the fast that the WSD-F30 is our first look at the newly renovated Wear OS. It was tough to get the F30 out of its locked retail demo mode long enough to get more than fleeting impressions of the new software, but the UI’s simple mechanic of swiping in from the cardinal compass directions became second nature almost immediately.

For more, check out the ProTrek F30 Hands-On above, and be sure you’re subscribed to MrMobile’s YouTube Channel so you don’t miss the full review once the time comes for a real-world test drive!

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4 reasons to buy the Galaxy Note 9 over the Galaxy S9+

The S Pen isn’t the only difference.

Though very similar, the Galaxy Note 9’s plus-sized battery, and the ability to take notes using the exceptional S Pen, make it worth the extra money over the Galaxy S9+.

A great, big phone: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ($1000 at Amazon)

S Pen

A Galaxy Note just wouldn’t be right without the S Pen. Samsung’s unique stylus has always been a highlight of the Note series, allowing users to jot down memos and draw with up to 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. It’s useful off the screen, too; hovering the S Pen over the display creates a floating cursor, which is great for quickly highlighting text and even scrolling through web pages, and the button on the S Pen opens a menu of shortcuts to various apps.

With the Note 9, the S Pen has been further improved with a supercapacitor that allows for remote use through Bluetooth. You can use the button on the S Pen to trigger functions from a distance, ranging from taking photos to controlling media playback, and much more.

Bigger battery

The Galaxy S9+ already has a pretty sizable battery at 3500mAh, but it’s no match for the Galaxy Note 9’s larger 4000mAh cell. While 500mAh may not sound like much at first, the Note 9 has much better endurance than its Galaxy S counterpart, easily lasting through a full day and into the next.

Higher storage options

Another big reason to invest the Note 9 is its higher capacity options for internal storage. Sure, you can add a microSD card to either phone, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to hold all of your data. There’s still a $200 price between 128GB models of the S9+ and Note 9, but the former maxes out at 256GB for $860.

The Note 9, on the other hand, starts off at 128GB for $1000, and moves all the way up to a baffling 512GB of internal storage for $1250, doubling the maximum capacity of the S9+. Combine that with a microSD card and you can reach all the way up to a terabyte of storage in the palm of your hand. That storage upgrade also includes a bump from 6 to 8GB of RAM, for what it’s worth, though you likely won’t notice that increase in most situations…

A better DeX experience

… That is, unless you launch into DeX. While the majority of consumers may not care about this feature, Samsung has put a lot of focus on improving the DeX desktop experience on the Note 9. You don’t have to buy a specific DeX dock anymore; plugging in any USB-C to HDMI adapter will launch the Note 9 into desktop mode.

You don’t need peripherals like a keyboard or mouse anymore, either — though they’re still good to have. The Note 9 can function as a trackpad for the desktop monitor, and you can even use the phone in mirrored mode or as a secondary display. DeX is becoming much more flexible and, in turn, more useful for more people.

A Great Big Phone

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

$1000 from Amazon

An incredible phone with a huge price to match.

The Galaxy S9+ is great, but the Note 9 is even greater. It does everything the GS9+ does, but adds in a larger screen, more storage, longer battery life and an S Pen stylus.

UK Deal: Let Eufy’s £168 RoboVac 11 keep your floors clean for you

Robovacs are a great way to keep your house clean with minimal effort, and today you can get this affordable highly-rated option for even less.

Not a fan of manual labour? Let the popular Eufy RoboVac 11 clean your floors for you. Right now it’s just £167.99 at Amazon, down from its usual selling price of around £210. This price is limited to today only, so act fast if you’ve been waiting to pick one up.

It offers an hour and a half of constant, powerful suction, has a wide rolling brush to clean the floors well, and comes with a remote to help you control it. It is suitable for hard floors and thin carpets, and has object and ledge detection to stop it bumping into your things or falling down stairs.

Over 850 reviewers give it an impressive average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Here’s every Enhanced game for the PS4 Pro

Which PlayStation 4 games have been boosted for the PS4 Pro?

Console manufacturers have long used a “tock” model of updating hardware. Until now.

The releases of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X represent a “tick” in the development of their consoles. These are not releases of new consoles build from the ground up, but improvements on the existing hardware. Without going into vast detail and promotional talking points, these improvements mean more power.

Note: This is a constantly-updated list. Check for often for the latest Enhanced PS4 Pro games!

What does this mean for a PS4 Pro gamer?

There are many shades of grey, but mostly it means higher resolution graphics and more frames per second. Due to the fact that that it is being left to game developers to decide how they utilize the new processing power in the PS4 Pro, there is no uniform level of improvement.

There are myriad other graphical tweaks developers are implementing, such as enhanced textures and deeper draw distances. For the purposes of this list, however, we are just going to take a highest numbers claimed for resolution and framerate.

The List

Note: Some of these resolutions come with various caveats in regard to lowering other settings in order to achieve highest graphics quality. This means that console only players will be getting a chance to dip their toes in the previously PC owned world of setting tweaks. There are also a few games that are listed as adaptive 4K. In short, this means that the system will scale resolution up or down on its own. When there is less action on screen you are likely to have higher resolutions, whereas moments with tons of elements being rendered at once may see the resolution lowered.

• A Way Out – improved framerate
• Abzû – 2400X1350 with an “increased framerate”
• Arizona Sunshine VR – 1920X1080
• Ark: Survival Evolved – 1080p detail mode, 720p normal at uncapped framerate. 1080 with 30 fps target, 720 with 60fps target
• Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Collection – Native 4K at 30fps
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – unspecified enhancements
• Assassin’s Creed Origins – 4K dynamic
• Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate – 2880X1620 at 30fps
• Batman Return To Arkham – 1920X1080 at 30fps
• Battleborn – 4K at 30fps
• Battlefield 1 – 2880X1620 at 60fps
• Battlezone VR – 3360X1890
• Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition – 4K
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – 4K
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – 4K
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered – 4K
• Call of Duty: WWII – 1620p
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy – 2560X1440
• Danger Zone – 4K checkerboard
• Darksiders: Warmastered Edition – 4K at 60fps “in moment to moment gameplay”
• Dark souls 3 – 1920X1080 at up to 60fps
• Days Gone – 4K checkerboard at 30fps
• Death Stranding – 4K (Release in 2018)
• Detroit: Become Human – 4K checkerboard at 30 fps
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – 4K
• Destiny 2 – Adaptive 4K
• Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition – 4K
• Dirt 4 – 60 fps, improved shadows and textures
• Dishonored 2 – 2560×1440
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider – 1440p at 30fps
• The Division – 4K
• DOOM – 2560×1440
• Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen – 1440p resolution
• Dragon Quest 11 – 4K checkerboard resolution
• Dynasty Warriors 9 – 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps
• The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition – 4K
• The Elder Scrolls Online – 4K
• Elite: Dangerous – 1080p performance mode at 60 fps or quality mode with unlocked framerate between 30 and 60 fps
• The Evil Within 2 – 1260p resolution or improved framerates
• F1 2017 – 4K
• Fallout 4 – 1440p
• Far Cry 5 – improved resolution or graphics modes
• Farming Simulator – 4K
• Fe – 1260p
• FIFA 17 – 4K up 60fps
• FIFA 18 – 4K with HDR support
• Final Fantasy 12 – 2560×1440
• Final Fantasy 14 – 3200×1800 at 30 fps or 1080p with unlocked fps
• Final Fantasy 15 – 3200X1800
• Firewatch – 2560X1440
• For Honor – 2560X1400
• Fortnite – increased resolution, 60FPS
• Full Throttle Remastered – 4K
• Ghost of Tsushima – 4K and other unspecified enhancements
• Ghost Recon: Wildlands – 2560X1440
• God of War – dynamic 4K with HDR support
• Grand Turismo Sport – 4K
• Gravity Rush – 3840X2160
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – 60fps
• Helldivers – 4K at 60fs
• Here They Lie – 4K
• Hitman – 4K at 60fps
• Homefront: The Revolution – 4K
• Horizon: Zero Dawn – 4K
• Hustle Kings – 4K 60fps
• Infamous: First Light – 3200X1800
• Infamous: Second Son – 3200X1800
• Injustice 2 – 2560X1440
• Jurassic World Evolution – HDR
• Killing Floor 2 – 4K
• Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX – 4K at 60fps
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue – 4K
• King of Fighters 14 – 4K
• Knack – 3072X1728
• Knack 2 – 1800p
• LA Noire – 4K
• The Last of Us Remastered – 2560X1440 max. 1800p at 60fps or 2160 at 30fps
• The Last Guardian – 3840X2160 at variable frame rate. 1080p locked at 30fps
• Lawbreakers – 2560×1440 at 60fps
• Lego Harry Potter Collection – 2560X1440 at 60fps
• Let It Die – 2560X1440
• Life is Strange: Before the Storm – 4K
• Little Nightmares – 2880X1620 at 60fps
• Madden NFL 18 – 4K or 1080ps at 60fps
• Mafia 3 – 2560X1440
• Mantis Burn Racing – 4K at 60fps
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – 3200X1800
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain – 2560×1440 with more stable 60 fps
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – 4K or 1080p at 30fps
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War – 4K cinematics and 1080p
• MLB The Show 17 – 4K, 2560X1440, or 1080p with “enhanced frame rate”
• Monster Hunter: World – 1800p checkerboard at unlocked framerate between 30 and 60 fps
• Mother Russia Bleeds – 3840X2160
• MotoGP 17 – 2560X1440 at 60fps
• NBA 2K17 – 4K at 60fps
• NBA 2K18 – 4K at 60 fps
• Neon Chrome – 4K
• Nex Machina – 3360×1890 at 60fps or 1080 at 60fps locked
• Nier: Automata – 1080p at 60fps
• Nioh – 1080p display: 1920×1080 (Movie Mode)
• No Man’s Sky – 3200×1800
• Outlast 2 – 2560×1440 at 60fps
• Overwatch – 4K at 60fps
• Oxenfree – 60 fps
• Paladins – 4K
• Paragon – 1080p at 60fps.
• PaRappa the Rapper Remastered – 4K (dynamic).
• PES 2017 – 4K at 60fps.
• Prey – 1080p with improved texture, shadow, lighting, and particle effects
• Pyre – 4K at 60 fps.
• Ratchet & Clank – 3200×1800
• Resident Evil 2 remake – 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard – 3840×2160
• Resogun – 4K
• Rez Infinite – 3840 x 2160 at 60fps
• Rime – 60 fps with HDR support and improved shadows, textures, reflections
• Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration – 4K at 30fps
• Rocket League – 4K
• Shadow of the Colossus – 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps
• Skull & Bones – unspecified enhancements
• Skyforge – 4K with HDR support
• Smite – 4K at 60fps
• Snake Pass – 2688×1512 at 30fps
• Sniper Elite 4 – 1920×1080 resolution at 60fps
• Steep – unlocked frame rate up to 60 fps
• Super Stardust Ultra – 4K at 60fps
• The Surge – 4K at 30fps
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization – 60fps
• Tekken 7 – 1080p at locked 60 fps
• Tethered – 4K at 60fps
• Thumper – 4K at 60fps
• Titanfall 2 – 2560×1440
• Trackmania Turbo – 2880×1620 at 60fps
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 2560×1440 at 30fps
• Uncharted 4: Lost Legacy – 4K at 60fps.
• Until Dawn: Rush of Blood – improved rendering
• Verdun – 3200×1800 at 60fps.
• Victor Vran: Overkill Edition – 2880×1620 at 60fps
• Viking Squad – 3840×2160 at 60fps
• Warframe – improved frame rate and performance
• Watch Dogs 2 – 3200×1800
  What Remains of Edith Finch – improved frame rates
• Wheels of Aurelia – 3840×2160 at 60fps.
• Wipeout Omega Collection – 4K (dependent on motion blur settings) at 60fps
• The Witcher 3 – 4K
• The Witness – 4K at 60fps
• World of Tanks – 3200 x 1800
• XCOM 2 – improved anti-aliasing

With all the various upgrades to existing games that will now be available on the PS4 Pro there is a decent argument for a PS4 Pro owner to revisit some of the games that may have sitting on the shelves gathering dust. The only difficulty will be tracking what sort of upgrades will be getting applied to each title.

What games will you be re-playing on your PS4 Pro?

Why are we reviewing PlayStation 4 games on Android Central? Let us explain.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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These are the Labor Day deals that you need to check out

Shop and save!

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer for most, but not everything about it has to be sad. In addition to scoring most of us an extra day off of work, it brings along a bunch of great sales that you can shop. Many popular tech gadgets, accessories, and more are on sale right now.

From 20% off the entire Philips Hue lineup to discounted slow cookers, smart plugs, PC accessories, and more, there are lots of great deals that you’re going to want to check out. Odds are you don’t want to spend your day searching for the best deals, so we’ve rounded them up in one place to make it easier for you.

Some of the deals you won’t want to miss include:

• Philips Hue starter kits, bulbs, and accessories – 20% off
• Amazon Echo Dot – $39.99 (Was $50)
• TP-Link Smart Plug – $15.29 (Was $22)
• Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet – $79.99 (Was $100)
• Super NES Edition Nintendo 3DS XL – $149.99 (Was $200)
• Logitech Circle 2 Indoor/Outdoor Security Camera – $139.99 (Was $180)
• Corsair K70 LUX RGB Mechanical Keyboard – $109.99 (Was $160)
• KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker – $58 (Was $80)
• Casper Essential Mattress – Starting at $280
• Sun Joe 14-inch Electric Mower – $59.99 (Was $150)
• Instant Pot DUO80 8-quart multicooker – $89.95 (Was $130)

Our friends over a Thrifter have a ton of other great deals that are available right now, so be sure to check them out as well. Any other deals catch your interest this weekend? Be sure to drop a comment if you’ve spotted something we haven’t, and let us know what you like about it!

Every OnePlus 6 owner can install Android 9 Pie right now

The latest software has some bugs, but is available for anyone to download.

After a couple weeks running in a closed beta, OnePlus has opened up its Android 9 Pie update for the OnePlus 6 to any willing participant. The new update is the first public taste of the actual OxygenOS-customized version of Android 9 Pie, as early builds during the Developer Preview stage didn’t have a full suite OnePlus tweaks and additions.

If you’re willing to deal with a few bugs, you can get the latest and greatest software right now.

The new software include’s Android Pie’s new gesture navigation system in addition to all of the other great features of the latest Android release. OnePlus has added its accent color customization, an adjustable Do Not Disturb mode and a new Gaming Mode 3.0 as well. Expect even more customization to come with future open beta builds as development continues.

As is typically the case with beta builds, there are known bugs and problems with this first open beta release. OnePlus says that Google Pay will not work on this build, and Google Play may complain that your device “is not certified.” If you’re willing to deal with those known issues and some occasional instability, you can head to the OnePlus forums and download the file for your own phone. Note that there are different update processes depending on whether you’re currently on the stable build or the original developer preview.

How many of you are ready to make the jump up to the open beta now that it’s available? Let us know in the comments below how the installation goes on your OnePlus 6!

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

UK Deal: Grab a SanDisk Extreme 64GB microSD card for just £18 today only

Grab some extra storage for all your phones, tablets and consoles.

The SanDisk Extreme 64GB microSDXC card is down to just £17.99 today only at Amazon UK. It usually sells for around £25 and today’s offer marks the lowest it has ever been available for, making it the perfect time to pick one (or more) up.

The card can be used to expand the storage of your phone, tablet, Nintendo Switch or action cam and comes with an SD card adapter for broader device compatibility. It’s rated A1 for faster app performance and has a read speed of 100MB/s and write speed of 60MB/s. It’s also shock, temperature, water, and X-ray proof.

If you need a little more storage, you can also grab an all-time low price on the huge 400GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC which is down to £106 from around £150, or the 256GB version of the same card which is just £70. The SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD card is reduced to £43 right now, too.

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

Apple Heart Study Ends for Some Early Participants Ahead of January Completion Date

Over the weekend, Apple informed some users who signed up to its Apple Watch Heart Study that their contributions were complete.

An app notification thanked them for their participation and asked them to complete an exit-survey about the study, which first launched in November 2017.

The study in collaboration with Stanford Medicine was offered to anyone in the United States who was 22 years older with an iPhone 5s or later and an Apple Watch Series 1 or later. Atrial fibrillation, a common form of heart arrhythmia that is covered in the study, can indicate serious medical conditions like heart failure and stroke.

Participants were instructed to download and install the Apple Heart Study app and wear their Apple Watch. When an irregular heart beat is detected, a consultation with a Study Telehealth provider from American Well is offered, with some people asked to wear an ePatch monitor for up to seven days for further investigation.

Apple closed the study to new participants at the beginning of last month. In a prior announcement, Apple said the study would not end until January 1, 2019, but it looks as though the participants who received the notifications over the weekend all enrolled early, suggesting that data collection is winding down over stages as the end date approaches.

Rumors have suggested that 2018 Apple Watch Series 4 models will include enhanced heart rate detection features that could improve the smartwatch’s ability to detect diseases linked to higher heart rates and abnormal heart rhythms, but what form the enhanced heart rate features will take remains unclear.

Design wise, the Apple Watch Series 4 looks similar to the Series 3 models, but the display will be bigger, allowing more space for watch faces and complications, as confirmed last week in an image leaked by Apple.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, watchOS 5Tag: Apple Heart StudyBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Skype Redesign Ditches Snapchat-Like Highlights Feature to Focus on ‘Simplicity’

Microsoft is to simplify the user experience of its Skype mobile and desktop apps, with the aim of returning the platform’s focus to core services like calling and messaging.

In announcing the decision in a blog post, Microsoft acknowledged that the Snapchat-style redesign it introduced last year “didn’t resonate with a majority of users” and had “overcomplicated” the platform, and said it hoped the new changes would make the service faster to learn and easier to use.

As a result, the Highlights and Capture features are being removed from the mobile app, leaving options for Chats, Calls, and Contacts at the bottom of the interface. Microsoft says users can download any Highlights they have posted in Skype until September 30, 2018.

Meanwhile over on desktop, buttons for Chats, Calls, Contacts, and Notifications are being moved to the top left of the application window, which should make more sense for veteran Skype users. In addition, contacts are being “updated for simplicity” to make them easier to discover.

Visually, Microsoft says it has “toned down” the range of the gradients available in the light and dark themes, and it’s also reintroducing the simplified Skype “Classic” blue theme, with subtle adjustments for contrast and readability.

Lastly, some decorative elements have been removed from the Skype interface to provide users with “a more elegant experience” that brings the focus back to content.

“This is only the beginning and you can expect many more updates over the next several months as we continue to simplify and improve the core experiences around calling, chat, and contacts,” said Skype design director Peter Skillman. “While we have plenty of work left to do, we hope you find these changes simplify your experience and bring you closer to those who matter.”

Tags: Skype, Microsoft
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