The best Philips Hue alternatives

What’s the best alternative to Philips Hue? Here are our favorites!

Philips Hue smart lights are some of the coolest on the market and they’re definitely some of the most popular, but they can be quite expensive, especially once you get into colored bulbs. If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative or just something other than what’s popular, then check out these other awesome options.

• LIFX A19 Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
• Cree A19 LED Bulb
• Sylvania Lightify by Osram
• Flux Bluetooth Smart LED bulb
• IKEA Tradfri
• Eufy Lumos
• Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit
• Yeelight LED bulb
• C by GE starter kit
• Z-Wave

LIFX A19 Wi-Fi Smart Bulb

The $60 LIFX Wi-Fi bulb provides 16 million colors and 1,000 shades of white, connecting over your Wi-Fi network without the need for a hub. Simply download the LIFX app and gain control of lighting effects and custom schedules to suit your needs.

See at Amazon

Each A19 bulb only consumes 17 watts of energy and has a lumen count of 1017. LIFX bulbs even work with Nest Protect and Thermostat, flashing the lights when smoke is detected or switching the lights on and off automatically to make it appear as if someone is home while you’re away on vacation. LIFX bulbs are Amazon Certified to work with Alexa.

Cree A19 LED Bulb

The daylight (5000K) dimmable Cree LED bulb is compatible with multiple platforms, including Amazon Echo, Wink, WeMo, and more. After setting up with a compatible hub, you can schedule your Cree bulbs to turn on and off at any specific time, adjust brightness, or even customize them to work while you’re away from home as an extra security measure. Each Cree bulb is only 11.5 watts and is available for about $15 — not bad for its 22-year lifespan.

See at Amazon

Sylvania Lightify by Osram

The best feature of the $16 tunable white Lightify bulbs by Osram ($63 for a color 2-pack) is that they’re compatible with Alexa. If you have an Echo in your house, then these will work right out of the box (so long as you have a hub), so you can control your lights with just your voice!

See at Amazon

Lightify comes in RGBW, tuneable white, and soft white, so you have your choice of light temperature to best suit your room. Just download the Lightify app, and you’re on your way. These bulbs fit into standard sockets, and you can adjust color temperature in the RGBW and tuneable white bulbs to best fit your mood or needs (soft white when it’s time to chill, daylight to help you stay awake).

Flux Bluetooth Smart LED bulb

Flux bulbs are color-changing bulbs that work via Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi like the other bulbs on this list, which means you won’t be able to control them with you’re not at home. That being said, you can still schedule actions, like having the bulbs turn on when you’re away from home or to wake you up in the morning.

Flux bulbs come in 7- or 10-watt (60-watt equivalent) iterations and are available for around $34.

See at Amazon

Flux bulbs feature over 16 million colors, which you control directly from the Flux app. You can control the mode (strobe, shifting colors, etc.), and these will even sync with music on your phone to add some extra atmosphere to your dance party.

IKEA Tradfri

Believe it or not, IKEA has some pretty rad smart bulbs that are inexpensive (around $19/bulb) and work well. They have a brightness equal to roughly a 70-watt incandescent bulb and are dimmable using the Tradfri remote. In fact, you can control up to 10 bulbs, panels, or light doors, which are all dimmable as well. You can also switch from warmer-colored light to cooler hues depending on your mood and the time of day.

Thanks to community member snapphane for the tip!

See at IKEA

Eufy Lumos

Eufy’s tunable white Lumos bulbs are affordable roughly $25 (if you don’t want tunable, you can opt for straight soft white for about $20), and the ability to adjust from warm to cool light is perfect for setting the right mood and ambiance.

See at Best Buy

You can adjust everything right in the Eufy app, and these bulbs are Amazon certified to work with Alexa, as well as compatible with Google Assistant. You can set schedules, turn the bulbs off from anywhere there’s an internet connection, and you get an 18-month warranty should anything go wrong. Best part is that there’s no hub needed! Also, grab the multicolor bulbs for only $45 apiece.

Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit

The $230 Nanoleaf Aurora isn’t just a smart lighting setup; it’s wall art. Gorgeous, light-up wall art. The best part is that “rhythm” isn’t just in the name. The Aurora’s nine-panel system lights up along with your favorite tunes, and you can orient the panels in anyway you like.

See at Best Buy

You get the nine LED panels, an upgrade module, panel links, mounting stencils, pads, a power supply, and a controller unit.

Yeelight LED bulb

Yeelight’s dimmable 60W equivalent smart bulb is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT; features 16 million colors; requires no hub; and is only $30.

See at Amazon

The Yeelight app is available for both iOS and Android, and you can grab a tunable white bulb for only $15 if you’re not into multi-color control.

C by GE starter kit

The GE Link bulbs were always zig-zagging in and out of availability, but GE has finally released the follow up to its smart bulbs: The C voice-controlled A19 bulbs. The starter kit is about $45, is certified to work with Alexa, and come with two tunable white C-Life bulbs and the C-Reach Smart Bridge hub.

See at Amazon

These tunable white bulbs can automatically shift from morning to daytime to nighttime lighting, and you can set the hue prefer in the C by GE app. You can control each bulb individually or together, and the C app lets you schedule things to your liking. If you don’t need Alexa control, then you can buy each bulb individually and control it via Bluetooth — no hub required.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave isn’t a bulb, but a technology that allows many switches to be used to wirelessly control normal, everyday lightbulbs. With any Z-Wave switch, you can control not-smart bulbs via a great smart home hub — no need to pay through the nose for smart bulbs that last decades (though they are a pretty solid investment).

The light of your life

Which smart lights do you use? Sound off in the comments below!

Updated August 2018: Updated pricing for everything and added the C by GE starter kit. Removed the GE Link and bulbs and starter kit and Lucero bulbs due to lack of availability.

Sony announces that Android 9 Pie is coming to the XZ2, XZ1, XA2, and more

A new version of Android means it’s once again time to peer into my crystal ball.

Did you hear? Android Pie is a thing now. And we know that everyone will want it and want it as soon as possible. That’s how it works and that’s how we are wired. We want updates, we want them to be spectacular and we want them right now.

The reality of the situation is a bit different. Most phones made in the last 18 months will see Android Pie, but some of them will only get updated when we see the first developer preview for Android Q (Quince Jelly or gtfo, Google!) come along. It’s a lot easier for manufacturers to update their phones to a newer version, but it’s still not any better. That’s another article for another time, though. This one is where I guess which phones will get updated sometime in the next 12 months.

Predicting anything Android-related is 10% science and 90% interpretation.

It’s not as easy as you think and many sudsy cold beverages worth of thought goes into my guesses each and every year. About one-third of them are no-brainers, but some of the others are basically the same odds as a coin flip. It seems like manufacturers only care about a few models that get a lot of press time. But I do have to toot my own hat (or something) and say I have a pretty good track record. Luck or skill? You decide. (It’s totally skill.)

Let’s break it down by the major manufacturers of the phones we love and make a few predictions. Remeber, these are just predictions and not any official word on anything from any company unless otherwise noted.

• Google
• Android Beta Program Partners
• Samsung
• LG
• Huawei
• Motorola
• HTC
• Sony

Still waiting for Oreo? Check to see whether your phone will be upgraded!

Google

I always start with Google because it’s easy and I’ll get it right every time. That’s what I want at the top of the page. I say it’s easy because Google has already told us which phones get updated and which won’t.

• The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have already been updated to Pie.
• The Pixel and Pixel XL have already been updated to Android Pie.
• While not actually from Google, any Android One phones manufactured since October 2017 will also be updated to Pie “later this fall.”

And that’s it. Prior to the Pixel, Google promised two years of full support and three years of security updates for phones they sell under their own brand. The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X are just about three years old. Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu, Adios, Good Bye. They were great phones.

More: It’s time to say goodbye to the Nexus program for good

Android Beta Program Partners

For the first time ever other companies have joined Google in supporting the Android Beta Program. When it was started for Android Pie (then known simply as P) the following phones joined Google’s Pixel and Pixel 2 family in supporting it:

• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Oppo R15 Pro
• Vivo X21
• OnePlus 6
• Essential PH‑1

That means that every one of these phones should see a full-on update to Android Pie in the very near future. In fact, the Essential PH-1 is seeing its update at the same time the Pixel and Pixel 2 are!

We’re proud to bring Android 9 Pie to Essential Phone the same day it’s released! Check your phone now for the update. 🥧 pic.twitter.com/pniUDl9yr8

— Essential (@essential) August 6, 2018

Samsung

Samsung makes more models of a single flagship line like the Galaxy S each year than Google has made in total, but it’s also pretty easy to know which phones Samsung will update because they’re predictable. Samsung offers four “premium” models each year. like 2018’s Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, the Galaxy S9 Active that we all know is coming, and the Galaxy Note 9. Even when Samsung sold 15 different models of the Galaxy S6, they were all treated the same when it came to expecting an update.

When to expect it is just as predictable, and it will happen about a year from the date this was first published (March 2018). Some models in Europe will see it first, about a month later it will show up somewhere else, and once Samsung is satisfied it’s not going to totally wreck about a gazillion phones they will give it the green light. Add in whatever time your carrier needs and the final result is just about a year from its initial release.

• The Galaxy S9 and S9+ (and any S9 Active that comes in the future) will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy Note 9 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy S8 and S8+, and the Galaxy S8 Active, will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy Note 8 will be updated to Android Pie.

Here’s where it gets interesting. there are a handful of other Galaxy phones that have a huge regional fanbase. In India, for example, the Galaxy J models are huge hits because they offer most of the same experience you find in a Galaxy S at a lower price. Samsung will give them the same treatment the Galaxy S and Note lines receive. That’s not the most interesting part, though. That would be the seemingly random phones that Samsung decides to update. We don’t know why we see this every year (Carrier requests? Developer favorites? Aliens?) we just like seeing it. And we all wish we saw more of it.

LG

LG has always been a wildcard when I write this post every year. Like Samsung, there are a few “important” models that get all the press coverage and plenty of other more inexpensive models that most of us aren’t talking about.

LG also mentioned some streamlining in the release cycle, which hopefully gives the development teams time to get an update out the door and have it be a good update.

• The LG G7 ThinQ will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG V30 (including the V30S or whatever models we have seen or will see) will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG V20 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG G6 will see Android Pie.

Older models like the G5 and V10 are done seeing any attention and won’t see any updates. LG makes a handful of phones that aren’t quite flagship material, and we know it is willing to spend the time and money on updating some of them even if your carrier isn’t and you never see it. That means nothing is a given.

I also think LG consolidating things and releasing phones when they think it’s time for a new model rather than by looking at a calendar will make a difference here and lead to longer support.

Huawei

Huawei is tough to read. It hasn’t abandoned the Asian way of doing smartphones like LG and Samsung have for their U.S. divisions and sometimes that means the things the company does can be puzzling to those of us used to the Western way of thinking. Just when I think I have figured out exactly which phones are the company’s flagship models that will get the lion’s share of time and money spent, they change it all up. That’s a good thing.

Something made Huawei change the way it redistributes and maintains phones running the EMUI operating system (Huawei’s version of Android) in 2017 and I think that’s going to be reflected when it comes to Android P updates.

• The Huawei P10 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Huawei Mate 10 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Honor 9 and Honor View 10 series will be updated to Android Pie. I’m hoping, but less confident about the Honor 7X.
• The Huawei Mate 9 will probably be updated to Android Pie, but we’ll see.

This includes the various Plus, Pro, and Porsche models (I want a Porsche phone) as well, and because EMUI is so different than every other smartphone software available users will have no idea which version of Android they are running unless they look.

Besides, if the things a handful of little birds are saying happen to be true, EMUI 9 isn’t going to be able to run on any hardware older than what comes in these phones.

Motorola

Motorola had a weird 2017. That’s putting it mildly. They released like 100 phones in the Americas and Western Europe (Editor’s note: it was actually 9) and they ranged from the surprisingly great $100 Moto E4 to the Moto X4, the first of hopefully many non-Google phones you can use on Project Fi, and all the Z and Force you can handle in between.. And they did it without compromising the G series which has been a company staple for years from the smartphone division.

Moto phones under Lenovo are slowly becoming like the Thinkpad — quietly chugging along in the background doing their thing. And doing it well.

On August 15, Motorola published a blog post outlining the handsets that’ll receive the official Pie update starting this fall. They include:

• Moto Z3
• Moto Z3 Play
• Moto Z2 Force
• Moto Z2 Play
• Moto X4
• Moto G6 Plus
• Moto G6
• Moto G6 Play

While that’s a strong list, the notable omissions include the Moto E5, E5 Plus, and E5 Play.

HTC

Disappointing sales have left the future of HTC’s smartphone business in uncertainty, but assuming the company doesn’t go under in the next few months, it’s announced that it’ll be updating four of its smartphones to Android 9 Pie. The list is as follows:

• HTC U12+
• HTC U11
• HTC U11+
• HTC U11 Life (Android One version)

We’re pleased as pie to confirm updates to Android Pie for the HTC U12+, U11+, U11, and U11 life (Android One). Timeframes for roll-out will be announced in due course. We can’t wait to know what you think of Google’s freshest slice of Android! pic.twitter.com/mPJePFegne

— HTC (@htc) August 10, 2018

Annnnddd…that’s it.

HTC says that it’ll release timeframes for its Pie updates “in due course”, and as those announcements are made, we’ll update this article accordingly.

Sony

Sony announced its Pie update plans on August 16, 2018, and as expected, the phones that’ll be the first to get the new software treatment are the company’s high-end flagships. Starting this November, the following phones will get Android 9 Pie:

• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
• Sony Xperia XZ1
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact

But wait, there’s more!

If you own a Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra, or XA2 Plus, you can expect Pie to land on your phone by “early 2019.”

Must mentions

These may be the companies we’re most familiar with in the west that sell Android phones, but they aren’t the only companies doing it. Out of the literally hundreds of models available, a few stand out and need mentioning.

• OnePlus will update the 5 and 5T and 3 and 3T.
• The BlackBerry KEYone probably won’t be upgraded to Android Pie, but we know the KEY2 will be.
• Now that Nokia has committed to Android One across all of its devices, there’s a good chance many of the more expensive models, like the Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 Sirocco, will join the 7 Plus in Pie-land.
• Someone at XDA will update their Nexus One to Android Pie and I am going to do my best to get Google to send that person a brand new Pixel 3 NotchXL.

Like mentioned earlier, these are just educated guesses at this point. but one thing I know for certain is that no matter what the phone, any updates will feel like they took too long to make it into our hands. That’s just how we’re wired.

Android 9 Pie

• Android 9 Pie review: Greater than the sum of its slices
• Everything you need to know about Android 9 Pie!
• Will my phone get Android Pie?
• How to get Android 9 Pie on your Pixel right now
• Join the Discussion

Updated August 16, 2018: Added new info regarding Sony’s Pie plans and a jumplist so you can more easily find the OEM you’re looking for.

Microsoft Edge beta for Android rolls out breaking news alerts and more

Edge for Android is keeping pace with its iOS counterpart, adding breaking news alerts, annotations for books, and more.

Just a day after rolling out to the Microsoft Edge beta for iOS, Microsoft is shipping a few new features to beta testers on Android as well. The highlights of this release include breaking news alerts, the ability to check out annotations you’ve made in books, and more.

If you’re using Edge as your Android browser of choice, you’ll now get push alerts when important news events happen. Microsoft already offers this with its own news app, so this is just another way for you to keep up with breaking current events. On top of that, this update will make it easy to check out what’s new with Edge and tips from a new option in the settings menu. And, of course, there are plenty of performance improvements tagging along here as well.

Here’s a look at all of what’s new:

• Know when important news happens with breaking news alerts
• Quickly get to the What’s new and tips web page from the Settings and more menu
• See annotations you made in books (note: doesn’t apply to PDF free-form inking)
• Improved performance

This update comes after Edge received a fairly substantial update in June, bringing with it intelligent visual search, new default search engines, and a few extra goodies for those signed in with a work or school account.

While today’s update is only available if you’re opted into the Edge beta, the features should land relatively soon for the release version given Microsoft’s relatively rapid pace of development on Edge for mobile devices.

See at Google Play

Samsung announces a pair of Harman co-branded premium soundbars

Coming next month with some large price tags.

Last year, Samsung acquired Harman Internation Industries, the company behind the popular Harman Kardon audio division. Since then, we’ve been waiting to see what the two could do together, and now we have the first product that comes with co-branding on it. Samsung has announced two new soundbars, the HW-N850 and HW-N950, both of which will become available to purchase later this month. Both options will have Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to bring along the best sound quality, and they will have up and side-firing speakers.

As you’d expect from the numbering scheme, the N950 is the more premium option of the two. The key differences here are that it will have four speakers and two wireless surround speakers, while the N850 will have a main speaker and subwoofer. Both will launch on September 1 in the Netherlands and wider availability will follow after that, though specifics were not mentioned. The N850 will have a retail price of €1,000 ($1,130), while the N950 will be available for €1,500 ($1,700).

There’s no denying that these prices are on the higher end, but considering everything that is packed inside, it may be worth giving a shot. Some Harman Kardon soundbars sell for around $800 already for just the bar and a small subwoofer. Both new kits will offer substantially better audio quality and an overall better experience.

This $100 Philips Hue starter kit has two color smart bulbs and a hub

Bask in the glow of this discounted Philips Hue kit.

This Philips Hue two color bulbs starter kit is only $99.99 on Amazon. This is a new kit that released at a $150 price in early July. Last month, it dropped this low for a short time before rising back to $150. Considering individual bulbs cost about $50 right now and this kit comes with the bridge that is essential to the Philips Hue setup, that’s a good price.

The starter kit comes with two Philips Hue white and color A19 60W equivalent LED smart bulbs, the Philips Hue hub, and a three-year warranty. The A19 bulbs can choose from more than 16 million colors and shades. Once you connect the bulbs to the hub, you can connect the hub to your smart home ecosystem and control it all with just your voice. The hub can support up to 50 bulbs as well, so you can keep adding onto the system. You’ll be able to use the free app to control your lights as well. These kits have 4.1 stars based on over 460 reviews.

See at Amazon

Is the Galaxy Note 9 too big for most people?

You can learn to live happily with a giant phone, but it’s still not for everyone.

Few phones fill out a spec sheet quite like a Note. Samsung’s wildly popular Galaxy Note lineup has always been about packing in all the latest and most powerful specs, and the Galaxy Note 9 is no exception. It comes packing a Snapdragon 845, 6 or 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage — not to mention water resistance, wireless charging, a headphone jack, and the ever-important S Pen.

Those big specs demand a big phone, though. The Note 9 features a gorgeous, massive 6.4-inch display — the biggest to ever grace a Samsung phone. Even with Samsung’s minuscule bezels, that’s a lot of phone to handle, especially if you like to use your phone in one hand. So is the Note 9 … too big?

That sort of depends on how you use your phone. The Galaxy Note line has never been about one-handed usability in the first place, and to use one comfortably, you need to throw that idea out the window. This is a two-handed phone through and through, and using it as one makes it significantly easier to handle — a PopSocket can help a lot with this.

You’ll also have to either start wearing pants with extra deep pockets or just get used to part of it sticking out at all times. The Galaxy Note 9 is a whopping 162mm tall, after all.

That all sounds inconvenient to someone like me, who carries a Galaxy S9 specifically because of how often I use gesture typing or scroll through Twitter and Slack with one hand. But for some, the Note 9’s benefits can outweigh the inconvenience of having such an imposing stature.

A huge screen is one of the biggest reasons to buy a Galaxy Note, but sometimes it’s more hassle than it’s worth.

Having a 6.4-inch display gives you a huge, open canvas for the Note 9’s halo feature, the S Pen. Whether you’re drawing in Screen Off Memos or signing a document, it’s nice to have ample screen space to work with. That huge screen is also great for watching videos — so much so that YouTube has named the Galaxy Note 9 a “Signature Device,” which basically just means that it’s one of the best ways to view YouTube content.

No matter how many benefits the Note 9 brings, though, it still won’t be a good fit for everyone. Some people’s hands are just too small to work with such a massive phone, and even people with bigger hands may still prefer easy one-handed usability.

If you’re not sure how you’d handle the Galaxy Note 9 and don’t want to wait until pre-orders are over to find out, just try out a Galaxy Note 8; they’re more or less the same size (the Note 8 is a hair taller while the Note 9 is just a bit wider), though the Note 9 has an easier-to-reach fingerprint sensor.

How do you feel about the size of the Note 9 and the Galaxy Note lineup as a whole? Have you been a longtime user that’s unfazed by huge phones, or are you tired of the ever-expanding selection these days? Let us know in the comments below!

See at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

• Samsung Galaxy Note 9 hands-on preview
• Galaxy Note 9 vs. Note 8
• Where to buy the Galaxy Note 9
• Galaxy Note 9 specifications
• Is the Note 8 still a good buy?
• Join our Galaxy Note 9 forums

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Verizon
T-Mobile
Samsung

The Walking Dead’s final season starts off with a bang despite rough pacing

Clementine’s final journey may be her most perilous yet.

AC
Score
4

After following her journey since the beginning, Telltale is closing the chapter on Clementine’s story with their final season of The Walking Dead. While we’re only a few pages in with Episode One – Done Running, it looks to set up an emotional farewell in her coming of age story. Clementine isn’t all grown up by normal standards, but in The Walking Dead’s world she needs to be.

The Good

• Season One role reversal
• Unexpected twist
• Solid performance
• Guardian Clem

The Bad

• Pacing
• Doesn’t find footing until the end

See at PlayStation Store

Familiar waters

Since his birth in Season Two, AJ has been an integral part of The Walking Dead’s identity, even without being a playable character. The history that Clem and AJ share isn’t glossed over in its final season. When The Walking Dead isn’t all about survival of the fittest, it’s about the intimate character moments and their development.

At one point during Done Running, Clem has a chance to relax and play a game of cards with the new group of kids she ran into. It’s during this game that Clem is asked if she’s ever had to kill someone she’s loved, and while Lee may be the first person that pops into most people’s minds, she also had to make a difficult decision regarding Kenny at the end of Season Two that stemmed from AJ. It’s clear that the choices she’s been forced to make in the past are still affecting her to this day, and have shaped her into who she is. Remembering its past has always been what The Walking Dead has done well, and I’m glad to say that the tradition continues.

Remembering its past has always been what The Walking Dead has done well.

Its final season also sees a role reversal of sorts, adding a new angle to the retreaded ‘parent/child’ storyline fraught in post-apocalyptic media. Lee served as Clem’s parental figure in the first season, helping her adjust and navigate to a world she was entirely unprepared for. Now it’s Clem’s time to be that parental figure for AJ. It’s clear that Clem is much more equipped to deal with the situation than Lee ever was as it’s been years since the dead started walking. She’s been hardened by her environment.

This plays a role in how she interacts with AJ. He’s only known the world after its devastation, which becomes even more apparent during a scene where he is confused as to what firemen and policemen were. Though he’s ignorant of pre-apocalyptic life, Clem doesn’t hold this ignorance against him, and in fact even trusts him with a gun. It’s this duality of his innocence and the responsibility thrust upon him in this universe that makes for compelling interactions between him and other characters.

Clem simultaneously needs to treat AJ as a child that needs protecting while also realizing that he needs to grow up fast. She allows him to feel useful and help whenever possible, but she won’t put him in direct danger. Even after just one episode, I’m interested to see how their relationship developers.

Uncharted territory

The new group of kids that Clem and AJ come across are survivors who have made a home out of Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth. (X-Men reference, anyone?) The children all appear to be a group of misfits just struggling to get by, making a new life for themselves without adults, who abandoned them when everything went to hell. Interacting with other teenagers is a breath of fresh air from usual. They’re all relatively the same age, meaning they have a lot more in common. Though a boy named Marlon appears to be the de-facto leader, everyone has their own importance within it. They’re not shoved aside just because they’re kids.

I look forward to witnessing the character dynamics and relationships develop as the season goes on. A few characters that grated on my nerves initially ended up becoming my saving grace by the end of the episode. If Telltale keeps it up, they may have even created some of my favorite characters in the series to date.

New threats

Since the beginning, The Walking Dead has pushed the idea that walkers aren’t always your biggest threat. It’s the people around you that you need to be just as careful of. We don’t get a feel for the real threat until the very end up the episode, and since we don’t get a good look at them, they’re hard to judge. This does make most of the episode’s direction seem bit aimless for a time as you can’t see the larger picture, but the possibilities of what’s at play will give you chills.

The Telltale Tool

Telltale’s engine, the Telltale Tool, is on its last legs. Over the years the performance of the studio’s games has gotten rougher and rougher. This season of The Walking Dead is expected to be the last of its game’s to run on the Telltale Tool before they switch over to a Unity engine. Despite the old engine’s age, however, Done Running may have been the best Telltale episode I’ve played in a long time in terms of performance. I didn’t encounter the usual lag during quick time events, nor did the game freeze or cut dialogue. All in all, it made a good first impression for the rest of the season.

Conclusion

The Walking Dead: The Final Season is off to a satisfying start. The pacing for a majority feels uneven and it doesn’t find it’s footing until the end, but what an ending it is. While the final scene is shocking, it’s the twist set up minutes beforehand that tees up the conflict going forward, and I can’t wait to see how it ends.

This is also my open letter to Telltale asking them not to hurt Rosie the dog.

4
out of 5

See at PlayStation Store

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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Pre-order the new da Vinci color mini 3D printer and save up to $600

3D Printing has never been so easy!

XYZPrinting has a new 3D printer called the da Vinci Color mini available on Indiegogo for $999. We have seen several 3D printers from XYZPrinting in the past, but this one is something altogether new. Where most 3D printers require multiple colored filaments or by-hand painting to create 3D objects in different colors, the da Vinci Color Mini will actually use three ink cartridges, similar to what you’d find in a regular printer, to stain the filament as it prints.

Originally developed last year, the da Vinci Color was called the “world’s first full color 3D printer” by XYZPrinting. The mini version is designed for consumers like you and me. It’s compact enough to fit in a small office or right on your desktop, and it can build objects up to 5.1 x 5.1 x 5.1 inches in size. It can work in a classroom, a business, or anywhere else you want to use it. Print gifts, create sculptures, or learn something new altogether.

The best part is the price. When the da Vinci Color mini fully releases it will retail for $1,599, which is already a huge chunk off the original 3D printer’s value of $3,500. Right now if you pre-order through Indiegogo you can get it for $999, but that price is only available to the first 100 pre-orders. After that, you can still get it for $1,199. Not quite as magnanimous but still an amazingly low price for full color 3D printer. The estimated shipping date for your new 3D printer is November 15, which is right around the corner.

If that pre-order bonus still doesn’t quite put this 3D printer in your price range, but you are curious, Amazon has plenty of 3D printers at even lower prices.

See at Indiegogo

This $13 TrackR Pixel can help prevent you from misplacing your gadgets

What once was lost is now found!

Update: You can save even further by opting to pick up the eight-pack of this product which is currently on sale for $70. That brings the price of each down to just $8.75 apiece.

Right now you can pick up the TrackR Pixel for just $12.55 at Amazon, which is the lowest that it has ever sold for. Normally, this Bluetooth tracker sells for between $20 and $25, and has never dropped below $14 in the past. The device itself is on the smaller side, which means that you can easily attach it to just about anything that you find yourself misplacing.

It uses Bluetooth to find items at close ranges, and the free iOS and Android app can be used to ring your device and flash the light to help you find it even faster. There is a battery inside the TrackR, and the app will let you know when it’s running low. You’ll be able to order a replacement for free, directly from the app, meaning you don’t have to replace the whole unit like you do with a Tile tracker. You can see where you last had your device on a map, and if you have the device but lost your phone you can simply press the button on it to ping your phone.

These are extremely useful, and at this price, you may want to pick up a few of them!

See at Amazon

Android Messages gets new Material Theme UI and dark mode with 3.5 update

DARK. MODE. IS. HERE.

Android Messages is one of the best texting apps on the Play Store, and with the new v3.5 update that’s rolling out now, it’s about to get even better.

Similar to Tasks, News, and Contacts, v3.5 refreshes Android Messages UI to match Google’s new Material Theme aesthetic. This means that a lot of Android Messages’ colorful accent colors have been replaced by even more white and the in-app text now uses the Google Sans font.

The new Android Messages v3.5

Hold on, hold on. Before you grab your pitchforks and start charging at Google full of rage, there is an upside to this for those that don’t like all that white.

The old Android Messages

With Android Messages v3.5, there’s now a native dark mode.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

To enable the dark mode, just tap the three dots at the top right of the app and select “Enable dark mode.” To disable it, tap those three dots again but choose “Disable dark mode.”

Android Messages v3.5 is rolling out to the Play Store now!

Download: Android Messages (free)