Latest from Android Central

Activision is taking a stronger stance towards anyone found cheating in Call of Duty: Warzone.What you need to knowCall of Duty: Warzone is a Battle Royale mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.It's also available as a standalone free-to-play game. Activision has issued over 35,000 bans so far to players found to be cheating. While Call of Duty: Warzone has already seen strong success with millions of players jumping in, Activision is taking a very hardline stance against anyone who cheats. In a blog post, the Call of Duty team explained that over 35,000 bans have been issued so far.The team is gathering data whenever a report is made, including tools to investigate data. In future updates, the team is hoping to simplify the process of reporting potential cheaters and will provide more frequent updates on the total number of permabanned players. This should hopefully result in a more transparent process.This should be encouraging news for anyone who has ever run into a ...

Wow, the app that made you pay for severe weather alerts got bought by Apple? Shocker.We all know how quickly the weather can change, and that's how fast a weather app can change, too. Dark Sky announced on March 31 that it had been bought by Apple and that its Android app will be shutting down this summer. Dark Sky even used a severe weather alert to spread the news in other apps that use Dark Sky's API, just to make sure you'd know even if you didn't use its app. Dark Sky only brought its app to Android in 2016, and honestly, I've never quite understood the hype. Dark Sky's global map is cool when tracking a hurricane or a Nor'easter, but for regular, local weather, it doesn't stack up that well.Well, whether you liked Dark Sky's app or not, its Android app is dead now, so let's see if we can't help you find something better.Appy WeatherIf you like that little carousel with the different conditions under the Dark Sky timeline, then you'll probably be pretty happy with App...

Best for quick meetingsGoogle Hangouts MeetsFrom $6/ mo. at GoogleProsShare screenSend files through chatIncluded with G Suite accountsNo additional fee for call-in participantsConsMessy dashboard compared to ZoomCan host fewer participantsClunky and unreliable for Mac usersGoogle Hangouts Meet comes free with your G Suite subscription. This program is pretty basic but has all the collaboration tools you'll need to conduct productive meetings. It also allows participants to call in without charging an additional fee.Best for larger groupsZoomFrom $15/ mo. at ZoomProsCollaboration toolsFree account availableConnects to conferencing equipmentWorks with all operating systems including LinuxHost up to 500 people ConsCall-in access costs extraMust disable popup blockers to useZoom is the best program for connecting to conferencing equipment such as telecoms and webcams to allow several people to join in from a single place and devi...

There's no need to stay locked into paying for an expensive service provider anymore while companies like Tello Mobile exist. Tello is an affordable, prepaid service which uses Sprint's network and has a variety of plans for less than $20 monthly. The best part is that you're never locked into a contract and there are no fees to worry about; you only pay the cost of the plan you choose.Thanks to Tello's latest deal for new and existing subscribers, you'll score double the data and twice the amount of minutes on the plan you choose through May 31! Tello's plans are already competitively priced compared to other service providers, and today's offer really helps blow the others out of the competition.One of the greatest features of Tello is its ability to let you customize your service by choosing the number of minutes or amount of data you need separately from one another. That's one major way Tello saves you cash where other providers would have you pay for service you're not even...

If you're looking to either replace or add a set of Bluetooth headphones to your collection without breaking the bank, you're in the right place. There are plenty of options ranging from truly wireless earbuds up to over-ear headphones that you can get for less than $100. If you're looking for the best overall headphones, look no further than the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2, which offer the best balance of portability and quality.Best Overall: OnePlus Bullets 2 WirelessThe OnePlus Bullets 2 Wireless are the pinnacle of great wireless earbuds. They're not too ambitious and don't pack in too many features — they aren't truly wireless with a wireless charging case, for example. However, what they do offer is handy; they pause when the two buds magnetically attach, and there's warp charging, netting you an impressive 10 hours of listening time from a 10-minute charge.In terms of sound, the Bullets 2 are great for their size. The sound is a tad bass boosted but is overall very ba...

If you've been thinking about giving one of Fossil's fitness-focused smartwatches a try, you won't want to miss this latest sale. For a limited time, you can pick up a Fossil Sport Smartwatch in select colors for just $99, while Generation 4 smartwatches are now on sale from $129. You can score a nice discount on select watch bands as well while supplies last.Fossil's Sport Smartwatch has a 41mm display and is powered by Qualcomm's Wear 3100 chip for memory processing. When first released, it was one of the first affordable smartwatches to actually do so. This new chip promises better battery life and performance over the previous-generation one. Unlike some of Fossil's other watches, this one is designed less with fashion in mind and more with functionality.The Fossil Sport packs a heart-rate sensor, GPS, and NFC for making payments with Google Pay. It should last a full day in smartwatch mode, and then an additional two days in the power saving mode, which is designed to only t...

Jump in and try out this new experimental multiplayer game ahead of launch.Resident Evil Resistance is the multiplayer game bundled with Resident Evil 3. It pits four Survivors against a terrible Mastermind, who is studying their escape attemps for evil science research. While there have been closed tests with selected participants, there's an upcoming open beta that will allow anyone interested to dive in and check it out.The beta was expected to set to go live on March 27 and to run through April 3, but it was delayed on PS4. It's now live, only a few days behind schedule. Here's how to download it.How to download the Resident Evil Resistance beta on PS4Open your PS4 homescreen.Scroll down to Games.Select Demos.Scroll until you see the Resident Evil Resistance demo.You can also sort by Release date: newest first.Alternatively, you can find it on the PlayStation Store right here. Now, keep in mind, you won't be able to access the beta until it kicks off sometime in...

Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal continue to dominate our gaming time, but there are plenty of other popular titles that have been recently released. The gang talk Half Life: Alyx, Control DLC, corporate shadiness, and more! Hosted by: Jennifer Locke, Carli Velocci, and Rebecca SpearGot feedback? Hit up Podcast@androidcentral.com and tell us something!LISTEN NOW:LINKS:Animal Crossing: New Horizons — How to become best friends | iMoreDOOM Eternal review: Much-needed goretastic catharsis | Windows CentralHalf-Life: Alyx is now available on Steam for all PC VR headsets | Windows CentralEpic Games to publish games from Control and The Last Guardian developers | Windows CentralControl: The Foundation DLC review — Remedy's still in top form | Android Central...

In today's world, we've gotten used to seeing the weather change with little notice — and sometime no notice at all. From flash floods and hurricanes to knowing precisely how ungodly hot it is outside, having a trusty weather app on your side can make all the difference. There are plenty of weather apps available from Google Play, but we've got the best of the bunch for you here!MinuteCast for the winAccuweatherStaff PickMany apps and widgets — including most preloaded manufacturer weather widgets — use Accuweather for the same reason you should: it's dependable and damn accurate. MinuteCast is scarily accurate, and it's hard to leave Accuweather for another weather app without it. The app is smartly laid out, comes with a lovely dark theme option, and is worth your trust when bad weather hits.Free (in-app purchases) at Google PlayClean, dark and handsomeToday WeatherThis friendly weather app will greet you by your name and then display weather informa...

Best answer: Streaming games on the PlayStation 4 is as easy as pressing a few buttons and getting things going. However, if you want to take your stream to the next level, you'll need more than just a controller and the press of a button. Depending on your preferences, you might need a camera, a headset, or even a capture card for more advanced streams.Get started: Blue Yeti USB Microphone bundle ($129 at Amazon)Be seen: PlayStation 4 Camera ($40 at Amazon)Talk the talk: HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless Gaming Headset ($136 at Amazon)Stream like a pro: Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro ($307 at Amazon)Do I need anything to stream games on PlayStation 4?Many people think that to stream games to an audience or your friends, you must need an expensive, fancy set-up on your computer. Thankfully, this isn't the case, as modern day platforms like the PlayStation 4 allow you to stream games directly from the console, and to a variety of streaming platforms as well.Steaming games from a...

It's beginning to look like we may be in self-isolation for a long time to come. If you're already running out of ideas on how to entertain yourself at home, you may be in for a tough time. Fortunately, we've found a few programs that should give you many more hours of entertainment. Check them out.VideoDuke: Lifetime LicenseMSRP: $29.90Sale Price: $15Price Drop: $9.99VideoDuke lets you save complete channels and playlists off of YouTube and convert them to MP3s so you can watch them on all of your devices—handy if the internet in your home is spotty. You can integrate VideoDuke into your browser and search for videos from YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo straight from the app, giving you seamless access to a world of online entertainment.Airy YouTube Video & MP3 Downloader for Mac: Family Pack LicenseMSRP: $39.95Sale Price: $14.99Featured on LifeHacker and Cult of Mac, Airy is the YouTube downloader that lets you save hundreds of YouTube videos directly to your Mac. W...

This bug couldn't have come at a worse time.What you need to knowA Wi-Fi bug has been discovered in Chrome OS 80, impacting the Lenovo Chromebook C340-11.This bug causes the C340-11 to see a significantly weaker Wi-Fi signal than other devices, making it unable to connect to the router unless very close to the machine.The problem has been fixed in Chrome OS 81, which is now slated to push to Stable next Tuesday on April 7.If you need to fix the problem right now, your best bet is to hop onto the Beta channel.I've been using and loving my Lenovo Chromebook C340-11 since it debuted last fall, but when Chrome 80 arrived at the beginning of the month, I began to notice something odd. My normally stable and dependable 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi began disconnecting from my Chromebook randomly, and I couldn't see my 5Ghz network at all.Turns out, I'm not the only one having issues: this is a Wi-Fi bug discovered in Chrome OS 80 that seems to be limited to the Lenovo C340-11, and the bug has ...

The customers can't go to Huawei, so Huawei must bring itself to them.What you need to knowHuawei is now offering door to door servicing for devices in Canada.It will pick up, repair and disinfect your phone to ensure peace of mind.Huawei will also be extending all warranties that expire between March 15th and June 14th to June 15th. Huawei is making a few changes to its warranty service for Canadian customers. The company will now be running a door to door operation for all products. If you have a Huawei device that needs to be repaired, you'll be able to have it picked up, repaired, and then disinfected after all the work is done before it is returned to you. This applies to all Huawei's devices, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, wearables, routers, and modems.Huawei will also be extending all warranties set to expire between March 15, 2020 and June 14, 2020 to June 15, 2020. This is great news if your warranty was set to go off on March 15 with excitement steadi...

The self-destructing messages feature also got a bit of an update.What you need to knowWhatsApp is seemingly working on allowing you to use the same account on multiple devices.Evidence of the feature was found in the latest WhatsApp beta, and the company is said to be making it a priority.Another change in the beta is a new name for self-destructing messages.WhatsApp may finally address one of its biggest pain points. As discovered by the folks at WABetaInfo, the latest beta for the app includes evidence of an upcoming change to the app's accounts policy, which would allow you to use the same number/account on different devices simultaneously.While everyday users may not necessarily see the point of such a feature, as someone who has had to constantly change phones for review, I can certainly appreciate being able to use the same WhatsApp account on both a review device and my "main" phone. I'm sure others will have their own ideas of why it might be useful. For example,...

When it comes to finding the "best" place to buy these Samsung Android tablets, the choices are bountiful, but you may be surprised that your local Walmart has many of these tablets available for pick-up. However, if you had to pick the perfect Samsung tablet, it would have to be the Galaxy Tab S6 with its flagship-level performance and design at a budget price point.Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Those looking for a powerhouse Android tablet can look at the S5e, but there are some limitations, such as S Pen support. With the Tab S6, there are fewer sacrifices to be made since you get everything Samsung wants you to have for a powerhouse tablet built for productivity.Samsung includes the S Pen in the box, so you don't even have to fork out extra dough (unless you lose it). Those who need a tablet that will work without Wi-Fi will be happy to know that there are LTE variants available so you can genuinely get work done anywhere. With the included Snapdragon 855 chipset, yo...

Oversupply and lack of demand have led to the decision to end its production of liquid crystal displays.What you need to knowSamsung Display had previously suspended production at one of its facilities this past October.All LCD orders will still be fulfilled by the end of the year. A $10.72 billion investment will be used to convert one of its LCD facilities to mass-produce "quantum dot" displays over the next five years.After its AMOLED display production overtook LCD in Q3 of 2019, Samsung Display is further distancing itself from LCD by ceasing production in at the end of 2020.According to Reuters, all production at Samsung's two LCD production lines in South Korea and China will but shuttered at the end of 2020. It had suspended one of its South Korean LCD production lines in October due to a lack of demand for the panels as well as an abundance of supply. A statement from the company stated: We will supply ordered LCDs to our customers by the end of this year wit...

Revisit this classic campaign, first on PlayStation 4.What you need to knowThe Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Campaign remaster leaked recently through people playing it early.Activision has officially announced the remaster and it is available today.It's a timed exclusive on PlayStation 4 and will come to Xbox One and PC on April 30.After the existence of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered was leaked thanks to people in certain countries playing it early, Activision has officially announced what everyone already knew. This remastered version of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign is $20 and does not include the multiplayer or Special Ops modes.This remastered version of the campaign features better visuals, with 4K and HDR support on PlayStation 4 Pro. You'll also get a bundle of cosmetic items for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019, including a skin of the Ghost from Modern Warfare 2. You can see everything else included in the image below.Cal...

After a pretty awesome honeymoon period where Houseparty saw its downloads skyrocket, it seems that everything is crashing back to the ground. Users claim their accounts were compromised to the point that other apps were affected, and Houseparty responded with a bounty to find who's responsible for a smear campaign. If you don't want the headache of being stuck in the middle, here's how you can delete your Houseparty completely and wash your hands of the situation.Products used in this guideHave some fun: Houseparty (Free w/ IAP at Google Play)Take pics at night: Google Pixel 4 ($624 at Amazon)For iOS Power users: iPhone 11 Pro ($999 at Amazon)How to delete your Houseparty account on AndroidOpen your email app of choice on your Android phone. Create a new email.Enter support@houseparty.com in the recipients box. In the subject line, type Request to Delete Account.In the body of the email, you need to include the following pieces of informationYour full nameEm...

A new OxygenOS update is now rolling out to the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and 7T Pro 5G phones as well.What you need to knowOnePlus has released a new stable OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 7 series phones.The update includes the March 2020 Android security patch, optimized RAM management, and a few bug fixes. It isn't widely available for all OnePlus 7 series phones yet. OnePlus released OxygenOS Open Beta 11 for its OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro smartphones earlier this month, bringing the March 2020 security update and a few other minor improvements. The company has now started pushing a new stable OxygenOS update for all OnePlus 7 series phones.As per XDA Developers, the new OxygenOS 10.3.2 update has started rolling out for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro. The newest OxygenOS update brings the March 2020 security patch, along with optimized RAM management and improved system stability. OnePlus has made some improvements to the Gallery app as well with this update. According to the update chang...

Working from home presents new challenges.What you need to knowWasteland 3 is an upcoming role-playing game from inXile Entertainment.The team has been working from home the past few weeks. The developer has decided to push the title back to August 28. Developer Brian Fargo said both Microsoft and Deep Silver were supportive of the decision. Wasteland 3 is a post-apocalyptic role-playing game from inXile Entertainment, featuring challenging tactical combat, hours of exploration, and a deep, reactive story full of twists, turns, and brutal ethical decisions. You can play in single-player or co-op as you explore this vast and dangerous world.The game was supposed to launch in May, but it's been pushed back to August 28 to polish up the experience. Working from home has its own challenges and getting used to it takes a while, especially when you're collaborating with others on a game.We have an important update on Wasteland 3’s release date. pic.twitter.com/hiX1CygcUk...

While you're bored and stuck inside over the next few weeks, there are plenty of great ways to put your extra free time to good use. If there was ever a topic you wanted to learn more about, now's one of the best times to get started.With StackSkills Unlimited, you can gain lifetime access to over 1,000 courses that you'll be able to use and learn from whenever you'd like, and thanks to a limited time sale at our Digital Offers store, the subscription drops to just $41.30 right now when you enter promo code ACSKILLS30 during checkout. That saves you over $250 off its full value, though there's not much time left as this deal is only set to last through tomorrow.StackSkills will help you master some of the most in-demand skills you could have these days. That will be extremely helpful once it's safe to go back out in the world again, and you might even be able to put some to use while you're stuck at home. StackSkills can teach you important skills in IT, graphic design, finance, ...

Google automatically backs up your texts, but if you need more control over where they're saved and want to initiate a manual backup, you'll have to rely on an alternate service. Thankfully, there are plenty of options available for free, and it's easy to set things up.Products used in this guideStore everything: SMS Backup & Restore (Free at Google Play Store)How to automatically back up your SMS messages to Google DriveGoogle has included a convenient backup service for SMS messages and much more that uses Google Drive to store backups of all your personal data so it's available to restore when switching to a new phone. The downside is that the data is restricted to Google Drive, older backups will get deleted over time, and you're unable to restore an older backup on your phone as you please.Swipe down from the top to show the notification shade.Tap the Settings icon.Swipe up to get to the bottom of the settings page.Tap Google.Tap Backup.Tap Backup now...

Explore the lost city.What you need to knowTitan Quest is a Diablo-like action game from THQ Nordic.It just got an expansion that focuses on Atlantis. The expansion costs $20, while the base game costs $30. You can purchase Titan Quest through the PlayStation Store.Titan Quest is one of my most favorite games. I love the lore and I like that it features mythology from a lot of different regions. The game is from Age of Empires creator Brian Sullivan and Braveheart writer Randall Wallace and is set in Asia, Egypt, and Greece. The mythical Titans have escaped their eternal prison, wreaking havoc upon the Earth. The gods seek a hero who can turn the tide in an epic struggle that will determine the fate of both men and gods.In this epic quest of good versus evil, players will encounter the greatest villains of Greek mythology, brave the attacks of Cerberus, and hazard the banks of the River Styx. You'll interpret the prophecies of the blind seer Tiresias, fight alongside A...

Spotify brings its Kids experience to North American users this March.What you need to knowSpotify Kids has launched in the three additional countries, the U.S, Canada, and France.The app now features 8, 000 songs in a 30% increase since the initial launch.Spotify is working on additional parental control features to give parents more power and customizability over the experience.Spotify has brought Spotify Kids, its child-friendly music streaming app, over to the U.S., Canada, and France today. The app previously launched in Ireland then made its way to Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and a handful of other countries earlier this year. Now it's coming to America to help with child care.The basic features of the app remain the same. Spotify Kids features a hand-curated (not algorithmic) selection of family-friendly music. You'll also find educational podcasts, and learning-friendly sings, including new songs created to teach young children best practices regard...

There are several reasons why you might want to enable dark mode on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. Perhaps you find it easier on your eyes, or perhaps you want to take advantage of Samsung's OLED screen technology and save some battery life by lighting up fewer pixels. Or maybe you just think it looks cool (it does). I'll show you how easy it is to set your screen to dark mode. Who knows, you may never want to go back!How to enable dark mode on your Galaxy phoneFor this guide, I am going to assume that your device is on Android 10 Q. There is a way to enable a version of dark mode for Galaxy phones on Android 9 Pie, but it is technically not an Android OS-level setting, and thus may not work across all of your apps.Make sure that your device is updated to Android 10. Slide down the notification and settings shade.Depending on you, you've organized your system settings in the pulldown menu, you may need to swipe over a screen to see the Dark mode setting (it has a moon icon)...

Both the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro will offer "true flagship hardware."What you need to knowOnePlus has shed light on some of the key specs of its upcoming OnePlus 8 series phones.The two phones will feature a Snapdragon 865 processor, latest LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.0 flash storage. OnePlus will be taking the wraps off the OnePlus 8 series on April 14. Yesterday, OnePlus announced that the OnePlus 8 series flagship phones will be unveiled at an online event on April 14. In a new post on OnePlus Community forums, the company's CEO Pete Lau has now detailed some of the key specifications of the two phones.The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro will both feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 865 processor under the hood, which offers a 25% increase in CPU performance compared to the previous generation, along with 25% higher energy efficiency. To complement the powerful chipset, OnePlus' next flagship phones will come equipped with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.0 flash storage as well.As pointed by Lau i...

Disney+ content went live in India a few weeks ahead of schedule, but it's officially launching on April 3.What you need to knowDisney+ content is being integrated into India's Hotstar streaming platform starting April 3.Over 100 original TV series and 250 movies from the Disney+ catalog will be added to Hotstar. Hotstar is picking up new tiers, with the rebranded Disney+ Hotstar Premium plan now costing ₹1,499 ($20) a year. Disney+ content went live on India's Hotstar several weeks ahead of schedule, with the streaming service noting at the time that it was testing the waters. The rollout was paused and Disney+ pushed its initial launch date on March 29, but we now have more details on the integration.Disney+ is set to be available on Hotstar starting April 3, with the streaming platform picking up over a hundred original TV series and over 250 movies. Most of the content that's going live will be available to stream in regional languages — including Hindi, Telugu, a...

The lesser-known casualty of the current self-isolation policy is the loss of the ability to gather together and play games while yelling at each other across the table. In some ways, this should be a bigger deal because as humans we thrive in a community. We need to play together and grow together. Lucky for humanity, the people who make games are looking out for us. The makers of Exploding Kittens, a card game that keeps trying to kill you by exploding kittens in your face, have come up with some new methods for playing the game that still allow you to keep at least six feet between you and your family and friends.If you haven't played this game, now is also a really good time to get started, too. The "Stay at Home and Play Games" sale is taking 30% off the entire game and offers free shipping. Just use the code STAYHOME during checkout and you can get the original game for just $13.99 instead of $20. Save on the add-ons, extra cards, or even any of the other games sold by the same...

Remember to backup your important data, media, and memories.By now, you've probably heard of just about every "special holiday" in existence, from National Pizza Day (there are actually several of these) to World Emoji Day (July 17). Despite having heard about some of these fun and obscure celebrations, I'm willing to bet that you probably didn't know that today is World Backup Day.What is World Backup Day? Well, I'm glad that you asked!World Backup Day was established in 2011 with the goal of reminding people how important it is to back up their data regularly. It is intentionally held on the day before April Fools Day to help remind people just how awful it would be if they were to lose all of their data at once.Android Central backup resourcesThe team at Android Central has written extensively on the topic of data backup, and to recognize this important day, we've prepared a collection of some of our favorite articles to help you get a handle on your data backups.Fo...

OnePlus strives to offer flagship-level devices at more affordable prices than manufacturers like Samsung or Apple, and the OnePlus 6T is an excellent example. This powerful smartphone normally sits just under $550 in price while retaining many of the same features you'd find in a device that regularly sells for upwards of $1,000 instead. Now, thanks to a limited time sale at Woot, you can pick up an unlocked OnePlus 6T for just $299.99. That's around $250 off its retail price and even less than the current deal OnePlus is offering on the T-Mobile version of the device directly.Along with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, this smartphone includes premium features such as a fingerprint sensor built-into its display and 16 + 20MP dual cameras that can take some great night shots. It's equipped with a Snapdragon 845 processor as well.While there may be a few compromises between the OnePlus 6T and a more expensive device such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, you'll be paying a fraction of ...

That smartphone you're holding not only has a camera, but it probably has a decent one capable of taking good photos. Getting better shots is a matter of knowing the camera you have and following some basic fundamentals wherever you are.One of the basic principles of photography is that you enjoy doing it. Your taste doesn't have to match someone else's, but even before you think about it from an artistic or technical perspective, there's nothing wrong with wanting to learn along the way. The best part is this guide is easy to remember once you start using these tips.Take your smartphone photography to another levelSmartphone Photography eCourse, powered by Android Central$19.99 at UdemyHosted by Android Central's Alex DobieJoin us for a deep dive into everything you need to know to take better photos. Composition, software features, and editing are just some of the features we'll be tackling together in this course.Never use the flashPhone manufacturers may put a...

What you need to knowMicrosoft's Family Safety tools are coming to iOS and Android.An extention of the tools already available on Windows 10 and Xbox.Part of a larger announcement around the new Microsoft 365 announcement.Keep your kids safe online with Microsoft's Family Safety tools on the go.Microsoft has today announced that it is bringing its rich set of family safety tools to Android and iOS, extending support beyond Windows 10 and Xbox. Microsoft's Family Safety features have been part of Windows 10 and Xbox for a while, and are managed using Microsoft's online family safety website. Now that these tools are coming to iOS and Android, users will be able to manage family safety on the go as well. Microsoft Family Safety empowers families to help protect their loved ones by giving them the tools and insights to start a conversation promoting healthier habits online and in the real world. The new Microsoft Family Safety app is the only app that manages screen time a...

More and more states are passing "stay at home" orders. Virginia and Maryland just issued similar statements yesterday asking for more people to stop going into work and doing recreational activities outside the home. That could mean if you were one of the few still going into work that now you're going to be switching to a work from home lifestyle like a lot of other Americans. If that's the case, then you need to be prepared for what Work from Home entails.B&H has put together a couple of essential kits to help you figure it out. These bundles contain everything you need to get stuff done while you're home, including a headset so you can participate in company meetings. Grab the Dell bundle with a laptop and monitor to connect it to for just $715.88 or upgrade to the business bundle with a Lenovo IdeaPad S340 and a subscription to Microsoft Office for $992.85.The EssentialsB&H Work from Home KitIf you're about to work from home for the first time, you might be ill-e...

Only Best Buy has the Pixel 3 in stock currently.What you need to knowGoogle has stopped selling the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL phones.While you can no longer purchase them from the Google Store, the two phones are still available through Best Buy in the U.S. Google had stopped selling the Pixel 2 and 2 XL phones on April 1 last year.Google's 2018 flagship phones – the Pixel 3 and 3 XL can no longer be purchased from the Google Store. As spotted by the folks over at Android Police, the previous listing for the Pixel 3 on the Google Store now takes you to the store homepage. While the Pixel 3 and 3 XL phones can still be found in the "phones category," all versions are listed as being out of stock.A Google spokesperson confirmed to Android Police that the store has sold through its inventory of the Pixel 3 series phones and that the sales of the two flagship phones have completed. In addition to the Google Store, the two phones appear to be sold out on Amazon and B&H Pho...

A teardown of the P40 Pro has revealed that Huawei is using components made by U.S. companies.What you need to knowA Huawei P40 Pro teardown by the Financial Times found that the phone still features hardware from U.S. entities.The device has RF front-end modules and antennas from Qualcomm, Skyworks, and Qorvo. At this point, it isn't clear if Skyworks and Qorvo secured licenses to supply the parts to Huawei. Huawei's inclusion in the U.S. Entity List means it is not allowed to do any business with U.S. companies, and the Chinese manufacturer's latest phones in the P40 series lack Google services as a result. The ban also extends to the hardware, with Huawei banned from using any hardware components made by U.S. companies.However, as the Financial Times discovered, that isn't the case on the P40 Pro. The publication commissioned a teardown of the P40 Pro (paywall) and found that the phone features RF front-end modules and antennas from three U.S. entities: Qualcomm, Skywo...

Thousands of users took to Twitter over the weekend with complaints of attempted hacking.What you need to knowPopular video-calling app Houseparty is offering a $1 million bounty to anyone who can prove it has been hit by a paid smear campaign.That's after countless Twitter users took to the service claiming the app had lead to other online accounts being hacked.Services such as Netflix, eBay, Instagram, and Spotify were all reportedly compromised. Houseparty is offering a $1 million to anyone who can provide evidence that it has been targeted by a paid commercial smear campaign after thousands of accusations that the app had compromised user accounts for other services appeared on Twitter.As we reported yesterday, hundreds of users took to Twitter over the weekend to suggest that since downloading the Houseparty app, the security of their other internet accounts for services like Netflix, Spotify and Instagram had been compromised. From that report: There are also a ...

The earbuds come in black, blue, and silver color variants.What you need to knowSamsung's new AKG N400 true wireless earbuds bring active noise cancellation and IPX7 water resistance.The earbuds are claimed to provide up to 6 hours of playtime, while the charging case can get you additional 6 hours. They are currently listed on Samsung Korea's website for KRW 230,000 ($189). Late last year, a few rumors had claimed that Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ true wireless earbuds would come equipped with active noise cancellation to take on Apple's AirPods Pro. Sadly, however, those rumors didn't pan out. While Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ cannot quite compete with the AirPods Pro, its AKG brand has now unveiled a pair of true wireless earbuds that not only offer active noise cancellation but are also water resistant.n terms of battery life, the product page on Samsung's Korea website claims the earbuds can provide up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge. The case can charge the earbuds...

Synology is providing free perpetual licenses to its VPN Plus service until September 30.What you need to knowSynology is making VPN Plus licenses free until September 30 to facilitate small businesses working from home.VPN Plus lets Synology routers create a VPN server that can be used on phones and other devices. The company is celebrating World Backup Day by giving away $7,000 worth of NAS enclosures and storage devices. Synology is offering free perpetual licenses to its VPN Plus service to make it easier for small businesses to work from home. VPN Plus is a service that runs on Synology's routers — the RT1900ac, RT2600ac, and MR2200ac — and lets users set up a custom VPN server.VPN Plus works with a host of VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, WebVPN, SSL, SSTP, and PPTP. Synology is giving away free licenses starting April 6 until September 30, and all licenses redeemed during this time will be perpetual and won't incur any additional costs after the pr...

California's most famous family is back and we'll show you how to watch all the drama onlineIf you're looking for something to keep you entertained while stuck at home, then you're in luck as one of the longest running reality TV shows, Keeping Up With The Kardashians (KUWTK), is back for its 18th season and we'll show you exactly how to watch every episode online or on TV from anywhere in the world.Whether you're a long-time fan or haven't even watched the show, you've probably heard about the drama and antics of the Kardashian family. Back in 2007, Kourtney, Kim and Khloé Kardashian along with their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner first appeared in their own reality TV show. The show, which was developed by executive producer Ryan Seacrest, has kept fans of the family entertained for years now and Season 18 looks to be packed with the drama and conflict you've come to expect from the Kardashians.Season 17 of KUWTK ended with Kourtney Kardashian's decision to step back ...

For G Suite UsersGoogle Hangouts MeetStarting at $6 per month/per user at GoogleProsWorks on all platformsSend files and images through chatShare screen featuresNo extra charge for all-insConsG Suite account required to be an organizerMac users may be dropped during meetingsGoogle Hangouts Meets is simple to use and allows employees to easily connect across time zones. It's compatible with most devices and has packages that allow live-streaming of meetings and events.For Office 365 UsersSkype for BusinessStarting at $2 per month/per user at MicrosoftProsCompatible with both Mac and WindowsUse chat to send and receive filesShare your screen for interactive presentationsBackground blurConsSome tools only available to those inside the U.S.Extra charge for call-in participantsThis video conferencing program has collaboration tools including a virtual whiteboard and has background blur capabilities. It integrates with Outlook to make...

There are a few things you can do to get better wireless performance from your router.If you're working from home for the first time, it can be a lot to get used to. It's easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed, and the last thing you want to deal with is an unreliable internet connection. A stable Wi-Fi signal is an absolute necessity when you're working from home, and it's particularly infuriating when you're in the middle of a video call and your router decides to glitch out.Facing issues with your router or aren't getting the bandwidth you're paying for? There are a few things you can do to make things better. Let's get started.See if you're actually getting the advertised speedsBefore we begin, the first thing you should do is see what sort of bandwidth you're actually getting from your router. Go to a site like Fast.com, measure the bandwidth, and see if it lines up with what you should get. Fast is owned by Netflix, and is a good indicator of the actual bandwidth that'...

While you're bored and stuck inside over the next few weeks, there are plenty of great ways to put your extra free time to good use. If there was ever a topic you wanted to learn more about, now's one of the best times to get started.With StackSkills Unlimited, you can gain lifetime access to over 1,000 courses that you'll be able to use and learn from whenever you'd like, and thanks to a limited time sale at our Digital Offers store, the subscription is down to just $59 right now. That saves you nearly $250, though there's not much time left as this deal is only set to last through tomorrow.StackSkills will help you master some of the most in-demand skills you could have these days. That will be extremely helpful once it's safe to go back out in the world again, and you might even be able to put some to use while you're stuck at home. StackSkills can teach you important skills in IT, graphic design, finance, business, marketing, web design, and so much more, and all you really n...

The right chair can make a big difference in productivity and how your back feels at the end of the day.I think it's safe to say that you're probably going to be working from home for a while. As such, you're also probably going to be sitting in whatever chairs you have around the house to do that work in, and that may not be optimal for your comfort or productivity.All the experts say that you really should work at a standing desk, but let's be serious here. Most people aren't going to go and buy an expensive standing desk to work from when they can use the kitchen island, or the dining room table, or any other semi-secluded space to tap at the keys on their laptop. That means you really need to buy the right chair.The right chair is going to be different for everyone. Some want a racing-style gaming chair that looked like it came out of a cockpit, while others want something big and padded and "executive" looking, complete with the leather and brass hardware. But that's not w...

Wireless headphones are great, and once you find a pair that works for you, you'll never want to go back to the wired life ever again. The biggest difference between wired and wireless headphones is that they need to be charged when the battery dies, and to make your life a whole lot easier, you want to pick up a pair that charges via USB-C (the same connector that's probably on your phone). Here are all of the best ones we were able to find!Some of the bestSony WH-1000XM3Staff pickHave a lot of money to throw down on your next pair of wireless headphones? Go for the Sony WH-1000XM3. These have quickly asserted themselves as having some of the best sound quality and active noise cancelation of any wireless headphones on the market, and all of that goodness is packed in a sleek design with 30+ hours of battery life. When it comes time to charge, the USB-C port can be easily found on the left earcup.$278 at Amazon$278 at Best BuyBudget pickBluedio T5If you like the...

The company confirmed the outage on Twitter.Updated 5:16 PM ET: You can now resume your streaming like normal. Twitch's support account on Twitter shared that things were back up and running as of 3:54 PM ET.What you need to knowAs of March 30, Twitch is down for users.The company's support account on Twitter confirmed the outage.It is "investigating an issue that is causing the site not to load properly."With so many people home right now, services like Twitch are seeing more activity than normal. Unfortunately, the popular streaming platform isn't working properly today.Right before 3:00 PM ET on March 30, the official Twitch Support account on Twitter shared the following post:🔎 We are investigating an issue that is causing the site not to load properly. We will update you when we know more.— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) March 30, 2020A quick look at Down Detector reiterates the outage, with people complaining about issues with the website, not being ...

What you need to knowAmazon is still preparing for Prime Day 2020 as normal according to newly obtained emails.Sellers are being notified to have stock ready to ship to Amazon by mid-May.The event will likely take place in mid-July as usual.Last month it was reported that Amazon was unsure of what impacts our current situations would have on Prime Day 2020, but some leaked emails now show that Amazon is continuing to push forward with planning. Business Insider has obtained emails sent out to some of Amazon's largest first-party sellers that show the company wants the sellers to have inventory available for Amazon to start ordering against as early as March 31, and that the company wants vendors to have deals submitted by April 17. Lightning Deals and other limited time promotions have a slightly extended deadline of May 8, but there will be an extra $500 per deal cost associated with it.One of the emails sent out read: All deal inventory should be ready to ship by mid-...

Google offers discounts on Pixel and Nest Smart home products this EasterGoogle is offering price discounts on members of the Pixel family this Easter. The Pixel 3a and 3a XL will be £30 off when purchased from a few retailers including the Google Store, Currys, John Lewis, and Argos. This will knock the price of the smaller Pixel down to £299, and that of the larger Pixel to £369. This deal runs from March 31st through April 21st. If you'd prefer to purchase it on contract, EE will be offering 30GB of data for the price of 10GB. It'll run from April 1st to April 30th.Whe reviewing the Pixel 3a XL, we noted: At $479 the Pixel 3a XL feels like a bit of a bargain. If you're into smaller phones, the $399 Pixel 3a is even more so. These phones have maintained most of what makes the Pixel 3 series among the most enjoyable phones to use, and in my week-long testing, I've noticed none of the performance hiccups that sullied some of that luster. I miss wireless charging, and ...

One of the best mesh routers, but the next-gen version may offer better value.Eero is one of the best-known names in mesh networking, and for good reason. It's a router system that's both simple and powerful, and one that makes it easy to configure as big as your house (and beyond) requires without adding needless complication.The original eero Pro system has been around quite a long time, and there's even a newer (and less expensive) version available, but the eero Pro is still on sale as the top-of-the-line offering because of its capabilities.At a glanceEero Pro Bottom line: Eero's biggest win is in its simplicity. You just plug it in, and it works. There's no advanced configuration, and the system handles moving devices between the base and Beacons seamlessly. It has a great app that's easy to use to manage your netwo...

Amazon Echo, Fire, and Kindle devices (and more) are seeing some huge discounts at Amazon UK right now with Black Friday-level pricing returning to many items. Some popular devices like the Echo Show 8 have had prices slashed by as much as 50%, but these deals won't stick around for long. Some products are seeing shipping times slip already with others likely to sell out or have their retail prices reinstated before long.Amazon Device Deals in the UKAmazon Fire TV: From £19.99Amazon Fire Tablets: As low as £34.99Amazon Echo Devices: Up to 50% offAmazon Kindle: £20 offRing Video Doorbells: Save £50 + free Echo DotBlink Security Cameras: 20% offEero Wi-Fi: Starting at £69Amazon usually reserves deals like these for special shopping events like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, but this surprise sale means you don't have to wait for those seasonal events to kit out your abode with smart home gear or grab a new tablet or streaming stick to occupy yourself during se...

Unfortunately, non-Wacom pens, like those found on the Surface line, won't work.What you need to knowLG's V60 sports an interesting implementation of a dual-screen device thanks to a detachable second screen.That's not all that's interesting about its screen, though.As recently discovered, the phone's screen also supports pen input, including the second display.LG's latest flagship, the V60, isn't just a respectable flagship; it's also got one of the more interesting accessories you'll find on a phone: a second screen that you can attach to the phone, resulting in something like a poor man's version of a Galaxy Fold.And while that's interesting enough on its own, another little gem that we didn't know much about — because LG hasn't really advertised it as much as it should have — is that the phone also supports active pen input, much like the Galaxy Note series. Even more, it's not just the phone's main screen; you can even ink on the secondary display.As you ca...