Articles by Ara Wagoner

Whether you took advantage of one of the amazing Prime Day Chromebook deals or you’ve had a Chromebook for years already, there are a variety of great accessories out there that can improve your experience without cutting into your budget. If you don’t like your touchpad, you can grab a good wireless mouse, and if there’s not enough storage, you can add more with microSD cards.

I’ve combed through hundreds of deals looking for the best accessory deals for every type of Chromebook accessory, from mice to USB-C hubs to sleeves to storage and beyond. I own several of these items myself — I love my MOSISO sleeve and its separate accessory pouch, the Evo Select has served me well for years, and the Sense AGE cloth makes it easy to keep things clean — and I’m confident you’ll love them, too.

Top 10 Chromebook accessory deals under $20

MOSISO Laptop Sleeve with Accessory Case | 20% off at Amazon

Most laptop sleeves are available in 13- to 16-inch sizes, but MOSISO has us compact C…

While many of us have spent the last year working from home and distance learning, with the world opening back up, it’s time to take a trip and explore. Taking your primary laptop with you on vacations and afternoon jaunts to the coffee shop can be risky business — what if it gets stolen? Or breaks? — and let’s be real, when you’re out in the world, you’re usually just using your laptop to check email and kill time.

You don’t need your clunky old 15 or 17-inch laptop for any of that! Instead, you can save your back, your sanity, and your private data by taking advantage of fantastic Prime Day Chromebook deals to grab a lightweight, quick-to-boot Chromebook that’s ready for all-day excursions and whatever vacation you’re planning this summer.

HP Chromebook 11a | $32 off at Amazon

It may lack a touchscreen, but this Chromebook has the essentials you need to browse the web, play some Android games, and get homework done. It features the same MediaTek 8183 processor many top compa…

The regular Samsung Galaxy Note 20 left out a microSD slot, but, in comparison, the Note 20 Ultra supports microSD cards up to 1TB in size. While most of us won’t quite need that level of DOWNLOAD ALL THE THINGS storage, it’s a great idea to invest in a good microSD card so that you can store music, movies, and photos on it and leave the internal storage for more intensive files like games and apps. Here are the best microSD cards for the Note 20 Ultra, whether you need a little room or a lot.

All-around excellence

Samsung EVO Select 256GB MicroSDXC

Staff Pick

A Samsung phone deserves a Samsung memory card, right? This is easy when Samsung makes our favorite microSD card on the market. This 4K capable card will triple the storage on your Note 20 Ultra.

$35 at Amazon

Just a little more

SanDisk Extreme 64GB

If you just need a little extra breathing room, the SanDisk Extreme is a long-lasting microSD card optimized for storing and running apps. The V30 rating means it shou…

From phones to laptops and beyond, USB-C Power Delivery chargers are simply the best.

Trying to keep all of your tech and toys charged day after day is no small challenge, but having a good Power Delivery charger to center your gear around is a godsend. Whether you need a newer, smaller charger for your phone since the new iPhones and Galaxy S21 don’t include one in the box anymore, or you want to use one singular charger for both your laptop and phone — these are the USB-C charger deals that stand out the most right now.

Though Prime Day isn’t live just yet, we’re already beginning to see some excellent deals appearing on USB-C chargers and other products. Below we’re gathering some of our favorites and you’ll also find the best Prime Day USB-C Charger deals right here once they go live.

Anker PowerPort III Pod 65W PIQ 3.0 PPS Fast Charger | 30% off at Amazon

A couple of weeks ago, Anker announced a new Nano II 65W charger that’s about 40% smaller than this one, and it also …

The best cases for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra need to balance protection and profile, style and substance — and do it all without breaking the bank. The Note 20 Ultra is one of the most cutting-edge phones on the market, but it’s also one of the largest and heaviest phones released in 2020. Combine that with the luxury price tag Samsung demands, and you have a recipe for disaster if you dare take your new phone out into the world naked. Skip the public smartphone indecency and get yourself a great case. Here are the best Galaxy Note 20 Ultra cases to keep it like new for years to come.

Slim and sublime

Ringke Air-S

Staff Pick

If you don’t want to bulk up your Note 20 Ultra but need to add some grip, the Air-S is a minimalist case that will give your fingers more purchase than expected while also guarding against scratches.

$9 at Amazon
$9 at Walmart

Rough and tumble

ArmadilloTek Vanguard Series Case

I have loved the Vanguard Series for the last couple of generations of Ga…

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the biggest and most powerful Galaxys ever, as well as being the first to work with the S Pen, traditionally reserved for the Note line. Given its size and heft, you need to protect your investment with a secure case that adds grip and style. The best Galaxy S21 Ultra cases are right here, whether you’re after a clear case to show off the Ultra’s design or a durable tank to keep it safe and secure.

Colorful and durable

Caseology Nano Pop

Staff Pick

After two years of the Nano Pop being exclusive to iPhones, it’s finally coming to Samsung phones with the S21 series. The Blueberry Navy with its yellow accents is striking and classic, and the impact-absorbing pattern embedded in the back gives you slim protection. I wish the Ultra has gotten the Violet the smaller S21s have, but the colors here are still fun.

From $16 at Amazon $17 at Walmart

Ready to work hard

ArmadilloTek Vanguard Series for S21 Ultra

The S21 Ultra is made for productivity, s…

A microSD card for your Android phone lets you easily move your files, photos, and music from device to device without having to rely on steady Wi-Fi or costly data. An Android microSD card also lets you load your phone up with more apps, music, and movies, which is especially useful if your device doesn’t come with a lot of internal storage. But which ones are the best? Here’s a good selection from which to choose.

Best blend

SAMSUNG (MB-ME32GA/AM) microSDHC EVO Select

Staff Pick

This is our preferred card because it’s reliable, fast, and goes on sale frequently. And it offers blazing fast speeds at up to 100 MB/sec. read and 90 MB/sec. write.

From $7 at Amazon

Ultra affordable

SanDisk 128GB Ultra MicroSDXC

SanDisk has more powerful cards, but the Ultra is the right answer for most, offering up to 100MB/s read speeds.

From $6 at Amazon

Go pro

PNY 64GB PRO Elite Class 10 U3 microSDXC

This card is an excellent choice for power users who intend to use the card for sto…

The best wireless earbuds of 2021 have arrived — and all my noisy distractions have been vanquished.

I live in a middle-floor apartment between a playground and the parking lot, with only a couple of treelines separating me from the nightmare innocuously named I-4. As you can imagine, this means that I deal with a lot of unexpected and unwelcome sounds encroaching upon my awesome abode, from the revving of motorcycles and wail of emergency sirens and of miniature humans.

I’ve been needing to invest in a good pair of active noise-canceling earbuds for months now, and when the Sony WF-1000XM4 showed up on my doorstep, I knew I was in for a treat. Its predecessor, the WF-1000XM3 — Sony, your naming system sucks — was still one of the better true wireless earbuds on the market even two years after launch, and the new ones are significantly smaller while packing even better ANC and sound quality thanks to improvements with the LDAC codec and support for 360 Reality Audio.

Of cour…

Whether you need a new Chromebook for the kiddo or just want to see what the fuss is about, now’s the time to buy.

While Amazon Prime Day is a great time to buy things like half-off yoga pants and Android phone deals, it’s a uniquely opportune time to buy a Chromebook as well. In the last year, Chromebook sales have soared as more and more people realized what I did half a decade ago: Chromebooks are wonderfully streamlined laptops that are perfect for work from home or working on the go.

If you’ve been considering a laptop purchase, here are a few of the reasons that you should buy a Chromebook on Prime Day during the many, many deals to come.

You’ll be able to buy a better quality Chromebook for less

This Chromebook has already been down to $330. Can it go lower?

Chromebooks are broken up into essentially three segments: we have more premium Chromebooks over $600, we have mid-range Chromebooks from $400-$600, and we have budget Chromebooks below $400. Each of these segments w…

There are dozen of pride flags, and you can build a unique theme around any one of them.

We are in the middle of Pride Month, and while every major brand fills its digital stores with rainbow merchandise and T-shirts this month, finding ways to show off your particular identity can be a challenge, especially for lesser-known identities. I’m asexual — it means I don’t experience sexual attraction to others — and while I’ve found a few ace shirts to wear during pride and the rest of the year, it’s very rare to find any mainstream merch to help rep my pride.

That’s okay, though, because I love Android theming, too, and I can use that know-how to build a boss home screen that’s filled to the brim with pride. All I need is a handful of apps — most of which are free — and the hex colors for my flag. Here’s how to build a pride month theme for your own pride and your own Android phone.

Building Pride Month Themes:

Finding your hex colors
Tapet custom wallpapers
Icon Pack Stud…