Articles by Ara Wagoner

Google Play is not only the largest app store in the world but also a music subscription service, a bookstore, and a video store. This makes Google Play gift cards an excellent gift, but that’s not the limit of their use. Since Google restricts underage user accounts from Google Pay, Google Play gift cards might be the only way for your munchkins to purchase content without giving them access to your credit card via Family Library. Here’s everything you need to know about using a Google Play gift card.

Products used in this guide

Give the gift of Play: Google Play Gift Card (Email Delivery) (From $25 at Amazon)

How to redeem a Google Play gift card

Open the Google Play Store app that came pre-installed on your phone — or the Google Play website on a computer.
Tap your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
Tap Payments & subscriptions.
Tap Redeem gift code.

Enter the 16-digit code found under the SCRATCH TO REVEAL CODE strip on the back of your physical…

For drivers with long daily commutes, the best wireless car chargers are an excellent investment. Beyond the fact that plugging and unplugging your phone can be a pain, most car chargers come with a mount or phone holder that places your phone closer to eye level, so you’re not glancing down when your gaze should be on the road. Qi wireless chargers have already started creeping into our offices and homes. If you’re using a Qi-enabled phone, you should absolutely grab one of these chargers and go wire-free in the car too.

Most dependable

iOttie Easy One Touch Wireless Qi Fast Charge Car Mount Kit

Staff Pick

$30 at Amazon

iOttie makes the most popular mounts on the market, and the most reliable of the Qi mounts around that’s compatible with fast Qi charging Samsung and Apple phones. There are certainly flashier mount styles or more cutting edge mechanical mounts, but the iOttie’s old-school, spring-loaded clamps get the job done and usually last a while.

BYOC

Anker PowerWav…

Crank the tunes, watch your speed, and keep the mask handy. A not-so-fun road trip awaits.

As you’re reading this, I’m probably either in Mississippi or Louisiana by now, making the pilgrimage home to see my parents and siblings for the first time since the Fourth of July. I’m going to start right off by saying that yes, I am a bad person for traveling home for the holidays this year, but I’m doing it for two important reasons and I’m trying to do it as safely as possible.

After four months alone, I need human contact.

Living alone, the first few months of the pandemic made me a little crazy. I eventually needed to make a trip home to be around some other people for a few weeks. While I haven’t gotten into such a bad funk since then, I’m going home for a few weeks during the year-end to help prevent it from returning.

My trip prep started Friday morning by going and getting a COVID test, making sure I was negative before I risked myself or anyone else I would be going home to…

While wired charging is still the fastest way to refill your Galaxy S20, there’s something incredibly freeing about being able to just toss your phone down on a pad to recharge. Whether you want a pad by your bed for charging overnight or a stand to keep next to your computer while you pound out reports at work, these are the best Galaxy S20 wireless chargers and even some for the more fetching Galaxy S20 FE.

Samsung’s own

Samsung 15W Fast Charge 2.0 Wireless Charger Stand

Staff Pick

From $72 at Amazon
From $65 at Best Buy

This is the only charger at the moment we trust will actually charge the S20 at 15W — most 15W chargers at the moment use a different protocol — and thanks to recent price cuts, it finally justifies its price tag!

Best overall

Anker PowerWave 15 Pad

$40 at Amazon

Despite 15 in the name, this will only charge Samsung phones at 10W, but that’s still faster than your garden variety 5W pad. It also comes in a compact size and uses USB-C instead of…

The Google Pixel 5 is one of the best Android phones. It’s a stylish phone that can stand on its own, especially with that supremely suave Sorta Sage color and best-in-class photography. Because of these reasons, it deserves only the best accessories to keep it pristine and powered. From wireless chargers that beat Google’s own, to cases and headphones, we’ve gathered the best Pixel 5 accessories your phone deserves.

Safe and stylish

Caseology Parallax

Staff Pick

This mesmerizing case has protected my last two Pixels with grace, and the colorways for the Pixel 5 are quite fetching. The Aqua Green will fit the green Pixel 5 perfectly while Burgundy and Navy Blue jazz up the black Pixel 5.

From $14 at Amazon

Fun, fashionable feel

Google Fabric Case

This is the iconic case series we see from Google each year, and this year the fabric cases are made of recycled plastic and polyester. The result is a soft, vibrant case that’s machine-washable and microfiber-lined.

$40 at Amaz…

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 in 2020. Combine that with the luxury price tag that 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

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

The best Chromebook accessories for students elevate their experience in any environment, not just in school. Chromebooks are fantastic for so many people, but there are few environments they thrive in better than schools. Between easy management and maintenance, enterprise-grade security, and drop-dead easy workflow — not to mention all those lovely, lovely keyboard shortcuts — Chromebooks are in most cases, quite literally, made for the classroom. Before you head back to class for another year of learning and making dope memes with your friends, here are some accessories that can make your Chromebook slicker and sweeter than ever.

Expand your space

SanDisk Extreme

Staff Pick

Chromebooks tend to have less internal storage than traditional Windows or Mac laptops, but just about every Chromebook has a microSD card slot to help make up for it. Available in sizes up to 512GB, this U3 card comes in sizes from 32GB all the way up to 1 terabyte, but I recommend 128GB for the best…

The display on the Pixel 4a is the biggest upgrade from its predecessor. The bezels at the top and bottom are so much smaller that we can have a bigger screen in a smaller profile, but this also means that even a tiny crack at the top or bottom could impact the screen’s usable portion. We’ve done the research the round up the best Google Pixel 4a screen protectors you can buy!

Easy to apply

Supershieldz Tempered Glass (2-Pack)

Staff Pick

Supershieldz has my confidence because not only is its book-style application process easy enough for my mother to do by herself, but it has also stood up to rocks, ladders, and drops without damaging the screen underneath.

$6 at Amazon
$8 at Walmart

Best of the best

OtterBox Amplify Glass

OtterBox knows how to make a durable case. They worked with Corning — makers of Gorilla Glass — to produce a durable, high-quality screen protector in the Amplify, which offers higher scratch resistance and excellent case compatibility.

$23 at Amaz…

Samsung once made great over-ear headphones, and it needs to start doing so again.

While the whole world — and even the entire Android Central team — has been besotted with true wireless earbuds for the last few years, I’ll confess that when I have to wear headphones for hours at a time, my go-to music conduits have always been over-ear headphones. They’re easier to wear for long periods — especially if you have small ear canals like mine — they have longer-lasting batteries, they tend to have better passive and active noise canceling, and the controls are usually easier to use.

Today, Apple debuted the AirPods Max, which are striking, come in vibrant colors, have excellent ANC controls … and they cost $550. Oh, but most of the features aren’t available when you use them with Android, and they use Lightning rather than USB-C.

…and they lack a 3.5mm jack for listening old-school when the battery runs dead.

Apple can get away with this nonsense because Apple is Apple …

Cyber Monday is over, but Chromebook deals continue!

You may remember that we didn’t see as many Chromebook deals during Prime Day and Black Friday as we did in years past, but Chromebook deals are still coming had and fast as we head into the final stretch of the holiday shopping season. Best Buy’s got very good deals right now on three of our top ten Best Chromebooks: the HP Chromebook x360 14c, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713, and the Lenovo Chromebook Duet. If you need a nice big Chromebook for work — or just want something small to try out Chrome OS on and use as a spare laptop — this deal’s for you! Let’s start with the biggest discount and the biggest screen:

Great for work and play

HP Chromebook x360 14c

$479 at Best Buy

Save $150 on a powerful, business-class Chromebook

From the premium finishes to the hardware and software focus on privacy, to the performance and specs, the x360 14c is great for work (and play).

The HP Chromebook x360 14c is a great machine for ge…