Articles by Ara Wagoner

Using Bluetooth LE, Amazon Sidewalk could extend the range of your smart home devices.

What you need to know

Amazon has announced new advances for Amazon Sidewalk as well as a partnership with Tile.
Amazon Sidewalk will now launch later this year after being first announced a year ago.
The service will use Blutooth Low Energy over Amazon Echo devices to extend Wi-Fi signal to some devices.
Amazon also appears to be doing its due diligence to secure the privacy of both those hosting Amazon Sidewalk as well as passersby using Sidewalk for things like locating dropped keys.

We hadn’t heard much about Amazon Sidewalk since it was first announced a year ago, but it seems that the service is finally nearing a public launch. According to a new announcement from Amazon, Sidewalk will launch later this year to help extend the wireless reach of your smart home and connected devices outside your home. There will be two types of devices on Amazon Sidewalk: Sidewalk Bridges — which provid…

Good flash drives last for years and years and years; I still have working USB-A flash drives from high school kicking around in my drawers, but updating to one of the best USB-C thumb drives is highly recommended these days. USB-C aside from being compact, also has the benefit of being compatible with your phone without needing to pull out any OTG adapters: just plug it in and move photos or files to the drive with a file explorer app!

Slide and save

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive

Staff pick

This compact flash drive uses a clever, locking slide mechanism to give you the choice of using USB-C or USB-A to transfer your data. It utilizes USB 3.1 for transfer speeds up to 150 MB/s, which means you can get your info quickly from your devices still using older USB-A ports to over to you modernized USB-C Android phone in a flash.

From $9 at Amazon
From $10 at Best Buy
$23 at Walmart

Supersized capacities

PNY Elite USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C

The PNY Elite Type-C is available from 64GB up to…

Once upon a time, getting one of the best 100W USB-C chargers meant it would be bulky, expensive, and proprietary. Now with Power Delivery, you can now find 100W chargers that will charge even the most powerful laptops quickly and will charge even lower-powered devices like Chromebooks and phones, alongside your laptop with ease. The scene is shifting on 100W chargers pretty quickly these days as gallium nitride (GaN) starts making its way into this class of charger, but right now, we have a clear winner in the AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger.

Deceptively powerful

AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger

Staff pick

For the most powerful and compact charger, you can’t deny the AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger is the one that stands out. Though it only has a single USB-C PD port, when it can pump-out this kind of power, you’ll be able to juice up your devices quickly. Due to its implementation of GaN, the charger is small with big-time power.

$40 at Amazon

Sleek style

Satechi 108W Pro USB-C PD Desk…

Once upon a time, getting one of the best 100W USB-C chargers meant it would be bulky, expensive, and proprietary. Now with Power Delivery, you can now find 100W chargers that will charge even the most powerful laptops quickly and will charge even lower-powered devices like Chromebooks and phones, alongside your laptop with ease. The scene is shifting on 100W chargers pretty quickly these days as gallium nitride (GaN) starts making its way into this class of charger, but right now, we have a clear winner in the AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger.

Deceptively powerful

AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger

Staff pick

For the most powerful and compact charger, you can’t deny the AUKEY Omnia 100W PD Charger is the one that stands out. Though it only has a single USB-C PD port, when it can pump-out this kind of power, you’ll be able to juice up your devices quickly. Due to its implementation of GaN, the charger is small with big-time power.

$40 at Amazon

Sleek style

Satechi 108W Pro USB-C PD Desk…

Google needs to set a proper example for widgets or it needs to hire someone who can.

I’ve been theming my Android phones since before I knew what widgets even were. While Android home screens have continually evolved — launchers have continued to improve and icon packs get bigger and better — there’s one aspect of the home screen that has remained painfully, abominably stagnant: widgets.

Widgets offer up amazing utility and potential for customization, but only if app developers actually take the time to make them functional, scale-able, and beautiful.

I had hoped back in the spring that iOS 14’s widgets would spur Android widgets forward, that this would remind developers and Google itself that widgets can get great when done right. Well, summer has passed, iOS 14 is finally here, and what do we have to show for it? Proof positive that Google cares more about widgets on iPhone than Android.

It’s very Google to make a nicer widget for iPhone than the one that’s on Androi…

Google needs to set a proper example for widgets or it needs to hire someone who can.

I’ve been theming my Android phones since before I knew what widgets even were. While Android home screens have continually evolved — launchers have continued to improve and icon packs get bigger and better — there’s one aspect of the home screen that has remained painfully, abominably stagnant: widgets.

Widgets offer up amazing utility and potential for customization, but only if app developers actually take the time to make them functional, scale-able, and beautiful.

I had hoped back in the spring that iOS 14’s widgets would spur Android widgets forward, that this would remind developers and Google itself that widgets can get great when done right. Well, summer has passed, iOS 14 is finally here, and what do we have to show for it? Proof positive that Google cares more about widgets on iPhone than Android.

It’s very Google to make a nicer widget for iPhone than the one that’s on Androi…

Google’s already halfway to the ultimate digital bundle, so what are they waiting for?

While the new Apple Watches and iPads Apple unveiled during its livestream this week are shiny and colorful, they’re not the most important products to come out of the event. That honor belongs to Apple One Apple’s new bundle which brings you all of Apple’s premium services — Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud storage, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and the new Apple Fitness+ — for one monthly rate.

TV+, News+, Arcade, and Fitness+ all launched in the last year, and it honestly makes a lot of sense to bundle them with iCloud and Apple Music for those who are fully in the Apple ecosystem and want to get all Apple offers without having to deal with six separate subscriptions. And as someone who is juggling a couple of different subscriptions for Google services, I can only hope that Google decides to do this bigger and better than Apple, especially considering that Google’s digital bundle has been arou…

The Google Pixel 4a is one of the most compelling phones of 2020, offering excellent performance and cameras for less than half the price of a flagship. While it might not cost thousands of dollars, that doesn’t mean that it’s any less worthy of protection. Whether you need to spice up the Just Black of the Pixel 4a or need to keep it safe from the chaos outside your door, these are the best Pixel 4a cases you can buy right now.

Pretty protection

Caseology Parallax

Staff pick

This hybrid case comes in three dazzling color combinations — a deep navy blue, a lighter purple, and a darling coral/gold two-tone — and offers drop protection and grip in a compact profile.

From $15 at Amazon
$15 at Walmart

Guard the front and back

Poetic Revolution

This heavy-duty case comes with a screen protector built into the front frame, offering 360 degrees of protection for your new Pixel 4a. I also like the robust kickstand on the back that can be used in portrait or landscape.

From $…

What you need to know

A new thermostat from Nest has passed through the FCC.
The inclusion of a 60GHz transmitter is leading some to believe this model will launch with Soli-based gesture controls.
After seeing Google’s new Android TV dongle pass through the FCC last month, this could tip the new thermostat for a launch alongside the Pixel 5 in a few weeks.

The last time Google released a new Nest thermostat was in 2017 with the Nest Thermostat E, and Nest’s main 3rd Gen thermostat has been out since 2015, meaning that it’s well past time for Google to launch a replacement with some upgraded features and updated internals.

There wasn’t much to glean from the FCC listing, there wasn’t even a picture of the device to show where the regulatory label goes — after all, there’s really only one place to stick it on a smart thermostat — but it did have a 60Ghz transmitter on it that isn’t Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so it might come with Soli gesture controls so that you could wave at the t…

What you need to know

As Android 11 rolls out to Pixel devices today, Google drops its latest feature drop.
Most of the new features this time either tie into new Android 11 features of relate to the Pixel Launcher, like new folder options and app suggestions.
Some of these features will roll out to other phones as Android 11 does, but for now Pixels get first dibs.

As Android 11 continues to roll out today to Pixel phones, Google is highlighting a few exclusive features that Pixel owners can look forward to amongst all the other goodies Android 11 brings:

Live View with Location Sharing — If your friend is sharing their location with you in Google Maps, you can tap their icon on the map, then the AR button, you’ll get AR directions to them so you can meet back up easier.
New Smart Reply on Gboard — Pixels can take advantage of the new in-line suggestions on keyboards in Android 11 to snap out replies to messages more quickly while in some messaging apps like Google Message…