Articles by Ara Wagoner

The best Chromebooks can provide a top-notch computing experience in 2020. They’re perfect for students, grandparents, and anyone looking for a trouble-free laptop with long battery life. We’ve reviewed and rated the absolute best Chromebooks so that you can find the best value at any budget. Our buyer’s guide will help you find the perfect Chrome OS laptop or tablet if you’re switching from a Windows or Mac, or if you’re buying your first laptop entirely.

The 10 best Chromebooks you can buy

ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 — Best Chromebook Overall: A large and premium Chromebook with a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, and a great trackpad.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet — Best Tablet: Coming with a kickstand and detachable keyboard in the box, Lenovo gives us the best tablet experience on a Chromebook to date
Lenovo Chromebook C340 (11.6″) — Best Compact Chromebook: This compact Chromebook is perfect for users on-the-go and those needing a quality laptop on a budget.
ASUS Chromebook …

The best Chromebooks can provide a top-notch computing experience in 2020. They’re perfect for students, grandparents, and anyone looking for a trouble-free laptop with long battery life. We’ve reviewed and rated the absolute best Chromebooks so that you can find the best value at any budget. Our buyer’s guide will help you find the perfect Chrome OS laptop or tablet if you’re switching from a Windows or Mac, or if you’re buying your first laptop entirely.

The 10 best Chromebooks you can buy

ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 — Best Chromebook Overall: A large and premium Chromebook with a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, and a great trackpad.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet — Best Tablet: Coming with a kickstand and detachable keyboard in the box, Lenovo gives us the best tablet experience on a Chromebook to date
Lenovo Chromebook C340 (11.6″) — Best Compact Chromebook: This compact Chromebook is perfect for users on-the-go and those needing a quality laptop on a budget.
ASUS Chromebook …

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is already a mighty big phone, so for most owners, the best Note 20 Ultra case is a thin case. You need a case that alleviates how slippery and unwieldy the Ultra is alone, but that won’t bulk things up along the way. These are the best of the bunch for grip, grit, and glamour.

Understated utility

Ringke Air-S

Staff pick

Ringke’s TPU cases are available in three shades: a light tan, basic black, and a neutral gray. It also has anchor holes on each side to use with a carry strap, along with a nice high lip around that big camera module.

$11 at Amazon
$9 at Walmart

That’s pink

Samsung Silicone Cover

Samsung offers its telltale silicone case in three colors — fewer than previous years — that are supposed to match each shade the phone comes in. They mislabeled the Pink one as “Brown,” but at least it’s properly cute.

$30 at Amazon
$30 at Best Buy
$30 at Samsung

Vivid colors

GOOSPERY Style Lux Jelly

If the duller shades of the Samsung…

The best cases for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra needs 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 as well. Combine that with the luxury price tag that Samsung demands, and you have a recipe for disaster if you dare to take your new phone out into the world naked. Skip the public smartphone indecency and get yourself a great case.

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.

$11 at Amazon
$9 at Walmart

Shiny and sturdy

Ghostek Atomic

If you prefer your clear cases a little more robust and rugged, the Ghostek Atomic’s multi-layer bumper should help it survive 12-foot drops. I also like the bold metalli…

The best Samsung Galaxy Note 20 cases are protective, grippy, and stylish. While the regular Note 20 doesn’t have a glass back, it’s still a big, honking phone and you shouldn’t dare step out your door without protecting it with a case. From thin and colorful to ruggedly handsome, these are the cases you can trust with your new Note 20.

Clear and clean

Spigen Liquid Crystal

Staff pick

Want to show off your lovely Mystic Green phone? The Liquid Crystal will offer grip and scratch protection while keeping things slim and sanguine. If you want a little more pop, I adore the Glitter variant!

$10 at Amazon
$13 at Amazon (Glitter)

Functional fabric

Samsung Kvadrat Cover

This sustainable case is bright, cheerful, and feels wonderful in the hand. The color choices are a bit small compared to the S20+, but the bright pink case mislabeled as Red is lovely, so why would you need anything else?

$35 at Amazon

Mesmerizing majesty

Caseology Parallax

The Parallax’s Aqua Green adds …

The best Samsung DeX accessories help you turn your phone into a full-fledged computer, but the feature is tragically overlooked by most users today. That’s a shame because, in 2019, DeX has never been easier to use, especially because you don’t have to shell out three figures for one of Samsung’s branded DeX stations. There are third-party USB-C hubs that work perfectly fine with DeX, along with tons of other affordable, high-quality peripherals for adding a keyboard, mouse, and more!

Third-party DeX hub

AUKEY Link PD Pro USB-C Hub

Staff pick

Our favorite USB-C hub for Chromebooks is also our favorite USB-C hub for DeX. It includes an HDMI port, three USB-A ports, USB-C pass-through charging, and even Ethernet, should you want to turn your phone into a PC for a while.

$29 at Amazon

Go minimal

Anker 6ft 4K 60Hz USB-C to HDMI Cable

Want to use DeX to play a video on your hotel room’s big screen? Users have been able to activate DeX mode with this Anker USB-C to HDMI cable….

The world keeps spinning and the tales keep turning and people come, and people go… but they are never forgotten.

I’ve always been something of a drifter, flitting from one group to another, from one place to another without very much attachment, in both my digital life and my IRL connections. It’s hard to put in the effort when you lack a connection, and I can count on one hand the places I’ve ever truly felt a sense of belonging: the bar I sang karaoke at in Waco, the lounge at the college TV station when I was in college, Walt Disney World, and Google+.

Google+ and the 2013 Moto X, two things I miss dearly

Make all the jokes you want about Google’s “failed” social network, but Google+ will forever hold a special place in my heart. Not only was Google+ the first social platform I actively reached out to others on, the first digital space where I actually built friendships outside school or work, but Google+ was where I was noticed and hired for Android Central. It was where I…

The best Galaxy Note 20 Ultra cases don’t cover up its natural beauty. Rather they accent and highlight it. Clear cases allow us to show off our new flagships without leaving it vulnerable to drops and dings. Whether you prefer a case that feels invisible or want something with more presence, these Note 20 Ultra clear cases have you covered.

Show off the bronze

Spigen Liquid Crystal

Staff pick

Spigen’s clear case has long been the gold standard, offering up grip and scratch protection in a slim package that will hold up for years. If you want to hide smudges and scuffs, grab the Glitter version.

$11 at Amazon
$13 at Amazon (Glitter)

Built for a beating

Speck Presidio Stay Clear

While this case may not look like a tank, it is still, without a doubt, ready to take on the world. Speck claims your Note 20 Ultra can withstand up to 13-foot drops wearing this antimicrobial case.

$40 at Amazon

Best of both worlds

Ringke Fusion

The air-cushioned bumper on the Fusion gives y…

You can now completely uninstall it.

When it comes to paying conveniently, Samsung Pay makes using your phone as a bank card an easy process; however, there may come a time when you don’t want to use the app anymore want to know how to remove Samsung Pay. Once upon a time, you couldn’t uninstall Samsung Pay, only disable it, but these days, Samsung has seen the error of its ways and allows you to completely uninstall the Samsung Pay app.

Before you jump straight to the nuclear option, though, if you just want Samsung Pay to stop popping up when you don’t need it, there’s a setting to help with that.

How to keep Samsung Pay from activating on your home screen or lock screen

If you still want to keep Samsung Pay around in case you left your wallet at home and really need that six-pack of beer from the 7-11, you can just turn off the somewhat intrusive “Favorite cards” that appear at the bottom of some screens on your phone.

Open Samsung Pay.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the to…

The best chargers to buy today for laptops, smartphones, and everything in between these days are GaN chargers, short for Gallium nitride. Semiconductors made with gallium nitride can be smaller than silicon versions, and smaller, lighter chargers are almost always better. The tech is still pretty new, this is still a relatively small field, but these are the best GaN chargers with Power Delivery charging you can buy today.

Great size and price

RAVPower GaN PD 90W Wall Charger

Staff pick

This 90W charger is smaller than a lot of 60W chargers thanks to GaN semiconductors, and it’s absolutely perfect for charging a phone and laptop or even two laptops at once.

$55 at Amazon

Insanely small

AUKEY PA-Y19 27W USB-C Wall Charger

Roughly the size of a quarter, this is one of the most compact chargers on the market. Granted, 27W won’t charge a MacBook Pro quickly, but it’s great for iPads, Chromebooks, and phones.

$19 at Amazon

Charge it all at once

Anker PowerPort Atom III Sli…