Articles by Ara Wagoner

It may be hard to pick the best Google Pixel 5 case because there will be so many options. Whether you want a ruggedly handsome heavy-duty case, a super slim and stylish case, or something in between like the perfectly balanced Caseology Parallax, these are the best Google Pixel 5 cases to be found right now.

Safe and stylish

Caseology Parallax for Google Pixel 5

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 $15 at Amazon $15 at Walmart

Long-term protection

Tudia Dualshield Merge Series

If you want a heavy-duty case without a heavy-duty price, Tudia has been the go-to for years. The Merge Series gives you the impact protection and grip of a flexible TPU sleeve with the sturdiness of a polycarbonate back.

$13 at Amazon

Machine washable

Google Fabric Case

Google’s fabric …

Nothing can turn your great Android phone from state-of-the-art to overpriced paperweight faster than a dead battery. The best portable chargers and power banks can help recharge your tech when life plays keep-away with your power outlets. Portable chargers used to be big, bulky, and slow, but USB-C power banks and Power Delivery charging standards have made things much faster — fast enough to charge laptops, even — and have allowed power banks to get slimmer and better than ever. There are plenty of options in every shape or size, but our favorite is the versatile Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless. Still, there are plenty of other choices that rank among the best portable battery packs. Here are our top recommendations that you can buy today.

Best overall: Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless

While most portable chargers only let you recharge your devices with wired charging, wireless portable chargers are finally becoming somewhat mainstream. There were several hurdles that ea…

While others may fawn over the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the most alluring foldable of 2021 is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. As someone who has worn a shoulder holster for almost five years to accommodate ever-growing phone sizes that refuse to fit in my pants’ pockets, this is a phone I can actually fit all the way inside my front pocket. However, nothing will transform your splendid new phone into a splintered nightmare faster than a bad fall because it slipped out of your sweaty palms. So get a grip on the best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 cases on the market today.

Ring around my heart

Samsung Silicone Cover with Ring

Staff pick

Available in a wide variety of colors, this case keeps both halves connected via a durable woven strap, and at the end of its loop is a silver flat-edged ring so that you can use it as a ring grip. Given that PopSockets will be almost impossible to place correctly on the Flip, this case gives you a dependable grip as well as an easy way to pull it out of your pock…

While there are a great many things that we can finally access on the Galaxy Watch 4 thanks to Google Play: Gboard for better voice typing, a wider array of apps and watch faces, and Google Pay for Wear OS. While Samsung Pay is okay in its own right, Google Pay is more widely available and already has my card info from my Google Play purchases, and it probably has yours, too. That makes setting up Google Pay on the Galaxy Watch 4, the best Android smartwatch around, an absolute breeze.

How to set up Google Pay on your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

As a warning, Google Pay requires a lock screen on your watch — just as it requires a lock screen when you use it on your phone. So you’ll only have to unlock the watch when putting it back on your wrist after having it off for charging, showering, or other activities you don’t want it on for (like gutting a pumpkin or dressing a turkey).

Open the Google Play app on your Galaxy Watch 4.
Tap the search icon.
Speak or type Google Pay.

Tap th…

Apps can be better than ever on the Galaxy Watch 4, but it doesn’t matter if developers don’t bring their A-game.

I’ve had my Galaxy Watch 4 for a month now, and while I’ve never been more sure I made the right call buying this watch, with my own money, I’ve had some trepidations about recommending it to family members. Battery life and charging speeds lag behind the competition, and some of my coworkers returned theirs after experiencing overheating issues.

My nitpicky approach to buying anything tech-related comes from my father, who is even more choosy about his phones, laptops, and accessories than I am. He’s been asking about the Galaxy Watch 4 since its announcement in August, but I didn’t want to tell him to buy a $250 watch if it wouldn’t do the one thing he wants in a smartwatch: work with his golfing app. Now, he’s tested my Galaxy Watch 4 while golfing and palling around Walt Disney World with me, and while the watch performed quite well, his app still lacks some importa…

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 $8 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 $8 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…

After spending almost $2,000 on a Galaxy Z Fold 3, it’s completely understandable that you wouldn’t want to drop another $60-$100 on the best Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases from high-end brands like OtterBox, Urban Armor Gear, or Incipio. There are plenty of inexpensive cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 out there, but once you drop below $30, you start running into quality control issues, poor fits, and awkward designs. After sifting through a mountain of contenders, these are the six best cheap Galaxy Z Fold 3 cases that are more than worthy of covering your shiny, new foldable.

Anti-slip protection

Ringke Slim Case

With the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s foldable design, fit makes all the difference between a quality case and an accident waiting to happen. Ringke’s Slim Case nails the fit, and while it doesn’t use a double-sided adhesive like many Z Fold cases, there are non-stick pads along the top and bottom bumpers to help keep it in place.

$24 at Amazon

Get colorful

GooseBox Ultra Thin

This s…

No, it’s not just you getting booted from the Slack app every five minutes.

What you need to know

Slack reported a problem with sign-on in the Android app that was logging users out and making it difficult to log back in.
This issue is limited to the Android app, so Slack on iOS and desktop platforms is still functioning.
Android users using Single Sign-On (logging in with Google) are primarily impacted by the issue.
The issue was reported shortly before 4 PM Eastern Time, and while Slack is investigating, they haven’t announced a projected time for the fix.

In the always-connected, work from home age, we’re blessed with the ability to stay connected to work even when we’re not chained to a desk, but right now, that connection is interrupted on Android. The Slack app for Android is kicking out users with an “Invalid authorization” if they use Single Sign-On to log into the app — meaning you select “Sign in with Google” when you first open the app. Slack is aware of the issue a…

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has two buttons, just like previous Galaxy Watches. Samsung still has shortcuts you can map to the back and home buttons, just like previous Galaxy Watches. There’s no way to swap the home and back buttons — those coming from earlier Galaxy Watches will have to get used to Home on top rather than on bottom — but if you want to change the button shortcuts on your Galaxy Watch 4, it’s a quick and easy process.

How to change button shortcuts on Galaxy Watch 4

Swipe down to open Quick Settings.
Tap Settings.
Tap Advanced Features.

Tap Customize buttons.
Tap Double press.
Tap the **app **you wish to trigger instead. I use Timer because it helps when baking.

Click the back button.
Tap Press and hold.
Tap Power off menu.

You can also change your Back button’s single-click to a recent apps button, but I advise against it. Doing this means you don’t have a back button at all, so if an app doesn’t support the “swipe right to go back” — like RadarS…

Check to see if you need an umbrella

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 a lot of options to choose from if you’re looking for the best weather apps for Android, and we’ve rounded up some of our favorites here.

The top 3 apps

1. Accuweather
2. Today Weather
3. 1Weather

More options

Yahoo Weather
Radarscope
Overdrop
Flux
Appy Weather
MyRadar Weather Radar

These are the best Android weather apps

It’s easy to understand why Accuweather is one of the best Android apps after you download it. All of your pertinent information is laid out in an easy-to-view interface, while MinuteCast offers some of the most reliable notifications for when the rain is about to start, or stop.

Today Weather is a beautiful application that makes it e…