Articles by Jeramy Johnson

Look no further, for we have the definitive listing of the best Amazon Fire tablets to help you make your purchase decision. Can you believe that Fire tablets have been around for almost a decade? When the original Kindle Fire was released way back in 2011, many thought Amazon was onto something with a low-cost, easy-to-use tablet experience. You know what? They were right! Today there are no fewer than six Fire tablet devices on offer from Amazon if you count the Kids Editions. Out of them all, we think the Fire HD 8 (2020) is the best overall value thanks to its size, improved processor, charging, storage capabilities, and its ability to still hit an affordable price point.

Best Overall Amazon Fire Tablet: Fire HD 8 Tablet (2020)

The Fire HD 8 sits in between the Fire 7 and Fire HD 10 in more ways than one. It’s roughly in the middle of the two sizes, of course, but it’s also priced in the middle. Those two data points alone justify the Fire HD 8 as a great choice, but let’s ex…

Top-of-the-line

Arlo Ultra

$458 at Amazon

Pros

Better image sensors and resolution
Dual-microphone array
Wider field of view
Double-motion detectors
Year-long Arlo Smart subscription included

Cons

Most expensive Arlo security camera
Can only use with included Arlo hub

The Arlo Ultra system packs in all the features you’d expect from the company’s best security camera. 4K UHD video, dual-microphone noise cancellation, a wider field of view, and a broader temperature range make for a mighty home surveillance device.

The next best thing

Arlo Pro 3

$400 at Amazon

Pros

Less expensive than Ultra
Compatible with more Arlo hubs
Three-month Arlo Smart subscription included

Cons

Lower quality sensors and resolution
Less free cloud storage than the Ultra

While it may not have the highest-end specs, this camera system is still impressive. It can record in 2K HDR, which is more than enough for most people, and it has similar if scaled-back capabilities to the Arlo…

These days, just about everyone has heard of or has purchased some sort of smart streaming TV box or stick to consume Netflix, Prime Video, or HBO Max. But I would argue that the best value in streaming media is actually one of the affordable Fire TV Edition TVs. Our current favorite Fire set right now is the Insignia NS-65DF710NA21 Smart 4K UHD because it’s the biggest and most attractive option available. There several other great options to choose from, however, so let’s take a look at what’s out right now.

Best Overall Fire TV Edition: Insignia NS-65DF710NA21 Smart 4K UHD

Insignia has really stepped up as the premiere high-end manufacturer of Amazon Fire TV Edition TVs, and this series is a gleaming example of these efforts. This set earns our top spot not only because it’s packed with smarts and looks great, but it is the largest Fire TV Edition TV that you can currently buy.

This line of 4K UHD Fire TV Edition sets is available in 43, 50, and 55-inch variants as well as th…

Amazon Echo (3rd Gen)

Standard-bearer gets better

$100 at Best Buy

Pros

Plush styling like Echo Plus (2nd Gen)
Much improved sound architecture
More color options

Cons

Sits in weird middle ground of Echo lineup
No smart display or LED clock functionality

Even though it may not look like a major update, Amazon significantly improved the speakers in this standard Echo (3rd Gen) and made the design a little less stark with a more plush fabric and new color options.

Amazon Echo Plus (2nd Gen)

Smart speaker with home hub

$75 at Best Buy

Pros

Zigbee hub built-in for easy control of smart products
Premium sound compared to smaller Echos
Available with a free smart bulb

Cons

Possibly irrelevant with the new Echo (3rd Gen) release
Zigbee hub feature not something many will understand

With the changes to the Echo (3rd Gen), the Echo Plus (2nd Gen) days may be numbered. The two devices now look a lot alike and even have similar speaker setups. However, some may …

Ring is one of the most well-known providers of home security solutions, and so we wanted to round up the best Ring products to help you fill out your smart home. Ring continues to make some of the best home security devices around, and the company has done a much better job in recent months of responding to and addressing the increased demand for additional data privacy controls and promises additional customer controls. With a couple of new video doorbells recently released, we thought it was a good time to review and update what our favorite Ring products were for 2020.

Best Ring Products: Video Doorbell

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus

Staff Pick

One of the best and most popular video doorbells gets even better in 2020. It’s battery-powered with improved motion detection and pre-roll recording technology so that you won’t miss any visitors with this buzzer.

$230 at Amazon $230 at Best Buy $361 at Newegg

Best Ring Products: Indoor Camera

Ring Stick Up Cam

Last updated …

Best answer: Yes, as far as we can determine, Ring products are safe — as in, the hardware is secure. However, as with any connected devices, users must understand how to take necessary security precautions with their login and password info to safeguard their valuable data and privacy.

Stick ’em up!: Ring Stick Up Cam ($100 at Amazon)

Why Ring’s safety is in question scandals abound

Are Ring products safe? It’s an important and timely question, for sure. Although it’s one of the most popular and prolific manufacturers of personal security devices, Ring is not the only player in this space by a long shot. Heavy hitters in home security also include Nest (Google), Arlo, eufy, and August, among others. Ring, however, has been hit particularly hard over the past year or so by a series of controversies and privacy scandals to the extent that none of its competitors truly have.

News about one of the biggest (and scariest) examples of Ring user data being leaked online broke late…

Ring security cameras are a great way to make your home smarter and a bit safer, and if you want them to operate at their full potential, you’ll want to pick up some of these best accessories for your Ring cameras. The cameras can be mounted high for you to see the whole surrounding area around the front of your house, and they feature speakers and microphones so you can speak to guests or potential intruders. Ring cameras come with a mounting kit to get you started, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop there, oh no. Just take a look at all of these great accessories available for the various Ring camera models!

Power of the sun

Wasserstein Solar Panel for Ring Spotlight Cam

Staff Pick

While there is a version of the Ring Spotlight camera that comes with its own solar panel, this is an excellent upgrade for those that started with a battery-powered version. The panel connects to the battery inside your Ring camera, so even if it’s a gloomy day, your camera will have enough ju…

If you’re like most Android users I know, you like to customize your home screen and app layout to suit your needs, so you probably want to turn off the suggested apps feature that Google just introduced on Android 11. Thankfully it’s pretty easy to do if you know where to look. I’ll show you where the relevant toggles are buried so that you can reclaim your precious screen real estate.

How to turn off the Suggested Apps feature on your Google Pixel phone in Android 11

When you first get the Android 11 update, you’ll see a popup explaining the suggested apps feature and asking you to select No thanks or Get app suggestions. The app suggestions will then appear on the bottom row of your home screen.
If you tapped Get app suggestions but now regret that decision, simply long press on the screen to bring up the Home settings, Widgets, and Styles & wallpapers menu.
Tap on Home settings.

Tap on Suggestions.
Tap to toggle off Suggestions in all apps list to not see app suggestion…

A new crop of “wellness” wearables from Fitbit and Amazon just might be more helpful than creepy.

As someone who writes about consumer technology for a living and follows new product rumors and announcements the way others might obsess over fantasy football stats, I’ve been very excited to see some of the latest wearable tech coming out from companies like Samsung, Fitbit, and yes, even Amazon.

These new batch of wearables have all the traditional sensors and equipment we’ve come to expect from fitness trackers, such as heart rate monitors, accelerometers, and even SpO2 sensors. However, they’ve also begun adding features that seem at once to be both amazing and even a bit scary. The Fitbit Sense has an array of new sensors that can measure things like the electrical impulses in your skin, as well as body temperature variations from your wrist. The goal of these new sensors is to help determine your relative level of stress and offer suggestions on how to manage your physical, ment…

Operating your smart home with your voice is one of the most fun and practical things you can do, and we’re here to show you how to control your smart home lights with Alexa. Read on to learn how to set up your smart home lighting and master your illumination situation!

Products used in this guide

Let there be light: Philips Hue Single Premium Smart Bulb ($42 at Amazon)
Connect your controlers: Philips Hue Smart Hub ($55 at Amazon)

How to set up and control your smart lights with Alexa

Open the Alexa app on your smartphone.
Tap on the More menu (three lines) at the bottom of the screen.
Tap on the Add a Device at the top of the screen.
A screen will pop up, asking, “what type of device are you setting up?” It will show popular brands and device categories. Here you can tap on the brand or tap on Light.
Select which brand of smart light you want to set up. In this example, we will choose Philips Hue.

After selecting Philips Hue, you will be prompted to “Connect your Philips H…