Articles by Olivia Lipski

You can finally stop worrying about your new phone now

Phone insurance may not be for everyone, but when you get a brand new device like the iPhone 13 Prox Max or one of the best Android phones, and it puts a nice dent in your wallet, phone insurance doesn’t sound half bad. If you’ve ever had your phone stolen, lost, or damaged, it literally sucks to have to pay out of pocket to buy a new phone, but phone insurance can help you get some of that initial investment back along with a replacement device. Though it does cost extra every month, AT&T has two phone protection plans for you to choose from that work with all budgets and let you be the one to decide just how much coverage you need.

Jump to:

What is AT&T phone insurance?
Who can enroll for AT&T phone insurance?
How much does AT&T phone insurance cost?
What are the benefits of AT&T phone insurance?
How do I file a claim under AT&T phone insurance?
Is AT&T phone insurance worth it?

What is AT&…

Protect your new device in case of loss, theft, or damage

Verizon has some of the best LTE coverage you can get in the U.S. and offers several postpaid cell phone plans with fast data speeds and tons of perks that will suit most consumers’ needs. So if you’ve been with Verizon for years or are just signing up with the recent purchase of a new 5G phone to take advantage of Verizon’s quickly growing 5G mmWave network, now’s the time to consider Verizon phone insurance to protect your phone in case it gets lost, stolen, or undergoes any damage.

After all, phones these days don’t come cheap and can easily set you back $1,000, but a phone protection plan ensures your hard-earned money doesn’t go to waste. Here’s everything you need to know about Verizon phone insurance and whether the extra addition to your monthly bill makes sense for you.

Jump to:

What is Verizon phone insurance?
Who can enroll for Verizon phone insurance?
How much does Verizon phone insurance cost?
What are the …

Protect your new device with T-Mobile phone insurance

T-Mobile’s coverage has significantly improved over the years, and today this carrier offers some of the best cell phone plans out there. There’s no better time to join un-carrier, especially if you’re a heavy data user and want to start taking advantage of 5G. In fact, T-Mobile is the nation’s leader in 5G coverage and has some of the most ambitious plans to continue building out its 5G spectrum throughout the country with increased speed and capacity.

If you just purchased a new 5G phone like the iPhone 13 or you’re considering making the switch to T-Mobile, adding T-Mobile phone insurance is a great way to protect your shiny new device should anything go wrong. Though most of us overlook phone protection plans, here’s what you need to know to make the right decision for you.

Jump to:

What is T-Mobile phone insurance?
Who can enroll for T-Mobile phone insurance?
How much does T-Mobile phone insurance cost?
What are the be…

Best answer: Philips Hue gradient lights emit multiple colors of light and are often found on light strips, while regular Philips Hue lights such as non-gradient light strips and light bulbs can emit 16 million different colors but not all at once.

What’s the difference between Philips Hue gradient and regular lights?

Philips Hue has some of the most popular smart light bulbs around, but it doesn’t stop there. If you’re looking for smart lighting that’s more original than a Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 bulb, Philips Hue has a collection of gradient lights. Gradient lights are most commonly featured on Philips Hue light strips, where you’ll see the word gradient in the product name. These light strips aren’t the same as standard Philips Hue light strips, such as the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus.

What sets a gradient light apart from a regular light is its ability to emit multiple colors at once and create a rainbow or ombre effect. On a light strip, this means that the gradient li…

With so many electronic devices throughout our homes and cluttering our desks, most of us need more than one or two sockets to keep everything plugged in and powered. To protect your gadgets from spikes and electrical surges, you can get a standard surge protector or, even better, you can upgrade to one of the best smart power strips with a built-in surge protector. Similar to smart Wi-Fi plugs but with the addition of several outlets, a smart power strip lets you plug in and control multiple devices with voice commands or through an app. These are the best smart power strips you can get.

Energy monitoring

Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip HS300

Staff Pick

Kasa Smart makes some of the best, high-quality smart plugs, and its smart power strip is no exception. With six outlets, built-in surge protection, three USB ports, and the ability to turn your devices on and off with Google Assistant or Alexa or through the Kasa Smart app, this smart strip has your gadgets covered.

$50 at Amaz…

Philips Hue is one of the most sought-after brands for smart lighting. Though its lights come with a higher price tag than some cheap smart LED light bulbs, they’re some of the easiest to install and integrate into smart home ecosystems as well as operate through the newly improved Hue app or voice commands. These bulbs connect directly via Bluetooth or a Hue Bridge, often included in starter kits and worth considering if you want to take advantage of all the smart features Hue bulbs have to offer.

Philips Hue 60W vs. 75W vs. 100W: Measuring brightness

There are many Philips Hue bulbs to choose from when you’re just getting started, so one of the first factors to consider is how bright you want your bulbs to be. For instance, a kitchen, bathroom, and office space will need brighter lighting than a dining room, bedroom, or hallway.

In the past, most people would look to wattage as an indicator of how bright a traditional, incandescent bulb measures, but this changed with the adop…

Best answer: Philips Hue White and White Ambiance are both smart light bulbs that produce white light. The difference is that while Philips Hue White is set at a single warm white color temperature, Philips Hue White Ambiance bulbs offer 50,000 shades of natural white light.

What’s the difference between Philips Hue White and White Ambiance bulbs?

Though the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance is the best Philips Hue bulb to get, not everyone needs 16 million color options for their home lighting. That’s where white light bulbs like the Philips Hue White and White Ambiance come in.

You’ll find no difference between these two light bulbs when it comes to smart features or capabilities, and both can be dimmed to create brighter or lower lighting. The main distinction is that Philips Hue White light bulbs emit only one shade of white: a soft white light at 2700K. The Philips Hue White Ambiance, on the other hand, lets you pick among a wide temperature range of white light that goes …

Tello

Cutomizable and cheap

From $5 at Tello

Pros

T-Mobile’s 4G LTE and 5G network
Multiple plans to choose from
Inexpensive single line
Free calls to Mexico, Canada, China, and Romania
Free mobile hotspot

Cons

25GB data cap on the unlimited plan
No roaming

Tello uses T-Mobile’s network to offer several prepaid plans that let customers save money by paying for only what they need. You have the option of customizing your plan starting as low as $5 per month or picking one that includes 1GB up to unlimited data and comes with unlimited talk, text, and free mobile hotspot.

Visible

Simple and unlimited

$40 at Visible

Pros

Verizon 4G LTE and 5G network
One simple plan
Free mobile hotspot (5Mbps)
Free calls to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands
Party Pay discount

Cons

Data may slow during congestion
No roaming
No international add-ons

Visible is a plan that’s perfect for heavy data users who want Verizon coverage. This prepaid plan …

Simple data plans

Mint Mobile

From $15/mo. at Mint Mobile

Pros

Fast T-Mobile 5G and 4G LTE data network
Affordable data options
Up to 35GB of high-speed data with the unlimited plan
Multi-month savings
Hotspot on every plan

Cons

Must buy at least three months
No multi-line discounts
Only 5GB of hotspot data on the unlimited plan
Data slowed after 35GB on the unlimited plan

Mint Mobile has a plan that will work for just about anyone, with a choice between 4GB, 10GB, 15GB, or unlimited data plans. You can also save money if you’re willing to buy an entire year of service at once. All plans come with mobile hotspot data, and access to T-Mobile’s 5G network at no extra cost.

A lot of choices

Ultra Mobile

From $10/mo. at Ultra Mobile

Pros

Fast T-Mobile 5G and 4G LTE data network
Tons of data options
Multi-month savings
Single-month plans are available
Unlimited calling to 80+ international locations

Cons

Expensive unlimited plan
Multi-month savings aren’t s…

Smart home lighting isn’t just about getting popular smart light bulbs for your living room so you can tell Alexa to turn off the lights. It’s also about creating the right mood, vibe, and atmosphere for your individual spaces, and the best smart LED light strips can help you do that. By adhering to flat surfaces with tape, light strips can reinvent your entertainment space with backlighting, guide you as you make your way down a staircase at night, or even transform your standard kitchen cabinets into ones that literally glow. These are the best smart LED light strips you can choose from to revamp and modernize your smart home.

Best overall: Philips Hue Bluetooth Smart Lightstrip Plus

Philips Hue creates some of the most best smart light bulbs you can get today, so it comes as no surprise that the Philips Hue Bluetooth Smart Lightstrip Plus sits at the top of this list. This 6.6-foot light strip is bright, offering 1650 lumens, and can be easily attached underneath kitchen cabin…