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mardi 15 novembre 2016

Best tech gifts under $15

Holiday shopping season is in full swing now! Looking for that great gift for a tech-loving friend or family member, but have a pretty limited budget? No worries, as there are actually a number of pretty cool gizmos that can be yours for well under $15.

In this post, we highlight some of the best headphones, memory cards, battery packs, and other gadgets that we were able to find that hit around or slightly under the $15 mark. Also be sure to be on the lookout for our other upcoming holiday guides that include sub-$50, sub-$25, and more!

 

Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120

The Panasonic ErgoFit is a fantastic option if you are on the lookout for an affordable pair of earphones. The earbuds are very comfortable to wear, and the earphones offer a sound quality that many buyers have compared to far more expensive alternatives. The ErgoFit is available in a variety of colors, and is very wallet-friendly, with its price point starting at just $9, depending on your choice of color.

Available from Amazon for just $9

ear-drops-panasonic

ear-drops-panasonic

Nuforce NE-770X

The Nuforce NE-770X is another solid option if you are in the market for an affordable pair of in-ear headphones. This pair is more durable when compared to any similarly-priced competition, and the sound quality also impresses, when considering its low price point of just $14.99.

Available from Amazon for $14.99

nuforce-ne-770x-ice

nuforce-ne-770x-ice

JVC Flats

A good pair of affordable headphones is hard to come by, but JVC provides a great option with their HAS160A Flats. These headphones come with a foldable design that make them portable, and feature soft ear pads that are comfortable to wear. The Flats are available in a variety of colors, including blue, red, violet, black, and are priced starting at just $9.99.

Available from Amazon for just $9.99

jvc-flats

jvc-flats

JAM Classic Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Black) HX-P230BK

The JAM Bluetooth speaker may fall just outside the $15 mark, but is still worth a mention. If you are looking for a portable bluetooth speaker that offers good sound quality and is affordable, this speaker certainly fits the bill. Connectivity goes up to 30 feet and the device offers up to 4 hours of audio playback on a single charge. The JAM Bluetooth speaker starts at just $16.99.

Available from Amazon for just $16.99

jam-classic-bluetooth

jam-classic-bluetooth

KMASHI 10000mAh External Battery Power Bank

The KMASHI power bank is an affordable external battery pack that offers a very high capacity of 10,000 mAh, that should allow you to comfortably charge most smartphones at least twice. It comes with two ports to let you charge two devices simultaneously, and also offers protection from overcharging and short-circuits. The KMASHI 10,000 mAh power bank is currently priced at $13.99.

Available from Amazon for $13.99

kmashi-battery

kmashi-battery

Anker PowerCore+ mini 3350mAh Lipstick-Sized Portable Charger

The Anker PowerCore+ Mini is an ultra-portable power bank featuring a lipstick design that will easily fit in your pocket. It doesn't offer the highest capacity, but the 3,350 mAh should be enough to get close to a full charge with most smartphones. This power bank is available in a variety of color options, and is priced starting at $12.99.

Available on Amazon for $12.99

anker-powercore-mini

anker-powercore-mini

Kingston Digital Multi-Kit/Mobility Kit 16 GB Flash Memory Card Reader, MBLY4G2/16GB

The Kingston Digital Multi-Kit offers a single card solution for all your expandable storage needs. When combined with the adapters, the microSD card can be used as a full-sized SD card with a write protection switch, or as a USB reader for data transfers. Various storage capacities are available, and you can get up to the 32 GB version for less than $15.

Available on Amazon starting at $14.99

microsd-kingston

microsd-kingston

LaCie PetiteKey 8 GB USB Flash Drive 

The LaCie PetiteKey, as the name suggests, is a very compact USB flash drive, but if you are worried about losing it, it does come with a hole to let you add to a keychain. The metal key is scratch resistant and water resistant up to 100 meters. The 8 GB version is priced at $9.99, and there are 16 GB and 32 GB iterations available as well.

Available on Amazon starting at $9.99

lacie-key

lacie-key

Jawbone Up Move Activity + Sleep Tracker with Fog Clip, Blue

The Jawbone UP Move is a fitness, activity, and sleep tracker that you can clip on to any piece of clothing or on your wrist with the strap. You can also keep track of the intake of your food, drink, calories, and nutrients using the UP App Food Score, to know if you are eating right. Compete with friends and family to reach your fitness goals and have fun while doing it. The Jawbone UP is available in a variety of colors, and is priced starting at $15.

Available from Amazon for $15


CaliCase waterproof pouch

Beach season might be over, but CaliCase Waterproof pouches still make for a great gift for those that like to spend their summers at the beach, and for those that like to visit in-door pools all season long. Best of all, they are extremely affordable and fit most smartphones without an issue.

Available on Amazon for $13.99

calicase-floating-case

calicase-floating-case

CHARGED Quick Charge 3.0/2.0 & USB C car charger

If fast charging is what you want then the CHARGED 3.0 has you covered with 4 ports including a Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 port, as well as USB Type C. There's also 2 smart USB ports that will give your devices the proper power they need to charge as quick as possible. The QC 3.0 port also quick charges Quick Charge 2.0 devices.

Available on Amazon for $14.99

charged-4-port-usb

charged-4-port-usb

Touchscreen gloves

Winter is coming, and with that is a lot of frozen fingers as you attempt to send that urgent message while out in the cold. Most touchscreens aren't sensitive enough to recognize a touch through a glove, and that's where specialized touchscreen gloves come in. These sleek and stylish winter gloves come with three tips to be able to easily use your device while keeping your hands warm. The gloves are priced at $7.99.

Available on Amazon for $7.99

touchscreen-gloves

touchscreen-gloves

Know of any other great tech gifts that fall around or under $15? Let us know in the comments below.



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Xiaomi gets sued in Beijing for delaying NFC support on Mi 5s Plus

Xiaomi MiPad 2 xiaomi logo aa

Xiaomi MiPad 2 xiaomi logo aa

With the introduction of Xiaomi's very own mobile payment platform Mi Pay, NFC became an essential feature for the Chinese company. Mi Pay is particularly useful in its home turf since it can be used for public transport such as buses and metro. And that's why when Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 5s and the Mi 5s Plus back in September, they made sure to explain that full NFC capabilities would be coming to those devices by the end of October. Well, that most definitely did not happen, and now an upset Mi 5s Plus user is suing the Chinese company for false information.

See also:

A Xiaomi Mi Note 2 variant with a flat screen could be on its way

1 week ago

Mobile payment is a growing sector. We already have Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, and Android Pay. And rumor has it, LG is looking to join in on the fun. That's why Mi Pay is particularly important for Xiaomi. It differentiates itself by allowing customers in China to use it as bus and metro cards. Well, all that depends on a pretty big assumption: that Xiaomi will enable NFC support on its devices with a software update.

At the September event where Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 5s and the Mi 5s Plus, it promised that these features would be enabled with the MIUI 8 update by the end of October. We are now half way through November, and the update is nowhere to be found.

According to a Beijing court, a man named Zhang, who bought the Mi 5s Plus thinking he could use Mi Pay starting November, is now suing the Chinese company for false advertising, and the court has already accepted his case. Apparently, Zhang asked for a refund and compensation after realizing that the MIUI 8 update was delayed but was unsuccessful and is now taking legal action against the company.

Apparently, Zhang asked for a refund and compensation after realizing that the MIUI 8 update was delayed but was unsuccessful and is now taking legal action against the company.

This isn't the first time that Xiaomi got in a bit of trouble for false information and misleading advertisement. Two years ago, it was fined in Taiwan for giving an incorrect number of devices sold during its flash sales, and just last year, Xiaomi was found to have violated China's strict advertising law prohibiting the use of superlatives. Though we will have to wait to see how Xiaomi will respond to the lawsuit, it's definitely not good news for a company who's been struggling to compete with companies like Huawei and Oppo.



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Galaxy A7 (2017) reportedly coming with a 16-megapixel selfie shooter

Samsung Galaxy A7-7

Samsung Galaxy A7-7

We know that Samsung is preparing to launch the 2017 edition of the Galaxy A family: A3, A5, and A7. We brought you exclusive renders of the mid-sized Galaxy A5 (2017) – with its very familiar metal and glass design – and now according to rumors, its bigger sibling will come with a 16-megapixel front facing camera and an IP68 rating.

See also:

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) spotted, A-series refresh incoming

August 29, 2016

According to Sammobile, the 2017 edition of the Galaxy A7 – also known as SM-A720F – will feature a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a FHD resolution. That is a slight increase in size from last year's model, which has a 5.5-inch screen. Under the hood, the A7 is said to be powered by Exynos 7870 Octa coupled with 3GB of RAM. The base model is likely to have 32GB of storage with support for microSD cards. The biggest changes are, however, its selfie-shooter and water-resistance.

If the recent AnTuTu benchmark results are true, we could be seeing a 16-megapixel front facing camera in the Galaxy A7 (2017). My guess is this is going to be the same module we saw in the Galaxy C9 Pro, which launched with a 16-megapixel selfie-shooter with an aperture of f/1.9. And Samsung will reportedly bring the IP68 rating found in the Galaxy S7 to the A7, which means it'll be dust-resistant and can be submerged in water for 30 minutes at depths of up to 1.5 meters.

My guess is this is going to be the same module we saw in the Galaxy C9 Pro, which launched with a 16-megapixel selfie-shooter with an aperture of f/1.9.

Although there are no official words on when we would be seeing the 2017 refresh of the Galaxy A family, my guess would be around December. Last year's models were released at the end of 2015, so that would make the most sense. Based on the renders of the upcoming Galaxy A5, its bigger sibling should also feature a USB Type-C port, but it's not clear whether the 2017 Galaxy A models will launch with Marshmallow or Nougat. I'm really hoping for the latter.

Would you be interested in getting a 2017 edition of the Galaxy A? Let us know by commenting down below!



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Deal: Amazon Prime one-year subscription, £59 for the next three days (UK)

aa_grand-tour_uk_prime_desktoplandinghero-alt-1400x680

aa_grand-tour_uk_prime_desktoplandinghero-alt-1400x680

Sign up for Amazon Prime in the UK before Friday and you'll receive a full year's subscription for £59 instead of the normal £79 asking price. The promotion, which gives access to Amazon's Prime music, Prime delivery and Prime video services for just £4.92 per-month, is available to new Amazon Prime members only.

The list of benefits for Prime members includes:

  • Unlimited, free one-day delivery on millions of eligible items
  • Amazon Prime Video – unlimited streaming of thousand of TV shows and movies
  • Amazon Prime Music – unlimited, ad-free streaming of 2 million tracks (not to be confused with Amazon's new Music Unlimited service, which requires a separate subscription)
  • Amazon Prime Photos – secure, unlimited cloud photo storage
  • Kindle Owner's Lending Library – more than 1 million books you can borrow only on Amazon hardware such as a Kindle or Fire tablet
  • Early access to lightning deals on Amazon.co.uk

Of course, Amazon will hope that consumers keep the subscription after the 12-month period, when the price will automatically revert to £79. By this point, customers may have become so accustomed to the service that they might not be able to peel themselves away.

That said, you can cancel the subscription at any time if you only want to cash-in on this for the first year. It basically works out at three free months.

Find the deal over at Amazon.co.uk and let us know in the comments if you think it's worth the money.



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TWRP for the Pixel and Pixel XL has been released

thumb google pixel and pixel xl hands on aa no watermark

thumb google pixel and pixel xl hands on aa no watermark

Android geeks across the globe love tinkering with their devices by flashing ROMs, mods, and custom kernels. This has quite a few advantages, as it allows you to change the look and feel of your device, and makes it a bit more fun to play around with.

But before you're able to customize your Android device, you need two things. First, you have to unlock the bootloader. Second, you have to flash a custom recovery image onto the device — like TWRP — which will allow you to start your Android customization project.

If you're currently using either Google's Pixel or Pixel XL and are interested in customizing it, you're in luck. Dees_Troy, Senior Recognized Developer over at XDA, has announced that the first TWRP alpha for Google's latest smartphones has been released.

See also:

Those who pre-ordered a Google Pixel can now order their free Daydream View (US)

7 hours ago

So, if you're already fed up with your new Pixel device and would like to customize it (provided you have already unlocked the bootloader), now is your chance. But as always, please keep in mind that this is an alpha release and is therefore not 100% stable. It has its fair share of problems, one of them being caused by the introduction of File Based Encryption (FBE) in Android Nougat, which can automatically wipe the data of your device if a restore doesn't work correctly.

Please also note that installing TWRP will break your root. And in case you're using the multi-user feature, you should put your customization project on hold for now. Currently, TWRP only supports single user setups.

If you're still up for it, head over to the XDA Developers forum for more detailed instructions on how to install TWRP on your Pixel device and avoid problems in the process.



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Deal: Audio-Technica ATH-E40 in-ear monitor headphones just $59.99

sound-guys-audio-technica-e40sound-guys-audio-technica-e40

This article originally appeared on our sister site Sound Guys

The Audio-Technica ATH-E40 in-ear headphones are currently on sale on eBay. The professional monitor headphones can be picked up for $59.99, down from the $99 asking price.

The ATH-E40 headphones are designed for sonic accuracy and isolation. Audio-Technica's "dual-phase, push-pull" driver design is said to deliver increased audio fidelity compared to rival drivers, while E40 cable is built to loop over the ears to provide a comfortable and enduring fit.

Notable features include:

  • Proprietary dual-phase push-pull drivers
  • Flexible memory cable loops over ears for long-lasting comfort
  • Physical housing designed for isolation
  • Detachable cable with coaxial connector
  • Four Pairs of Silicone Eartips (XS, S, M, L) and carry case

The ATH-E40's also possess 20-20,000 Hz frequency response, 12-ohm impedance and 107 db/mW sensitivity.

If you're interested in these, check them out on eBay at the link, or take a look at some other options in Sound Guys list of the best headphones under $200.



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Gionee S9 announced with dual-rear camera setup and 2.5D display

aa-gionee-s9-111

aa-gionee-s9-111

Gionee has unveiled the Gionee S9 at an event in China. The Chinese manufacturer's new smartphone arrives with dual 13 MP and 5 MP rear cameras (developed by Sony and Samsung respectively), 4 GB of RAM and an octa-core Helio P10 processor.

Gionee looks like it has taken queues from the iPhone with the design of the S9 from the front, with the soft corners, volume controls, and sensor setup followingly closely to that of Apple's flagship product. What sets it apart is 2.5D curved glass display.

Check out the Gionee S9 specs below:

  • 5.5-inch (1920 × 1080 pixels) Full HD LTPS 2.5D curved glass display
  • 2 GHz Octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor with Mali T860 GPU
  • 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM, 64 GB internal memory, expandable up to 12 8GB via microSD
  • Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Amigo OS 3.2
  • Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
  • 13 MP rear + 5 MP dual rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash
  • 13 MP front-facing camera
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • Dimensions: 154.2×76.4×7.4mm; Weight: 168.2g
  • 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
  • 3000 mAh battery

aa-gionee-s9-222

aa-gionee-s9-222

The Gionee S9 will arrive in black, gold and rose gold color variants, priced at 2499 yuan (around $365). The handset goes on sale in China from November 25, but details of wider availability haven't been announced.

What are your thoughts on the Gionee S9? Let us know in the comments.



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