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Sunny days for solar charging

Here’s the scenario. You’re at the beach, sitting by the pool, hiking in the wilderness or working in your garden. You’d like to keep your phone or tablet charged but there’s no power source nearby, nothing to plug into for juice. The standard remedy is to go buy an external battery — or battery case — and keep that around …

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Headphone deal: BeatsX wireless earphones are $100 at Best Buy

Now playing: Watch this: Apple’s BeatsX headphones are just the right fit 2:32 If you thought Beats’ neckband-style Bluetooth sports headphone was a little too expensive at $150, Best Buy currently has the black version on sale for $100 — or $50 off (the other colors are $120). That’s the lowest price I’ve seen on this headphone, which I gave …

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Pono is dead. Probably. Long live Xstream

After five years, it appears that Neil Young’s Pono initiative — which resulted in a hardware player and digital music store — may be finally over. In its place: Xstream. A post on Pono’s forums this week (membership required) confirmed that eight months after its music download store went down, the company was now channeling its efforts into a new …

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LG G6 vs. Google Pixel XL: Which phone is better?

Now playing: Watch this: LG G6 vs. Google Pixel XL: Which one’s better? 2:54 For whatever reason, maybe Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 isn’t doing it for you. Luckily, there are other great large-screen Androids to consider, like LG‘s beautifully designed G6 and Google‘s impressive Pixel XL. They’re both great devices, but the G6 and Pixel XL have different strengths. To …

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Can Sennheiser’s iconic headphone compete with today’s models?

When the Sennheiser HD 414 debuted in 1968, all other hi-fi headphones were big, heavy and painfully uncomfortable. Not only that, they were all closed-back designs, HD 414 was the world’s first open-back design, Sennheiser dubbed it “Open Aire.” The HD 414 looked, felt and sounded like nothing else, and it forecast the future direction of headphone sound. The first …

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Is Comcast’s new wireless service right for you?

There hasn’t been a better time than right now to be a wireless customer. All the big wireless carriers have brought back unlimited data plans, and new players are getting into the market. Earlier this month, cable giant Comcast announced pricing and details for its new Xfinity Mobile service. This service uses a combination of Comcast’s 16 million Wi-Fi hotspots …

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Which Galaxy S8 unlock option is the most secure?

You can use up to three different methods to unlock your Galaxy S8 phone using nothing more than your body. The front-facing camera can scan and identify your face, or you can use the embedded iris scanner to read your eyes like a fingerprint. Oh, and of course there’s an oddly placed fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. …

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