Deal Of The Week: Half off - The Echo Dot smart speaker

This small smart speaker still packs a punch. (Photo: Amazon)

The Echo Dot is already the most affordable smart speaker in the Alexa family, but I always get so pumped to see it go on sale. Typically, Amazon discounts the Dot by $10-$20, but right now they've put it back at its Black Friday price. The third-generation Dot speaker came out late last year, and when it went on sale for 50% off, you better believe people bought tons of them. So much, in fact, that it went from readily available to back-ordered super fast. Right now, if you get one, it'll ship right away. But with Prime Day coming up, I'm willing to bet that won't last.

Get the Amazon Echo Dot (3rd-gen.) for $24.99 (Save $25)

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GRAB THE DEAL: Save $30: The best true wireless earbuds

These are the best choice at best price

Ready to cut the headphone cord? True wireless earbuds are here to stay, and they are honestly amazing. No tangles, no accidentally snagging the cord and ripping a bud from your ear at the best part of the song. But they are pricey and too easy to lose, so we recommend waiting for a good sale to invest—and there's one happening right now. We named Jabra's Elite 65t the best true wireless earbuds you can get if you don't want Apple Airpods. They're about the same price usually, but the Jabras are down to just $140, the lowest price we've seen in months, making it a fantastic time to get a pair of your own. 

Get the Jabra Elite 65t True Wireless Earbuds for $139.99 (Save $30)

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BANG ON: Save 29%: Refurbished 2018 Mac Books

Why pay full price for a new Mac if you don't have to? (Photo: Apple)

Apple products are expensive. No one will argue that, but that doesn't mean you have to pay full price just to enjoy their lineup. Right now, Amazon is running a Deal of the Day on refurbished 2018 Mac-Book Pro laptops. You can choose between 256 and 512 GB of storage space, with savings of $520 or $820. I recommend spending the extra $100 and getting the larger capacity laptop, since it's only a bit more money but twice the storage and much bigger savings. And since these have been renewed by Amazon, they come with a 90-day guarantee, so you've got a safety net if anything should be not quite perfect

• Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2018) 256GB Space Gray (Renewed)—$1,879.99 (Save $520)
• Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2018) 256GB Silver (Renewed)—$1,879.99 (Save $520)
• Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2018) 512GB Space Gray (Renewed)—$1,979.99 (Save $820)
• Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2018) 512GB Silver (Renewed)—$1,979.99 (Save $820)

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Best Gaming Monitors 2019

BEST GAMING MONITORS - 2019

This article is an extension to TechStalks professional workstation and enthusiastic monitors.  

while this list is dedicated to high refresh rate monitors that are best suited for gaming.

LG 32GK650F QHD 3

Excellent high refresh models currently sit between $300 and $400, meaning 1440p monitors remain the best option for most gamer. If you have a relatively modern GPU, a 1440p 144Hz display will give you a great experience today and have plenty of life left for the next few GPU generations. Our pick of the bunch right now is the LG 32GK650F

But that is not the only reason the 32GK650F gets our vote. It has class leading performance for a 144 Hz VA panel of these specifications, especially when it comes to response times which allow the panel to deliver a true 144 Hz experience. Many of the curved options sit in the 8-9 ms grey to grey range, which is too slow for true 144 Hz, while the 32GK650F clocks in at 6.5 ms. That’s important for delivering less ghosting and motion blur.

MSI MAG341CQ 34" Curved

When looking at 3440 x 1440 ultrawide displays at 100 Hz, all you have to spend these days is around $450, which is crazy considering a few years ago these panels were a premium $1,000+ option. Most of the budget-class models use the same Samsung VA panel, offering contrast around 3000:1 and response times in the 5-7ms range. It’s a high quality panel that’s well suited to gaming, and something we have no trouble recommending.

Our recommendation right now goes to the MSI MAG341CQ, which often sits at around $430. It’s widely available, delivers decent performance and is going to impress those who haven’t dabbled in ultrawides before.

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Huawie on the way to get out of Entity List

Trump’s decision to let Huawei buy US products

Key Points

• “Huawei will remain on the so-called entity list where there are serious export controls and in national security inferences or suggestions there won’t be any licenses,” Kudlow said in an interview with Fox News Sunday.

• Trump said he made the decision to allow Huawei to buy US products at the request of American “high tech companies.” The president said his administration will meet to more fully discuss the plan. 

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow responded Sunday to criticism of President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to allow Chinese telecom giant Huawei to buy US products, part of a truce Trump struck with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Japan over the weekend to ease trade war tensions. 

“Huawei will remain on the so-called entity list where there are serious export controls and in national security inferences or suggestions there won’t be any licenses.”

Trump said he made the decision to allow Huawei to buy US products at the request of American “high tech companies.” The president said his administration will meet to more fully discuss the plan.

Trump’s decision to allow more sales to Huawei has been criticized by Republicans. Sen. Marco Rubio said Congress should put restrictions back on Huawei by passing legislation with a “large veto proof majority” if Trump rolls them back.

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Flagship Killer

Redmi K20 Pro Review – The Most Cost-Effective Budget Flagship On The Market Right Now

Giant challenger appears!

General Specs: 

• 6.39-inch super AMOLED display
• Triple camera setup with a Sony’s 48MP primary sensor, 13MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 8MP telephoto lens
• 20MP front pop-up camera module
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
• 4,000mAh battery with 27W fast charge
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Dual SIM slots with a Nano-SIMs and microSD

Design:

The design on the glass back cover may not be for everyone. Some may find it rather messy, others more creative. I personally find it different and innovative, and not all that chaotic. If you’re among those who don’t like to put on a case just to show off the back cover of your smartphone, then this is one of those designs that will stand out among the crowds.

Pros:

• 
  
• Powerful performance overall and still very light and thin
• Flagship specifications on almost everything at a cheap price
• Very immersive viewing experience with a notch-less full screen
• A very strong flagship competitor at just $360 with the base model
• Large battery with fast charge; capable of charging to about 50% battery in just 30 minutes

Cons:

• One single stereo speaker on the bottom; not a dual-speaker setup
• Camera algoriths are just standard, not exactly outstanding better to use G-cam 
• Liquid cooling system is there still phone does heat up after prolonged and intensive use
• Running MIUI, which is not exactly a personal favourite when it comes to operating systems
• Display colors may not be the most natural looking one, but more on the vivid side of the spectrum

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US - China post-cold war

Apple to Move Mac Pro Production From US to China: 

When The Trump administration has threatened to impose new levies to cover nearly all imports from China.

HIGHLIGTHS

• Mac Book Pro is the only major Apple device produced in the United States.
• The shift comes after the trade war between the US and China.
• Quanta Computer will now manufacture the desktops.

Apple Inc is shifting manufacturing of its new Mac Pro desktop computer to China from the United States. Apple's Mac Pro, a $6,000 machine used by creative professionals, has been facing waning demand.

The tech giant has tapped contractor Quanta Computer Inc to manufacture the computer and is ramping up production at a factory near Shanghai.

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