ClintonFitch.com

Today’s Deal is on the well appointed and budget friendly Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet.  The 8″ tablet is on sale for $64.99 for the 16GB variant that includes Amazon adverts on the lock screen.  If you prefer to not have those adverts, it is $79.99 for the tablet.  In either case, you are saving $25 off the regular price and that discount also applies to the 32GB variant of the tablet.  The 32GB model is on sale for $94.99.

The Fire HD 8 has a 1280 x 800 display, is powered by a Quad-core 1.3 GHz processor and you can expand the storage by up to 200GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has dual-band Wi-Fi for solid wireless performance and is powered by 3210 mAh battery that is rated to give users up to 12 hours of use in mixed usage.  It also has dual Dolby powered speakers and of course, Alexa is integrated into the device much like Google Assistant on other Android devices.

One of the most common questions I get about ClintonFitch.com is how I make the screenshots that you see in reviews, how to’s and articles like this one.  The answer is Screener.  The app is made by Toastcode and they just released a nice update to the app in the Play Store.  The updated build is version 2.5 for those keeping score and it brings a redesigned user experience and some other nice features that make taking screenshots of you Android devices easy.  A bit about Screener.  It is an app that allows you to take a screenshot you have taken on your phone (most often this is the combination of Volume Down + Power button) and put that into a frame of a popular Android device (and iPhones too).  There are hundreds of frames, some of which are 3D, and there are frames for both phones and Android Wear devices.

This update to the app brings improved Notifications so you can be informed of when new device frames are available, app updates are available or other information from the developer.  You can now control which, if any, you get notifications for on your device.  To change this, go to Menu>Settings>Notifications.

Today’s Deal is a great option for those who need an external battery pack to charge your devices.  The Poweradd Pilot X7 is a 20,000mAh battery with dual USB ports and right now is just $16.49 on Amazon.  The two USB-A ports output 2.1A of power so you can charge your devices efficiently.  The pack doesn’t support Quick Charge technology but for a pack this size at this price, it is not too surprising.

The 20,000mAh means that you can charge most devices 4-6 times before the battery itself depletes.  With the dual ports, you can charge two devices at once but keep in mind that it will take longer to charge both devices.  Charging of the pack is done via a MicroUSB port and the charging cable comes with the pack.  It is also backed by a 24 month warranty.  Built into the pack is an LED flashlight.

To get more details on Today’s Deal, head over to Amazon.  There are other color options available:  Blue, and Black with Red.  Those color options are a bit more at $17.99 but still a great deal overall.  For those of you who are Amazon Prime customers, shipping is free for you on whichever color option you select.

The Bing search app for Android has a small but nice update rolling out to users today.  The update is version 6.8.25183598.D2C for those keeping score at home and who like to play version number Bingo.  On the surface, you are not going to find massive changes.  Functionally the app is the same as the previous version.  However, when you do a search, the results page are much more aligned to what you see when you use the desktop search in your browser.

Search results now offer a mix of links, branded results (if you are searching for a brand) and photos.  The idea is to bubble up not just text links to information but also provide more relevant media too.