These are the best PUBG Mobile accessory options

PUBG Mobile continues to be one of the top mobile games around the world. While the game is facing challenges in India due to the recent ban of 118 Chinese apps, it still has a massive audience from different parts of the globe. There is a massive community with professionally organized tournaments making it one of the biggest esports titles in recent times. Now if you are an avid player or new to the game and want to test your skills, then we have some highly recommended add-ons for you to try out. We have included some controller and trigger options as well as some finger sleeves if you love using the claw grip.

PUBG Mobile Controllers

Before we move on, allow us to break your bubble. PUBG Mobile does not support any sort of Bluetooth controllers on Android or iOS. Now, there are certain alternatives where you can tinker around with some plugins to enable this, but that comes at the risk of getting your account banned. Instead, if you really want to use a controller, you can go try using an emulator on your PC. By doing so you could easily map all the controls using the emulator itself. Speaking of which, we recently listed out some of the best emulators that you can use to play PUBG Mobile on your PC. We suggest that you use the Xbox One wireless controller if you are planning to take this route.

Xbox One Controller

The Xbox One controller is the best option to play PUBG Mobile but only if you are using an emulator on your Windows PC

$54.45 at Amazon

PUBG Mobile Triggers

Now there is another popular accessory for smartphones that can assist in improving your gameplay. Trigger controllers and attachments can be hooked on to your phone to offer physical buttons for up to 2-4 functions. All you need to do is attach the triggers to your phone and then align the controls from the game settings to match the placement of each trigger. Essentially these triggers just tap onto your phone’s touchscreen but add physical shoulder buttons for a more intuitive experience. These are fairly cheap and are offered in a variety of shapes and sizes. We recommend the COOBILE Gaming Grip that offers two triggers placed onto a gamepad-style chassis. It includes a built-in fan to keep your phone cool and can even charge your phone with its in-built 4000mAh battery. If you don’t want to add a lot of bulk to your smartphone, then you can also try the IFYOO Z108 Mobile Gaming Controller. These are independent triggers that can be attached as shoulder buttons for your smartphone. Trigger controllers do have a learning curve, but if you are used to playing on a gamepad with shoulder buttons, then you should adapt quickly.

COOBILE Gaming Grip

This comes in a controller style design with two triggers, a built-in fan and a battery to charge your phone.

$16.90 at Amazon

IFYOO Z108 Mobile Gaming Controller

These are simple triggers that attach to your phone to offer shoulder-style buttons while playing PUBG Mobile.

$10.90 at Amazon

Finger Sleeves

Sweaty hands hampering your performance? Then you need to get some finger-sleeves. They might look and sound ridiculous, but they are very effective. These are great for players who use three-finger and four-finger claw grip as they improve sensitivity and performance. Our recommendation is the Mobile Gaming Corps ClawSocks. These come with a total of six sleeves and feature 100% silver thread for the highest conductivity. They are also claimed to help in overcoming humidity, sweat, dirt, and oil. If you want a more affordable option then go for the Newseego Mobile Game Controller Finger Sleeves. These also come in a similar set of six sleeves with a slightly less premium finish.

Mobile Gaming Corp Clawsocks

These are the best and highly rated finger sleeves to offer improved precision and sensitivity while playing PUBG Mobile.

$12.99 at MGC Gaming Store

Newseego Mobile Game Controllers Finger Sleeve

Go for these if you are looking for affordable competitive finger sleeves for mobile gaming.

$6.99 at Amazon

Touchscreen Joypads

Lastly, we have touchscreen joypads that may or may not be to your liking, but you should definitely try these out. Basically, they attach to your smartphone’s touchscreen and the plastic nub on top rotates, just like a joystick on a controller. The only drawback to these is that you cannot leave them on permanently as it will cover a part of your display. So you need to attach these every time you want to play PUBG. Some of these do come with a reusable material, for instance, the Vakili Mobile Phone Game Joystick. According to the company, it can be fixed on any mobile phone or tablet, has excellent paste ability, and will not scratch the touch screen. Also, you need to note that this joystick is helpful for direction control only, so you make sure you have the sprint button activated.

Vakili Mobile Phone Game Joystick

These stick-on joysticks can attach to your phone's display allowing you add a physical joystick right on to your screen.

$6.99 at Amazon

Now, most of these accessories are intended to improve your gameplay. However, some of them might have a learning curve so make sure you understand your own needs before buying any of the recommended products. As for PUBG Mobile, the game is completely inaccessible in India following the ban by the government due to its Chinese ownership. PUBG Corp. has taken back all the rights and data of the game and will soon make a comeback with a brand new identity.

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Chromebooks and tablets exploded in popularity this year, according to Canalys

Google’s constant efforts to make Chrome OS a viable alternative to Windows and macOS finally seem to be paying off. According to a recent report from Canalys, Chromebooks were the best performing client PC product in Q3 2020, with a 122% YoY growth in shipments. Chrome OS-powered devices dominated the PC category (in terms of growth) with a total of 9.4 million shipments in just the last quarter alone. In comparison, ultra-slim notebooks saw 57% YoY growth in shipments and clamshell notebooks saw a 1% YoY growth, while desktop workstations saw a decline of 27% YoY, and tower and small desktops saw a decline of 33% YoY.

The report reveals that HP led the Chromebook market with 3.2 million units sold in the time period, with an annual growth of 116.9% and a market share of 34.1%. Lenovo took the second spot with an annual growth of over 300% and a market share of 18.9%. The remaining three spots in the top five were occupied by Dell, Acer, and Asus, in that order.

Talking about the sudden rise in popularity of Chromebooks in the quarter, Canalys Analyst Ishan Dutt noted:

“Chromebooks emerged as the centerpiece of the education segment’s digital response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uncertainty in how school terms will proceed remains at the forefront of educators’ minds in the face of secondary lockdowns and protocols related to dealing with infections within a school’s population. As a result, institutions turned to Chromebooks to deliver a relatively budget-friendly and easy to manage contingency to ensure minimal disruption over the course of the school year.”

Along with Chromebooks, the tablet market also saw impressive growth in the quarter due to similar reasons. The worldwide tablet market saw a 43% YoY growth, with 44.3 million units shipped in Q3 2020. As expected, Apple led the tablet market with over 15.2 million units sold, a growth of 47% over last year.

Samsung took the second spot with an impressive 79.8% growth, and over 9 million units shipped in the quarter. Huawei, Amazon, and Lenovo took the remaining spots in the top five list. The tablet market has been on the decline since 2015, and the last two quarters were the only quarters of growth in the last five years, Canalys noted.

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Everything you need to know about Samsung Pay in 2020

Samsung has, over the years, launched a gigantic repertoire of their own in-house services. We have Bixby, which is Samsung’s own AI assistant that’s present in a number of their devices, including smart speakers, smartphones, and even home appliances, And then we also have things like Samsung Knox, a set of security features built into every Samsung smartphone and wearable. But one feature that doesn’t get the credit it deserves is Samsung Pay, Samsung’s own platform for payments which, as it turns out, is way more flexible than counterparts such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. But what exactly is Samsung Pay, and how does it stand out from the pack?

Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to do a rundown on what exactly is Samsung Pay, and how it’s better than its alternatives.

Navigate this guide:

• What is Samsung Pay, and how does it work?
• Is Samsung Pay Safe?
• Is Samsung Pay better than Apple Pay or Google Pay?
• How do I set up Samsung Pay?
• Can you use it in stores and online?
• How much can I spend using Samsung Pay?
• Which Countries is it available in?
• Which Banks support it?

What is Samsung Pay, and how does it work?

Samsung Pay is a payment service and digital wallet developed by Samsung that lets Samsung users make payments using their Samsung devices. and it’s compatible with several Samsung phones and smartwatches. It was first launched in South Korea on August 20, 2015, and then rolled out to the United States on September 28th of that same year. It was first compatible with the company’s flagships at the time, which were the Samsung Galaxy S6 series and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, and support then rolled out to other smartphones, both flagship and mid-range, as well as smartwatches and even the newest foldable smartphones launched by Samsung.

The service allows users to make contactless payments, but unlike other competing services, Samsung Pay supports both NFC payments as well as MST for magnetic stripe-only payment terminals. In countries like India, it also adds in support for the local payment systems such as UPI and allows for paying bills right from the app.

Is Samsung Pay safe?

Yes, Samsung Pay is safe. It leverages Samsung’s Knox security suite, which is built into all smartphones and smartwatches that support the service, and also makes use of ARM TrustZone for hardware-enforced isolation at the CPU level, further protecting transactions from external attacks. No card details are stored either at Samsung’s servers or the device itself.

The service makes use of tokenization like other platforms such as Apple Pay: a number or token is created that replaces your card details, which is stored in a secure chip within your device and is passed to the retailer or merchant once a transaction is initialized so the retailer in question never has access to your actual credit card details. Rest assured, your information is safe within your phone.

Is Samsung Pay better than Apple Pay or Google Pay?

It’s better in terms of overall support. It not only supports NFC but also supports MST with several devices. MST, or magnetic secure transmission, allows users to make contactless payments using terminals that don’t support NFC payments and otherwise only support magnetic stripe cards. MST emulates the swipe of the magnetic strip in a credit or debit card past a reader by generating the near-field magnetic waveform directly from the device. The contactless payment is detected by the point-of-sale as a regular, classic card with a magnetic stripe, and the transaction goes forward. Because of this, Samsung Pay can be used to pay in almost any place with a regular point-of-sale as long as it either supports NFC contactless payments or swiping cards.

It falls short in terms of devices supported, though, as it’s only supported on Samsung phones. Apple Pay, just like Samsung Pay, is exclusive to Apple’s own ecosystem. By contrast, services like Google Pay are available in almost any Android smartphone out there. MST makes this payment service from Samsung a very capable competitor, as it allows you to pay pretty much anywhere and everywhere that a card can be used.

How do I set up Samsung Pay?

First up, you need a Samsung device with support for Samsung Pay. If it’s a recent device, then it’ll most likely support it. From there, look for the “Samsung Pay” icon on your home screen and do the following:

• Tap Sign In (located in the lower-right) to sign in to your Samsung account. Have in mind that you’ll need a Samsung account for this, so if you don’t have one already, do so by tapping Sign Up.
• Review the Terms of Service, then tap Agree To All.
• If you want to use your fingerprint, tap Use Fingerprint and then follow the onscreen instructions. Alternatively, tap Skip and use Samsung Pay PIN to set up the PIN verification method.
• Enter a backup password, then tap Continue.
• Re-enter the password, then tap OK.
• If preferred, tap OK to use your fingerprint to unlock the device.
• Once the setup is complete, you can add your credit or debit card.

Can you use it in stores and online?

As we said before, you can pay in stores using Samsung Pay with either regular, old-fashion contactless payments through NFC as well as MST for any point-of-sale with a magnetic card reader. This makes it compatible with roughly 90% of terminals, retailers, and stores in the USA. And the fact that it supports several security features such as tokenization means that you won’t have to fear having your card information stolen.

Unfortunately, though, Samsung Pay is not available as an option for most online purchases. It’s available in Samsung’s own suite of apps, as well as a reduced number of third-party ones, of which ExxonMobil’s SpeedPass+ is the most notable one, but you can’t expect to pay for stuff using S Pay as you do with PayPal or even Google Pay for that matter.

How much can I spend using Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay doesn’t impose any spending limits itself, and you can spend how much or how little you want as this app service only serves as an intermediary between your card provider and the merchant. Limits may, however, be imposed by your bank or card provider, and will mostly be the same limits your actual, physical card is subjected to. For information on limits, you’ll need to check with your bank or card provider.

Some retailers might also limit the amount of money you can spend with these app services on a single purchase. You might also need to check this with your retailer of choice before using Samsung Pay at one of their locations.

Which Countries is it available in?

Samsung Pay is supported in the following countries:

• Europe
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
  • Sweden
  • Russia
• Americas
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Mexico
  • Puerto Rico
  • Brazil
• Asia/Pacific Region
  • Australia
  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • India
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
• Africa/Middle Eastern region
  • South Africa
  • United Arab Emirates

Which Banks support it?

Samsung Pay is supported by a handful of banks in every country it’s supported. In the United States, for example, you can expect to use this service in most major banks, such as Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, TD Bank, and Wells Fargo. You can also use it on smaller, community banks as well. In the United Kingdom, it’s supported by Danske Bank, Engage, First Direct, and HSBC, among others.

If you’re in the U.S, you can check out the full list of banks supported by Samsung Pay here.

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POCO X3 kernel sources are still not available, despite a promise of launch-day release

The POCO X3 NFC was launched back on September 7, 2020, bringing around a very high-value package at an affordable price tag. POCO repeated the same act with the POCO X3 in India, launched on September 22, 2020, but with slight differences from the globally launched variant: a bigger battery and no NFC. Two months on, the device remains one of the best purchases overall in the mid-range, for both the Global and the Indian variants. But what disappoints us is the fact that the kernel source for the device(s) has still not been released, despite a promise to release it on launch day.

If you tuned into the global launch event for the POCO X3 NFC (device codename: surya), you would have noticed POCO promising to release the kernel sources of the device right on the same day.

Get an overall smartphone experience that has #ExactlyWhatYouNeed with #POCOX3 NFC. pic.twitter.com/JwtemlQu4m

— POCO (@POCOGlobal) September 7, 2020

While POCO India did not make an explicit promise to release the kernel sources right on launch day for the POCO X3 Indian variant, they are still bound by the GPL like all other Android OEMs. The Indian variant has an internal codename “karna“, but MIUI 12 firmware packages are released for it with the “surya” codename tag and “in” region tag for India. The POCO X3 and POCO X3 NFC are very similar to each other, as the names would also imply.

GPLv2 requires companies to release any modifications to the ‘GPLed’ codebase (the kernel in this case) that they ship to the customers. Releasing sources is not just part of the spirit of Android and one of the foundations of a flourishing third-party development community, it is also part of the copyright/copyleft license associated with the kernel. Copyright holders of the GPL software can choose to enforce the GPL on the distributed/derivative works of the software, and it thus becomes a legally enforceable contract in several jurisdictions to release kernel sources. We can go further into the legalities of it, but long story short — if you ship a modification to a GPL software, you have to provide its source code.

Since it has been more than 2 months now since the phone has been released, there is very little excuse left on POCO’s end for not having released the source code. The phone is in the hands of consumers, and a fair few updates have also been delivered. Releasing kernel sources promptly should be something that every OEM does anyway. But POCO explicitly promised a very quick kernel release. And not releasing it so far trudges upon these claims of developer-friendliness and the trust of customers (and legal contracts, too).

The POCO X3/NFC remains an excellent value device in the age of rising flagship prices. While the phone is no flagship, nor does it pretend to be, it’s very easy to recommend to average users in the regions where it is officially sold. You get a lot of phone for the money. We hope POCO releases kernel sources as soon as possible, to keep up its promise to its fans. And while they’re at it, we hope they release kernel sources for the POCO M2 (device codename: shiva) and POCO C3 (device codename: angelicain) as well.

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The Montblanc Summit Lite could be a more affordable smartwatch from the luxury brand

Montblanc’s Summit 2+ recently went on sale in the US through Verizon. The luxury smartwatch features a 43.5mm case with a 1.28-inch AMOLED display, and it packs in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC. But despite the modest specs, the Summit 2+ retails for a whopping $1170, making it one of the most expensive Wear OS smartwatches out there. Because of its exorbitant price tag, we don’t expect the Summit 2+ to be a big hit among buyers, and it seems like Montblanc realizes the same. In order to appeal to a wider audience, the German luxury goods manufacturer is now working on a slightly more affordable smartwatch called the Summit Lite.

Last month, a new smartwatch from Montblanc was certified by the FCC (via Droid-Life). But, at the time, the FCC listing had only revealed the “Summit Lite” moniker. Today, Google updated its Device Catalog on the Google Play Console with a new entry for the Montblanc Summit Lite. The entry sheds more light on the upcoming smartwatch and reveals some of its basic specifications.

As you can see in the attached screenshot, the Montblanc Summit Lite will run Google’s Wear OS (based on Android 9 Pie), and it will feature 1GB of RAM, a 390 x 390 resolution display, and Qualcomm’s APQ8009 processor. However, it isn’t clear whether the smartwatch will include the Snapdragon Wear 2100 or 3100 SoC. Furthermore, the “system features” list confirms that the smartwatch will include GPS and NFC, along with a heart rate monitor, step counter, and microphone.

The image of the Montblanc Summit Lite included in the Google Play Console entry showcases the smartwatch with a black metal case and a circular display. It has two buttons on the right edge and a rotating crown between the buttons. While its design is similar to the Summit 2+, the watch looks to have a rubber strap instead of a premium leather strap. As of now, we have no confirmation from Montblanc regarding the Summit Lite. But since the smartwatch has already made its way to Google’s Device Catalog, it shouldn’t be long before the company makes an official announcement.

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Google Camera 8.1 brings the newer UI and cinematic pan to some older Pixel phones

Google Camera 8.0 debuted with the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G earlier this year in September. As expected, the updated app came with a host of new features for the devices, like Night Sight portrait mode, Cinematic pan, and more. Along with the new features, Google Camera 8.0 also brought a revamped UI with new buttons, a quick zoom toggle, quick access toggles to video modes, etc. But these new features and UI have been limited to Google’s latest Pixel devices so far.

While users with older Pixel devices have had the option to sideload Google Camera 8.0 to access these new features for quite a while now, the method doesn’t seem to work for everyone. Now, though, all users should be able to get the revamped UI and features with the Google Camera 8.1 update. The update has started rolling out to some users via the Play Store, and it includes the new UI and Cinematic Pan feature.

Google Camera just updated for me via Play Store version 8.1.008.341125824
On Pixel 4 XL. Looks like UI Revamp.@AndroidPolice @AndroidAuth @xdadevelopers @ArtemR @derekmross @verge pic.twitter.com/T0J7jKoFkB

— Kelvin Peralta (@KaKito_24) November 12, 2020

One Pixel 4 XL user on Twitter recently confirmed the rollout and shared a screenshot showcasing the new UI and Cinematic Pan feature. But, as of now, we aren’t sure if the update includes all the new features that were introduced with the Pixel 5/4a 5G. It also isn’t clear whether the Google Camera 8.1 update will bring the Cinematic Pan feature to all older Pixel phones.

Hands-on with Google Camera 8.0 from the Google Pixel 5

In case you haven’t received the update yet, you can try sideloading the Google Camera 8.1 APK from APKMirror. However, this method might not work for all users. Do let us know if you’re able to successfully sideload the APK on your device in the comments section below.

Download Google Camera 8.1 from APKMirror

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[Update 2: More relief] USA bans WeChat and TikTok from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Update 2 (11/13/2020 @ 12:41 AM ET): The US Commerce Department no longer wishes to enforce the TikTok ban.

Update 1 (09/22/2020 @ 02:23 AM ET): WeChat and TikTok have been given temporary relief, postponing their impending ban. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on September 18, 2020, is preserved below.

The US Commerce Department has announced prohibitions banning people in the US from downloading TikTok and WeChat in reponse to a pair of executive orders signed by US President Donald Trump in August.

In a press release on the matter, the US Department of Commerce noted: “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the U.S. Today’s announced prohibitions, when combined, protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality.”

Speaking on the matter, US Department of Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, was quoted saying, “Today’s actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threads of the Chinese Communist Party…At the President’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.”

The new prohibitions on TikTok and WeChat will go into effect on September 20th, 2020. As part of the new directive, the following transactions are prohibited:

• Any provision of service to distribute or maintain the WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code, or application updates through an online mobile application store in the U.S.;
• Any provision of services through the WeChat mobile application for the purpose of transferring funds or processing payments within the U.S.

Further, as of September 20, 2020, for WeChat and as of November 12, 2020, for TikTok, the following transactions are prohibited:

• Any provision of internet hosting services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.;
• Any provision of content delivery network services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.;
• Any provision directly contracted or arranged internet transit or peering services enabling the function or optimization of the mobile application within the U.S.;
• Any utilization of the mobile application’s constituent code, functions, or services in the functioning of software or services developed and/or accessible within the U.S.

It’s also worth noting that President Trump has provided until November 12 for the national security concerns posed by TikTok to be resolved. In case they are, the prohibitions mentioned above may be lifted. It remains to be seen if there are further developments on this by the time the ban is put into effect.

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Update: Temporary relief to TikTok and WeChat

As expected, TikTok and WeChat have been granted temporary relief, postponing the ban that was to be put into effect on September 20, 2020. The Commerce Department has delayed the directions against TikTok by a week, with the new deadline being September 27, 2020. Meanwhile, the ban against WeChat has been blocked by a Court in California, with the relief expected to last until the next date of court proceedings.

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Update: US Commerce Department will not enforce TikTok ban

According to a report emerging out of Wall Street Journal, the US Commerce Department has chosen not to enforce its order that would have forced TikTok to shut down its functions in the USA. As mentioned in the coverage above, a new set of restrictions were scheduled to come into place on November 12, 2020. But now, the US Commerce Department is citing lawsuits in progress and resulting preliminary injunctions in order to delay the enforcement of the shutdown order, and give some more relief to TikTok.

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