3 excellent Pixel accessories I'd buy before the end of Prime Day (I already have them!)
Prime Day is almost over — I know this because I'm rushing to research the last few items I need to buy before their price goes back up. You, though, don't have to do the extensive research because I've done it for you. I have three excellent accessories that I use every day with my Pixel 9 Pro XL, Watch 3, and Buds 2 Pro, and I'd recommend them in a heartbeat. Some of these are review units that I'd buy myself if I didn't have them, some are items I've bought with my money last Black Friday. And they're all excellent deals now.
SwanScout 708G2 3-in-1 charger
Finding a good 3-in-1 wireless charger that supports the Pixel Watch 2 or 3 (or the Fitbit Sense/Versa) is not easy. I looked far and wide for a good one until I saw the SwanScout 708G2. This charger has been sitting by my bedside since the day I got it. It charges my Pixel 9 Pro XL overnight every day, charges my Pixel Watch 3 when I'm getting ready every morning, and tops up my Pixel Buds Pro 2 when they need a charge. One cable for all the things, no mess, no fuss. And best of all, it collapses into a smaller and more portable charger when I travel, so I don't end up with many cables on my hotel's / Airbnb's bedside table.
The 708G2 usually goes for $39-42 or so on Amazon, but it's down to $30.94 now, its lowest price ever.
Alternative recommendation: If you want to charge two phones instead of one and don't often charge your buds, the SwanScout 710G2 is another excellent deal at $36.76. This is the charger I use in my open kitchen/living room area because it allows me, my husband, and our guests to top our phones. It also has a Pixel Watch 2-3 charger at the back and can top any wireless earbuds when laid flat.
See price at Amazon
SwanScout 708G2 3-in-1 Pixel charger
3-in-1 wireless charger
Pixel Watch 2 and 3 compatibility
Small, collapsible design
See price at Amazon
SwanScount 708G2 3-in-1 Pixel charger
See price at Amazon
SwanScout 710G2 3-in-1 Pixel charger
3-in-1 wireless charger
Pixel Watch 2 and 3 compatibility
Two large wireless pads
See price at Amazon
SwanScount 710G2 3-in-1 Pixel charger
Ulanzi MA26 pocket tripod
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
I have been looking for the ideal phone tripod since… 2007, and I think I found it last year when I bought the Ulanzi MA 26. Why? Because this tripod is literally everything I've wanted in a portable tripod for years now.
It's super solid; the metallic arms that I've twisted for months haven't let up their reassuring resistance yet. It's also super versatile, offering many angles, heights, and configurations. Watching YouTube in landscape? Pointing the phone up to grab astrophotography shots? Tripod to shoot vertical Shorts? In-hand selfie stick-like handle? Check, check, check, and check. It does it all.
Best of all, the Ulanzi MA26 is very light and so small it fits in a tiny pocket — including women's tiny jeans pockets! — and has padding and spacing right where it clamps on the phone to avoid pressing the volume buttons. Absolute perfection.
The Ulanzi MA26 usually costs $39.95 and rarely goes below $35. It's down to $31.95 now with an extra 5% coupon to apply. Alternative recommendation: If you don't want to deal with manual clamps and prefer MagSafe attachments, the Ulanzi MA30 is another excellent choice. It's lighter, thinner, and just as versatile. I haven't personally tried it, but reviews are just as enthusiastic about it. Usually, it costs $29.99, but it's now down to $20.47.
See price at Amazon
Ulanzi MA26 foldable phone tripod
Very portable
Sturdy build
Super versatile design
See price at Amazon
Baseus Enercore CG11 universal travel adapter
If you ask me about my favorite charger feature ever, it'll always be a retractable cable. I just don't want to worry about extra cables or tangles; I want the cable to tuck away neatly when not in use. The new Baseus Enercore series scratches this weird itch that I have.
There are three products in this series, all featuring GaN tech and USB-C PD charging power at 67W-70W plus at least one retractable cable. There's the CJ11 wall charger with two extra USB-C ports, the CR11 20,000mAh portable battery with one extra USB-C port, and then my favorite of the bunch: the CG11 universal travel adapter with one extra USB-C port and two USB-A ports. This will go in my travel bag for the next year, easy. It has everything I need: compatibility with different wall plugs for my Switzerland trip, enough power to fill up my MacBook M3, and enough ports to charge my phone and a bunch of accessories. Plus, the cable snaps back in place when I'm done. Oh, the joys of a mess-less travel bag!
I've literally just got all of these in for review, so I'm still testing their speed and power claims, but so far, so good as a cursory test. All three of them are very heavily discounted for Prime Day, though, so this is an excellent time to grab them.
And now all I can say is to hurry up if you want to grab these because the deals supposedly end around midnight tonight.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
8 Reasons Why Boomers Take Out Personal Loans
As per Q1 2025 TransUnion data, the total unsecured personal loan debt was $253 billion spread across 29.8 million loans. The average unsecured loan amount per borrower was $11,631. Nearly anyone can apply for a personal loan, assuming they meet the credit and income requirements. This includes baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964. Find Out: Consider This: But why do boomers take out personal loans? And what should they be on the lookout for when doing so? Here's what the experts say. Key Reasons Boomers Use Personal Loans Boomers can apply for a personal loan for nearly any reason. According to Chris Motola, special projects editor and financial analyst at National Business Capital, the biggest reasons include: Purchasing a big-ticket item like a vehicle (auto loan) or home (mortgage loan). Time-sensitive or expensive purchases related to medical conditions (e.g. mobility-related home improvements). Elective medical procedures. 'In many of these cases, a personal loan is seen as an alternative to selling off income-generating assets,' Motola said. But these aren't the only reasons for taking out a personal loan. And for some boomers, buying a new car or house isn't top of their list. Explore More: However, paying off high-interest debt — like credit cards — often is. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average U.S. household owes approximately $6,065 in credit card debt. With typical APRs of 22.8% and retirement income often limited or fixed, per the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, it's prudent to get rid of said debt with something a little less expensive. 'Most of the time, people can qualify for a personal loan rate much lower than credit card rates,' said Kyle Enright, president of lending at Achieve. 'So they can use the personal loan proceeds to pay off the higher-rate credit card debt, then be left with just the personal loan payment at the lower rate. This makes it faster and less expensive to pay off the debt.' Other common reasons boomers take out personal loans include: Home maintenance or repairs Remodeling Medical bills A relative's educational expenses Considerations When Taking Out a Personal Loan Ultimately, it's up to the individual's financial situation, credit score and needs as to whether or not they use a personal loan — and for what purpose. Whether you're a boomer or have an older relative who's considering a loan, knowing the options is important. But what's equally crucial is understanding the consequences of taking on that debt. 'If you're living on a fixed income, pay very close attention to the interest rates you're offered,' said Motola. 'You don't want to take on debt that your income can't keep up with, and you don't want to be forced to liquidate the assets you've spent your whole life accumulating at a loss.' It's generally best to avoid financing everyday expenses with debt. Consider the cost of repayment, including the term, interest and any fees. Make sure you have a clear plan so you don't risk defaulting on the loan. Make sure you're taking out the loan for the right reasons. 'If you're already struggling to make minimum required payments on current debts, chances are high that taking on more debt (personal loan) won't be helpful,' said Enright. 'Instead, you may need to look into other help, such as debt settlement, which involves negotiating with creditors to lower principal balances due.' More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Says Trump's Executive Order To Lower Medication Costs Has a 'Real Shot' -- Here's Why This article originally appeared on 8 Reasons Why Boomers Take Out Personal Loans Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Commentary: What Trump should be doing instead of attacking the Fed
Republicans have a problem. Their signature economic package for 2025, the tax bill President Trump signed into law in early July, is deeply unpopular. Voters think it will harm the poor and reward the wealthy, and sober analysis suggests they're right. The last time Republicans passed a law like this, in 2017, voters pummeled them in the subsequent election. As the leader of his party, President Trump bears responsibility for selling the tax bill to voters. He's not doing that. Instead, his main economic messaging effort this summer has been a sustained attack on the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell. Trump has routinely suggested he'll try to fire Powell, perhaps hoping the Fed chair will crack under pressure and quit before his term expires next May. He has hurled a dictionary of insults at Powell, calling him 'dumb,' 'stupid,' 'major loser,' 'knucklehead,' 'numbskull,' 'Mr. Too Late,' and 'the worst Federal Reserve chairman in history.' Since Powell has shown no signs of quitting, Trump has suggested he'll announce a "shadow" Fed chair who will offer different monetary policy guidance until Powell's term finally ends. Trump's war on Powell serves at least three purposes. His stated reason for browbeating the Fed is to compel sharp interest rate cuts to stimulate the economy. But Trump also has a penchant for creating villains he can blame when something goes wrong, and as head of a cautious central bank, Powell fits the profile. Trump also manages his many controversies by creating new kerfuffles to distract people from existing ones. Threatening mayhem at the Fed has been a way for Trump to deflect attention from tariff-related inflation, slowing economic growth, and now, the mushrooming Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The Fed is not really causing Trump any problems. It has kept interest rates steady since last December, one source of calm in financial markets otherwise roiled by Trump's tariffs and their many unintended consequences. The Fed most likely will end up cutting rates by later this year or early next, just not as dramatically as Trump wants. Read more: How much control does the president have over the Fed and interest rates? Tax bill blowback should be a more pressing concern for Trump. As analysts figure out what's actually in the megabill, the political peril for Republicans becomes increasingly apparent. Most voters don't know all the details, but they already dislike the tax law and could oppose it even more strongly once it begins to affect real people. A recent CNN poll found that 61% of people oppose the bill while only 39% approve. Fifty-eight percent say Trump has gone too far in cutting federal programs, which most likely reflects the blunt-force DOGE cuts overseen by Elon Musk earlier this year. And in the CNN poll, approval for Trump's handling of the federal budget was a lowly 37%.In an Associated Press poll, 62% of respondents said the tax bill would help the wealthy, while just 20% felt it would help low-income people. The portion saying it would harm 'people like me' was twice the portion saying it would help. Trump's approval rating on handling the economy in that poll was a scant 38%, with 60% disapproving. Trump is now deeply underwater on what used to be one of his most winning issues. Voters are correctly assessing the complicated bill. The Yale Budget Lab found that the bottom 40% of earners would actually suffer a net loss of income from the bill, mainly because of cutbacks in food aid, Medicaid, and other health subsidies. The top 20% of earners would gain about $6,500 in annual after-tax income, while the savings for the top 1% would be $30,000. That's highly regressive, in that it benefits the rich at the expense of the poor. Healthcare cuts are likely to be a particularly controversial aspect of the legislation, which could increase the number of uninsured Americans by 11 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Other GOP policies could boost that number to 16 million within 10 years, and real people will start to feel the cutbacks in 2026. Republicans have essentially given voters every plausible reason to blame them for increasing healthcare costs, lost coverage, and medical disasters. Democrats will be eager to help heap it on. They're already erecting billboards near closing rural hospitals blaming Trump for the shutdowns. Whether such claims are accurate or not, Republicans put the target on their own backs. When Republicans passed a big tax-cut law in 2017, during Trump's first term, they thought voters would reward them for a bill that financially benefited a majority of Americans. It didn't work out that way. The law was unpopular from the start, with many Americans feeling it heavily favored businesses and the wealthy. While that law harmed few people, many felt it did nothing to help them. In the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats outperformed, gaining 40 seats in the House of Representatives and retaking control of the chamber. The 2025 tax cut law is more punishing than the 2017 vintage, because of the cuts to food aid and healthcare. And Republicans have a far narrower edge in the House this time around. If the pattern holds, Republicans will take a beating in next year's midterms, losing the House and maybe the Senate. If Trump has a plan to prevent that, he might want to reveal what it is. The Fed will probably be cutting interest rates by the time of next year's election, blunting Trump's vilification of the central bank. He'll need somebody else to blame for everything voters dislike, unless he finds a way to persuade them that things are better than they think. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mexico's Banorte warns FX, potential dividend could weigh on full-year results
By Natalia Siniawski MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Executives at Mexican lender Banorte on Wednesday warned that foreign-exchange volatility and a potential dividend payout could weigh on the company's performance for the remainder of the year. The cautionary outlook came a day after the bank reported a 4% rise in second-quarter net profit, bolstered by double-digit growth in its loan portfolio. Banorte's shares rose 3.5% during the analyst call. On the call, executives said a strengthening peso could dent results by reducing the value of income generated in U.S. dollars, though they maintained full-year guidance. They noted that a peso level of 17 or 18 to the dollar would add pressure, while a move above 20 would be beneficial. The bank's forecast is for the peso to ease toward 19 per greenback by year-end. This outlook is based on expectations that Mexico's central bank will cut interest rates by 100 basis points this year, outpacing an expected 50-basis-point reduction in the U.S., which would narrow the rate differential and likely weigh on the peso. Executives added that they were analyzing a dividend payout which could be announced in the third quarter to reward shareholders, though it would mean less cash on hand to grow the loan book. Despite the headwinds, which also include uncertainty around reviews of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact, Chief Financial Officer Rafael Arana de la Garza said that the bank is well-positioned to manage stress. Sign in to access your portfolio
