Box stores will try to upsell you, warning doom, but do you really need a protection plan?

If you nip into a store like Best Buy or Walmart for your large electronics, you’ll almost definitely be offered a protection plan of some sort. These are often replacement or repair programs that claim to make the blow of dead electronics easier on you in the long run. ”If your TV dies in the next four years, we’ll give you a TV valued at what you’re paying now.”

As a former Best Buy employee, I’ve been on the inside of these transactions, and I’ve seen the tricks other employees pull to try to sell these overpriced plans, because this is where these stores make the most money. The markup and profit on these plans is almost as much as it is on accessories (did you know cost on a $50 HDMI cable is like $2?).

Here are my two cents as to whether or not you should actually buy into one of these plans.

What you’re buying

These protection plans are usually pretty well-explained, and you’ll almo…

End your year right with this deal from BaDoink VR!

When it comes to porn in VR, you’ve always got plenty of options. Just because there are other options though, doesn’t mean those are great ones. If you want quality videos without taking a huge hit to the wallet in the process, then you’re always on the lookout for an awesome deal to take advantage of.

That’s where BaDoink’s awesome end of year sale comes in!

Read more at VRHeads
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The perfect device to blast Thrifter’s Holiday 2017 Jams playlist on.

Amazon has the Anker SoundCore Pro on sale for just $39 when you clip the on-page coupon to save $60 off its regular price.

This compact Bluetooth speaker features two full-range drivers and two tweeters to deliver 25W of sound. It comes equipped with patented Anker BassUp technology and a professional quality DSP to produce clear highs and deep, full-bodied lows. It has a USB port which can charge phones, tablets and other devices, and a battery that can last for up to 18 hours on a single charge. It’s also water resistant.

Anker provides a worry-free 18-month warranty with purchase of this speaker.

For a smaller version of this Bluetooth speaker, the SoundCore nano is down to just $15.99. There’s also the standard SoundCore on sale for $24.

See at Amazon
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When CrackBerry Kevin first suggested I try out the Bose SoundWear, I thought it looked an awful lot like a toilet seat. But it’s not – nor is it an airline pillow, horseshoe, or boomerang. The Bose SoundWear is actually a wearable speaker, and while it’ll never replace your headphones, it does complement them in a way that’s more useful than I ever expected.

If you’re at all like me, with a lifestyle that’s got you running around so much that you can’t even sit still in your own house or office, the SoundWear is one weird piece of tech that you might just find a use for it – assuming you can find the space in your budget for these and a set of headphones. Come see what I mean in the MrMobile Bose SoundWear review!

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This totally changes the way you play this game.

AR+, the new enhanced gameplay mode for Pokémon Go, is rolling out to iPhone 6s and newer. This feature replaces the AR toggle in the game with an entirely new way to interact with and catch Pokémon. It’s totally optional, but hardcore players are going to be able to use this for a noticeable boost in stardust collected and experience gained with each catch.

Here’s how it works!

Stalking in the Tall Grass

Most of your Pokémon Go experience as you know it right now will remain the same. Open the app, walk around searching for critters, and tap on a critter when it appears to attempt a catch. Once you pick something to catch, if you have AR+ enabled, things will look a lot different.

It really feels like you’re working to catch your Pokémon.

For starters, there’s Tall Grass all around you now. The app will ask you to move your phone in a circle to make the Tall Grass appear, but once it’s there you…

YouTube Red lets you watch videos ad-free, download them for offline viewing, and more. But is it worth the price?

YouTube Red is YouTube’s premium offering that gives you access to features like an ad-free video experience, video downloads for offline viewing, and access to original content made specifically for YouTube Red. This all comes with a fee of $9.99 per month. Since that’s a hefty increase from the nothing that you pay for standard YouTube, then you might be wondering: are the bells and whistles of YouTube Red worth the price?

Here we’ll go through what YouTube Red offers over the standard YouTube features, and whether that’s all worth the price.

What you get with YouTube Red

If you decide to plunk down the $9.99 a month for YouTube Red, you’re actually getting a lot. Not only will all of the videos that you watch be ad-free (mostly), you’ll also be able download videos for viewing offline, a great feature if you often like to watch videos in places with spotty interne…