The best smart multi-zone thermostat

You're not always going to be in the room that houses your thermostat. For some homes, that can mean a pretty substantial difference in temperature in every season. There's a fix for this common problem, though: smart thermostats with multiple zoning. Being able to set the temperature where you are instead of where the thermostat is can be a lifesaver. We've rounded up the best of them for 2019.

• Best Value: Ecobee 3 Lite
• Best Overall: Ecobee 4
• Best Smart Thermostat: Nest Learning Thermostat
• Best Budget Learner: Nest Thermostat E

Best Value: Ecobee 3 Lite

For a basic smart thermostat that works over Wi-Fi with the rest of your smart home network, the Ecobee 3 Lite is hard to beat. Now that it is compatible with Ecobee room sensors, it's also the base for an inexpensive but very capable system for multi-zone heating and cooling.

The biggest difference between the Ecobee 3 Lite and the Ecobee 4 is the lack of stand-alone voice input, but if you have a more complicated heating and cooling system, there are also some things you should be aware of: it's incompatible with humidifiers, dehumidifiers, HRVs (heating recovery ventilators) and ERVs (energy recovery ventilators). If you have any of this equipment you might want to go with a different model.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Works with all major smart home platforms
• Works with Android and iOS

Cons:

• Room sensors not included
• Incompatible with certain equipment

Best Value

Ecobee 3 Lite

• $138 from Amazon

Just the basics

If you want to set up a system for multi-zone heating and cooling without any bells and whistles, the Ecobee 3 lite is the best smart thermostat to start with. It's inexpensive and has most of the features you'll want or need.

Best Overall: Ecobee 4

The Ecobee 4 is the best smart thermostat for multi-zone heating and cooling, and one of the best thermostats you can buy overall. It's compatible with all popular smart home platforms — Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and Microsoft Cortana — and is fully controlled via an app on your phone. It also has a full-color touch display if you'd rather go hands on.

As a bonus, the Ecobee 4 also has a microphone and is a stand-alone Amazon Alexa device; it's basically a smart thermostat and an Echo Dot in one package.

Pros:

• Acts as an Amazon Alexa device
• Comes with a room sensor
• Compatible with all popular smart home platforms
• Works with Android and iOS

Cons:

• More expensive
• No learning capabilities that Nest offers

Best Overall

Ecobee 4

• $199 from Amazon

Alexa, turn the heat up a bit

The Ecobee 4 is the first smart thermostat with both multi-room sensing and built-in voice control via Amazon Alexa. It's also a great smart thermostat that will power almost any heating and cooling setup.

Best Smart Thermostat: Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat is a great addition to any smart home, and with multi-zone capability, it makes for an excellent product for anyone with a need for more than one sensor. It also can bear the smart tag in its own right, as Nest's software can learn when you're home and where you spend your time and adjust the temperatures accordingly. That can lead to substantial savings on your utility bills, and it means you won't ever have to adjust the temperature yourself.

Nest works with all popular smart home platforms with the exception of Apple's HomeKit. The third generation Nest also comes in black, copper, steel, silver or white to match any decor. It's a great thermostat overall and one of our favorites.

Pros:

• Learning ability
• Multiple colors
• Works with Android and iOS

Cons:

• No HomeKit certification
• Expensive
• Room sensor not included

Best Smart Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

• $216 from Amazon

Learns with you

The Nest Learning Thermostat can learn when you're home and adjust the temps accordingly, which means you save money on your monthly bills. It's also compatible with most smart home platforms, and the app is great for both Android and iOS.

Best Budget Learner: Nest Thermostat E

The Nest Thermostat E may lack some of the features its more expensive sibling offers, like Smart Sense, but it can learn to adjust the temperature when the house is empty to save money on heating and cooling with its Home/Away Assist feature.

It's also compatible with most smart home platforms, excluding Apple HomeKit, and is fully adjustable through Nest's Android and iOS apps as well as the Nest website. you can adjust the temperature or see how much money you're saving from anywhere.

Pros:

• Learning ability
• Works with Android and iOS

Cons:

• No HomeKit certification
• Room sensor not included

Best Budget Learner

Nest Thermostat E

• $169 from Best Buy

Save money from day one

The Nest Thermostat E uses Home/Away Assist to save money by adjusting the temperature when nobody is home and works with room sensors for a multi-zone heating and cooling system. It's also fairly inexpensive and the frosted white display looks great on your wall.

Nest Sensors

Nest thermostats are fully multi-room capable, but neither offering comes with a room sensor. You'll need to purchase one or more in order to control the temps the way you like in a multi-room environment.

Required accessories

Nest Sensor

• $39 from Amazon

Extra hardware

Nest Thermostats work great in a multi-zone setup, but you'll need to buy a sensor or two. They are easy to set up and work with both the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Thermostat E.

Bottom line

We think the Ecobee 4 is the best smart thermostat for multiple zones overall. You get the convenience of having a multi-zone heating or cooling system without buying any extra equipment, have Amazon Alexa built into the thermostat itself, and it's more future-proof with the addition of HomeKit support. The Ecobee 3 Lite is a great way to get started if you'd rather save a few dollars by excluding Alexa's presence.

If you already use Nest products or would rather not have Alexa and HomeKit support, the Nest Learning Thermostat or Nest Thermostat E and an additional purchase of a Nest Temperature Sensor offers the same functionality with the extra of some stand-alone learning capability that can save a bit of extra money.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Jerry Hildenbrand is Mobile Nation's Senior Editor and works from a Chromebook full time. Currently, he is using Google's Pixelbook but is always looking at new products and may have any Chromebook in his hands at any time. You'll find him across the Mobile Nations network and you can hit him up on Twitter if you want to say hey.

Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he's writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there's a correlation.

Garmin's new Forerunner smartwatches get phone-free Spotify integration

Put on your workout playlist.

Garmin has today unveiled a new line of Forerunner smartwatches including options for beginner runners all the way up to experienced triathletes, with select models gaining support for phone-free Spotify and Deezer playback.

The newly-announced Forerunner 245 and 245 Music are upgrades to the popular Forerunner 235 and feature built-in GPS, activity and exercise tracking, as well as support for stress and sleep monitoring. They also feature Garmin Coach training plans and the company's Pulse Ox sensor to help gauge how oxygen is being absorbed. Both feature a 42mm face, are 5ATM waterproof rated, and have a battery life up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 24 hours with the GPS activated. The differentiator between the two models, other than price, is the eponymous Music feature. The Forerunner 245 Music can hold up to 500 songs and allows the user to sync playlists from streaming services like Spotify and Deezer. You'll need a premium account with your streaming service of choice to sync songs over, or you can manually transfer music from your computer. Either way, you'll be able to use it to listen to music while training using Bluetooth headphones without bringing your phone along. The Forerunner 245 is $299.99, while the Music version is $50 more. Both are available to order today.

Garmin also took the wraps off the Forerunner 945, which is also available today and replaces the Forerunner 935 in the lineup. The $600 running watch is aimed at seasoned athletes with support for all-day fitness metrics, advanced multi-sport tracking, as well as monitoring training load to help you categorize your recent training history based on activity structure and intensity. There's also support for on-board full-color maps and Garmin Pay, and its battery lasts for up to 2 weeks. Runners looking to bump some tunes while working out will be pleased to learn that the Forerunner 945 can store up to 1,000 songs for phone-free listening.

Beginner runners may want to check out the entry-level Garmin Forerunner 45 series. The affordable models lack the phone-free Spotify integration but do feature built-in GPS and heart rate monitoring for tracking your daily movement and exercise. They retail at $199.99 and will be launch in May.

These are the best clear cases for the Moto G7

The Moto G7 is a great budget phone that you just might want to show off with a reliable clear case. Most options are very minimalist and thin — you'll maybe forget the case is even there. These are the best clear cases for the Moto G7.

Most trusted brand

Spigen Liquid Crystal

Staff pick

Spigen's Liquid Crystal series is arguably the best clear case you can buy when it's available for any phone. For a phone like the Moto G7, you're going to appreciate the attention to detail for the precise cutouts and raised edges to protect both the screen and camera bump.

$13 at Amazon

Rugged protection

Poetic Guardian Series

Most of the clear case options are slim and thin — not the Poetic Guardian. This case features a rugged, reinforced bumper paired with a stylized clear panel on the back. The best rugged clear case for the Moto G7.

From $17 at Amazon

Two for one!

Sparin Crystal Clear (2-pack)

It's weird that Sparin offers two cases for one, but if you want a cheap clear case this is your best option. Clear cases can yellow over time, so having a replacement stored away in a drawer could offer a nice refresh in the future.

$9 at Amazon

Ultra thin

LK Jelly Series

This is one of those ultra-thin clear cases that's designed to barely be seen once installed on your phone. It's got an anti-slip exterior so it won't slide off a table and features subtle raised edges to protect the display.

$10 at Amazon

Reinforced corners

ZeKing Ultra

The lowest priced case on our list also offers robust protection in the corners with air cushions. Everywhere else, it's thin at just 1.5 mm thick with ample cutouts around the camera and fingerprint sensor.

$7 at Amazon

Enter the Dot Matrix

Aeska Scratch Resistant

This basic option from Aeska that wears its dotted texture with pride. Some case makers include a dotted matrix to prevent air bubbles from behind the screen. Be sure to check out the transparent purple option also available.

$8 at Amazon

Lets talk about camera cutouts

While researching this article I quickly discovered that a majority of the cases available for the Moto G7 also mentioned compatibility with the Moto G7 Plus. The two phones offer nearly identical physical dimensions, except for the camera on the Moto G7 Plus being ever so slightly larger than the Moto G7.

What with the Moto G7 Plus not being available in North America, it seems likely that most case makers here are content to offer a case that's perfectly designed for the G7 Plus and compatible with the Moto G7 — as long as you don't mind the camera sitting slightly off center in the cutout.

My top recommendation is the Spigen Liquid Crystal which is consistently reliable no matter which phone it's available for. If you're down for the best value available, the Sparin 2-pack is a great deal, especially if you happened to have bought two Moto G7s.

Learn a new language by listening to catchy tunes for $15 with Earworms MBT

Learning a new language is quite tough, and yet we can learn the lyrics and melody of a new hit song within minutes! That’s because our mind instinctively picks up on memorable tunes, a phenomenon known as “earworm”. Combining an earworm with language association makes learning a new language much easier, which is where Earworms MBT comes in, and it’s on sale for $14.99.

Earworms Musical Brain Training (MBT) is a language learning tool that plays music filled with rhythmic repetitions to help you subconsciously learn verbs, nouns, and connecting words. By memorizing these tunes you’ll be able to string together phrases and entire sentences to help you survive real-world scenarios such as ordering food or hailing a taxi. This deal comes with Volumes 1-3 in each available language, with each language offering over 200 minutes of continuous audio.

With Earworms MBT, learning a new language is as simple as listening to some catchy tunes. You can learn Italian, German, French, and both Latin American and European Spanish with Earworms MBT for just $14.99.

 

Earworms MBT Language Learning Bundle Vol. 1-3 - $14.99

See Deal

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G launching in Switzerland on May 2

Sunrise customers can get hands-on with Xiaomi's first 5G phone that same day.

On April 30, Xiaomi announced that its first 5G capable phone, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, is ready to launch with sales beginning in Switzerland starting May 2. It will launch on the Swiss network Sunrise and customers can visit Sunrise stores beginning May 2 to get hands-on with the device and feel the raw speed of 5G networks.

Xiaomi first unveiled the Mi Mix 3 back in October of last year with the promise of a 5G variant of the device to come at a later date. We have since seen it pop up at MWC, but now it is making its way to Switzerland via the Sunrise mobile network that offers 5G coverage to over 150 cities and locations.

Unlike the original Mi Mix 3 which uses a Snapdragon 845, the 5G version uses the faster Snapdragon 855 and the X50 5G modem capable of connecting to sub-6GHz signals for up to gigabit-class download speeds. The Mi Mix 3 5G also includes 6GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, and dual cameras on the back and front of the device.

One of the Mi Mix 3's claims to fame is the nearly bezel-less display, which it achieves by utilizing a sliding design to allow for the selfie cameras to remain hidden when not in use.

Sliding fun

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

$500 at Amazon

No notch no problem

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 offers plenty of performance with a Snapdragon 845 and 6GB of RAM. Not only will it give you great performance, but it'll also turn heads with its sliding design that hides the selfie cameras and allows for a nearly bezel-less screen.

A guide to finding your new favorite Chromebook keyboard!

Once upon a time, Chrome OS only came on laptops that had a keyboard built-in, but now we have Chromeboxes, Chromebits and Chrome tablets. No matter what form yours seems to take, one thing remains absolutely clear: a good keyboard is essential! Chrome OS plays well with most keyboards on the market — you might need to remember which F key corresponds to which Chrome function — and whether you're looking for a travel-friendly keyboard to replace your Chromebook's sticking keys or need a wireless keyboard to use in bed, we've got a keyboard for everyone!

Does everything well

Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard

Staff pick

The Logitech K380 is our long-standing favorite Chrome OS replacement keyboard because of its long battery life, near universal compatibility, and ability to switch back and forth between three devices quickly using the device buttons on the top left corner of the board.

$30 at Amazon

Great for students and travelers

iClever Wireless Folding Keyboard with 3-Color Backlight

Most folding keyboards have gaps, shrunken keys, no stability, or all three, but not iClever! The tri-colored backlighting is a nice touch, but being a regular-sized, solidly stable keyboard that can fold up compactly, packs well, and works hard more than earns it a spot in our gear bags.

$47 at Amazon

Flexible wireless upgrade

Logitech K780 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard

This is the full, 104-key version of our beloved K380. It comes with a Logitech Unifying Receiver in case you need to use it with a non-Bluetooth device or 2.4 Ghz wireless mouse. Prop up phones, tablets, or notes while you work with the built-in kickstand and get to work!

$60 at Amazon

Budget pick

Logitech MK270 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo

Logitech makes keyboards at every price point, but if you want a wireless keyboard for cheap, the MK270 will get you by easily. This mouse/keyboard combo uses a Logitech Unifying Receiver, which you can easily hide in the mouse when they're not in use.

$20 at Amazon

Go mechanical

AUKEY KM-G6 LED Backlit Mechanical Keyboard

If you really want to upgrade your keyboard experience, ditch the membranes and grab a mechanical keyboard. This compact beauty has Outemu Blue Switches — clicky like an old IBM Model M — 6-color LED backlighting for late night homework, and a water-resistant design for the spill-prone among us.

$33 at Amazon

Rocking retro & futureproof

Azio Retro Classic

Want a super premium keyboard that works wireless or wired and looks drop-dead delightful? Save up your paychecks and treat yo' self to this backlit Bluetooth keyboard with clicky mechanical switches, a 6,000 mAh battery, and a USB-C cable for charging or hardwired use.

$220 at Amazon

Go wireless or go home

Whether you intend to use this keyboard at home or on the go, a wireless keyboard is the best bet. They're great for using on the couch, on the bed, or in a home office that's already overrun with cables. Most Chromebooks these days still come with at least one USB-A port for a wireless adapter like the one included with the Logitech K780, but Bluetooth keyboards like the Azio Retro Classic don't have to hassle with adapters at all. The Azio even lets you use it hardwired with a USB-C cable, which is an awesome perk, but for that price, it should be able to do it all, right?

I really, really want an Azio, but until I get my hands on one, I'm happy to have an AUKEY mechanical keyboard to clickety-clack away on at home. Of course, I live alone, but if a loud keyboard could drive your family and/or coworkers to homicide, you can always go with the tried and true Logitech K380. The K380's Bluetooth connection works with damn near everything and the ability to switch between your phone and Chromebook can be a godsend for live-tweeting a jaw-dropping finale— I mean for homework! Totally great for homework!

Facebook Messenger getting a desktop app, end-to-end encryption, and more

Facebook's also creating a new version of the mobile app that's smaller/faster.

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, and in a now-removed blog post published ahead of its annual F8 developer conference, Facebook announced a heap of new features and changes coming to the platform later this year.

First on the list, Facebook is creating another version of the Messenger mobile app. Referred to as "Project LightSpeed", the app will be able to launch in under two seconds and weigh in at just 30MB. Unlike Messenger Lite that's designed for low-end hardware and omits some of Messenger's more high-end features, Project LightSpeed will offer the full Messenger experience but be based on "an entirely new code base." It's unclear when the app will be ready, however, as Facebook simply notes that it'll "take time to roll out."

That's not the only new Messenger app Facebook's working on, however. Also announced by the company is a Messenger desktop client for Windows and macOS. You'll be able to access all of your messages, video chat, and more in the desktop app, and according to Facebook, it'll be released at some point this year.

In addition to new apps, Facebook's also making a big push to have Messenger become more social than it is in its current form. On this note, a "Watch Together" feature is being tested that allows users to join a virtual room and watch videos with one another simultaneously. Along with that, Facebook also shared screenshots of a new Friends section that'll help you find pictures, videos, and more from your closest friends.

Last but certainly not least, Facebook is working on designing Messenger to be completely end-to-end encrypted. Although we don't have a date as to when this will be available, Facebook does note that it's "committed to making Messenger end-to-end encrypted by default."

Should you buy Facebook Portal?