Mobile payments are all the rage these days, as just about any company that could even conceive of launching its own option seems to be doing just that. There’s a theme in the naming scheme, too.

The latest company to get in on the fun is Walmart, which just announced its own mobile payment option for those who want to use their phone to check out the gigantic chain mega-retailer. It’s called, you (probably) guessed it, Walmart Pay, and Walmart’s plan is to have it available nationwide by the middle of 2016.

Walmart Pay is available both for Android and iOS, and it’s embedded within the Walmart app that’s been available on both mobile platforms for quite some time. It’s a new option within the app, and upon selecting it, you be prompted to add your credit or debit card or even a pre-paid or Walmart gift card. You’ll then have the option to use your phone to pay at checkout.

To use Walmart Pay, you’ll scan a barcode that’s displayed on your phone’s screen within the app, and an electronic receipt will be presented within the app after the purchase is complete.

Walmart Pay is just another “Pay” option in an increasing list of options out there now, including Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, and whoever else out there plans on releasing an alternative, too. (LG Pay!) Let’s hope some companies in the future start using more interesting titles.

How often do you use your phone to pay for things?

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Looking to switching from Verizon to T-Mobile? You’ll definitely save quite a bit of cash on your monthly bill if you make the switch, but a new promotion from T-Mobile gives you even more reason to jump ship. Starting today, Verizon customers who switch over to T-Mobile will be given a complimentary 12-month subscription to Hulu (paid out as a $100 Hulu gift card) and up to half off all financed accessories. The accessory financing agreement must range between $69 and $250, but it could save you as much as $125 if you pick up a new FitBit or a JBL Bluetooth speaker.

Like everyone else, Verizon customers also get up to $650 per line to cover any early termination fees of pay off the remaining balance on a device payment plan. The promotion isn’t available online, so you will need to head out to your closest T-Mobile store or call them on the phone between December 11th and 17th to make the switch from Verizon to T-Mobile.

Will you be joining the Un-Carrier this holiday season?

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Cortana is Microsoft’s cross-platform assistant that became available on Windows 10 during its release, and now it has come to iOS, Android, and an optimized version for the Cyanogen OS-powered OnePlus One.

Much like Google Now, Cortana will show you relevant information like reminders, events, flights, and more when you need them. It also features integration with Windows 10, so you can set location reminders on your computer or even have the phone send a text to a person after a missed call from your computer.

Unfortunately, the Android app will be a little limited due to lack of integration (or design choices from Microsoft). It won’t be able to toggle settings, open apps, or use the “Hey Cortana” phrase at anytime. But with integration with Cyanogen OS, Cortana will be able to do these things on the OnePlus One and on other Cyanogen OS devices in the future.

Cortana looks to be a great assistant, and Microsoft’s partnership with Cyanogen means that there will be more Cyanogen-powered devices that will receive integration soon. Hit the source link for more info or to give it a shot!

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It’s finally here! Motorola is rolling Android 6.0 Marshmallow out to the Moto X Pure Edition here in the US. The update is hitting devices on Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and US Cellular right now.

The update brings a few updates, though Marshmallow isn’t too large of a change from Lollipop. The volume controls have been redesigned, Doze Mode saves battery when you’re not using your device, Google Now on Tap is a big upgrade to Google Now in 6.0, and some other features have been added to replace the functionality of Moto Assist (which has been removed).

The retail Moto X Style is also getting the update in Latin America, and a soak test is rolling out to Moto X Play users in Brazil and and India and the Moto X Force in Brazil. If you own any of these devices, check for updates!

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With the launch of the Pebble Time came Timeline, which the interface in Pebble Firmware 3.0. It organizes all of your information in a timeline centered around the present, and you can go into the past or future with a press of a button.

At time of the Time’s launch, an update to the new interface was promised for the classic Pebble and Pebble Steel. Now Pebble says that it’s officially coming later this month! You’ll get the new UI on your old Pebble, which is pretty amazing considering it’s two and a half years old now.

If you’re an Android user, you have the chance to beta test the update right now. You can apply for the beta in the source link below, though your only language choices will be English. Head over there and get started!

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New apps need lovin’ too, right? Every day there are thousands of additions to the Google Play store, but many go unnoticed and never receive the attention they deserve. We’ve shown in the past that this community can discover great apps and propel them to new heights. Our weekly Fresh Meat column highlights new apps with fewer than 100,000 installs. Browse our new Android app picks below and let us know which ones you enjoy.

S Console Gamepad

Description: S Console Gamepad’ is made for users who wants to play games more dynamic with Galaxy View without a physical gamepad. Once you run ‘S Console’ app on Galaxy View, your smart phone becomes a gamepad for Galaxy View!!

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Cardboard Camera

Description: Cardboard Camera takes VR photos—moments in time you can relive in virtual reality. Hear the sounds as they happened, and look around to see the scene in every direction

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Flow Home (Beta)

Description: Flow Home is a new kind of Android launcher. Instead of just icons, we show things from inside the icons. Photos from Instagram or Facebook, tweets and messages from people you follow, the latest news from Feedly, all in one place.

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Cortana

Description: Cortana is your truly personal assistant—helping you get things done by letting your PC and phone work together. Your schedule, your interests, your people, your reminders—Cortana makes sure all that stuff is available wherever you need it.

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Playstation® Messages

Description: Use PlayStation®Messages to instantly see who’s online and message your gamer friends and favorite groups from your mobile device.

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Paperback

Description: Paperback simplifies the way you take notes without sacrificing the features you need. Easily take, organize and secure your notes in a beautifully designed user interface.

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Picture2Clock

Description: Tired of the boring, built-in watch faces on your mobile phone or tablet? Download Picture2Clock now to have an awesome clock widget that uses your own pictures as clock backgrounds.

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GeoGebra

Description: GeoGebra (www.geogebra.org) is free dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that brings together geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package.

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Rabbit & Turtle Watch Face

Description: The Rabbit and the Turtle race on your watch is a simple designe to make you smile. Whenever you turn on your watch, you can check who is winning. 

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Christmas Watch Face

Description: It is winter. It is Christmas time. Snow is falling and growing in thickness. Children are on vacation.You are radiating with happiness and all set to welcome Christmas.

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Data usage and, in particular, the effect of streaming on data usage, is a hot topic with carriers these days. T-Mobile kicked off the game with Music Freedom, which allowed music streaming without impacting your data allotment through a number of different services, the list of which has continued to grow. Other carriers have begun to experiment with their own versions of this concept, and the latest to join the party is Boost Mobile.

As a value carrier, Boost Mobile is always looking for ways to offer a better deal to its customers. The carrier is now offering data-free music streaming on five different services: Pandora, Slacker Radio, 8tracks, iHeart Radio and Samsung Milk Music. While the list isn’t large and doesn’t contain some of the major players like Spotify and Google Play Music, it still adds a nice perk for Boost Mobile customers, who will likely be pleased with the extra value they’re getting.

Boost Mobile has said that it will continue to add more partners in the future, so it shouldn’t be long before we start to see services like Spotify added. It should be noted that this feature is included as part of Boost Mobile’s growing data plans, which rewards customers with free allotments of extra data if they make their payments on time.

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The Play Music family plan that we heard about back in September has finally become a reality. You can subscribe in the next few days for $14.99 a month, and that will include you and up to five additional family members. The plan will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, and Germany at launch with more coming soon.

The family plan grants the exact same benefits as individual subscriptions, including no ads and unlimited access to the 35 million song library. This also naturally now carries with it the benefits of YouTube Red, a potentially big difference maker for families with kids that binge YouTube content.

The family plan gives Play Music parity with Apple Music at $14.99 and launches them ahead of Spotify, which has stuck with a $5 surcharge per extra user.

For music and YouTube fans with a family, the Play Music family plan just became a no brainer.

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Despite the fact that the One A9 is still relatively new, some people are already keeping their eyes to the future, anticipating the next true flagship device from the manufacturer. According to a new rumor, HTC’s next device may not be the O2 as previously suggested.

A well-known leaker of HTC details, LlabTooFeR, has tweeted out that the device known as the O2 is “dead” and that HTC is focusing on something else entirely now. It’s reportedly codenamed “Perfume,” and only a couple of details have found their way to the surface as of now. According to the rumor, HTC’s Perfume will feature Android 6.1 right out of the gate and will have Sense 8 running atop it.

The Perfume codename will clearly be dropped by the time the device gets to being officially announced, so don’t expect that to be the title you’d have to tell your friends. As far as any other details go, that’s still up in the air at this point. It’s likely that HTC will continue to use metal frames for its devices, including on the Perfume.

Are you looking forward to whatever new flagship HTC announces in 2016?

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Still looking for the perfect Christmas present? The 16GB Nexus 5X is now selling for $329.99, $50 cheaper than its usual asking price. The same $50 discount has been applied to the 32GB model, bringing its price down to $379.99. We recommend going with the 32GB model since 16GB of storage can be chewed up by downloading a handful of games or recording less than an hour of video.

You could easily find a cheaper Android smartphone, but the Nexus 5X offers quite an incredible value. The handset features a Snapdragon 808 with an Adreno 418 GPU, 2GB of RAM 16/32GB of internal storage, a 12.3-megapixel imaging sensor on the back, 5.2-inch display, fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C port.

The $50 discount on the Nexus 5X is available at the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy and a handful of other retailers. The deal will be available through December 30, but we recommend buying the phone as soon as possible to ensure that it shows up before Christmas.

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