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The Best Samsung Galaxy S21 Pre-Order Deals Could Save You Hundreds – Forbes

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Unlike some other recent product launches—like the chronically sold out PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X—it looks like you’ll actually be able to buy a Samsung Galaxy S21 when it starts to ship on January 29. Samsung’s flagship phone debuted on Thursday, January 13 and you can preorder one right now. Let’s get you a quick refresher before going over the best carriers and retail stores to buy the Samsung Galaxy S21, including loads of lucrative deals for trade-ins, in-store credit for switching wireless providers and freebies.

The Galaxy S21 family is comprised of three models: the base Galaxy S21 along with the Galaxy S21+ and top-of-the-line Galaxy S21 Ultra. They all feature fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processors and 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED displays, though your pocket will notice the difference between the models. The S21 has a 6.2-inch display, while the Plus steps up to 6.7 inches and the Ultra has a pocket-popping 6.8 inch screen. There are other significant differences among the models, like camera configuration and the presence of ultrawideband (UWB) wireless tech in the more premium phones.

Thinking about upgrading? Because the Galaxy S21 is the hot phone of the season, virtually every carrier and retailer is offering it for presale. But all offers aren’t the same, so we rounded up the best deals you can get right now and you will find them below.

One note about these deals: There are a lot of variables when choosing a phone, including memory, cellular carrier, and whether you’re trading in your existing phone. Remember that trade-in values are generally described as “up to” because the discount depends on the specific model you are trading in and its aesthetic and functional condition. And to keep this simple, all the prices below assume the base memory for each model (128GB) and monthly payments assume a 24-month payment period. Keep in mind that the final price may differ if you opt for more memory or a different payment schedule.

Samsung

If you buy directly from Samsung, you can get up to $700 in trade-ins, a $100 credit to spend on accessories and a Galaxy SmartTag.

  • Galaxy S21: $800, or as low as $100 with trade-in.
  • Galaxy S21 Plus: $1000, or as low as $300 with trade-in.
  • Galaxy S21 Ultra: $1200, or as low as $500 with trade-in.

Best Buy

Best Buy is offering trade-ins of up to $800 when you sign up for a qualified activation with one of the retailer’s cellular partners (Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile). In addition, you get a $200 Samsung credit and a free Galaxy SmartTag.

  • Galaxy S21: $800 or $33.33 per month. As low as free with trade-in and qualified plan.
  • Galaxy S21 Plus: $1000 (monthly fee varies by carrier). As low as $200 with trade-in and qualified plan.
  • Galaxy S21 Ultra: $1200 (monthly fee varies by carrier). As low as $400 with trade-in and qualified plan.

AT&T

Get up to $800 off by trading in an existing phone at AT&T and choosing an unlimited plan.


T-Mobile

T-Mobile has two major deals in play right now. First, you can save up to $800 when you trade in your phone and pay the balance over 24 months. T-Mobile is also offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal: Activate two lines and buy two new Galaxy S21s (or a handful of other qualifying models) and get a credit for up to $800 spread over 24 monthly payments.


Verizon

You can save the most money at Verizon if you’re switching from another carrier—you’ll get a $250 Verizon credit and Verizon Stream TV when you switch. That’s on top of the option to trade in an existing phone and get an unlimited plan to save up to $750. In addition to that $1000, Verizon is also including a $100 Samsung credit and free Galaxy SmartTag. Verizon has its usual array of other deals in play as well. In particular, the buy-one-get-one-free offer can grant you up to $1000 off a second phone.


Amazon

Amazon’s trade-ins are not remarkable. Compared to $750 and $800 discounts offered elsewhere, Amazon trade-ins top out around $311 for the Galaxy S20 FE or $455 for the iPhone 11 Pro. That said, Amazon’s phones are unlocked and carrier-free, so you can sign up for any plan anywhere, which can save you a lot of money in the long term.

  • Galaxy S21: $800 (minus rebate based on model)
  • Galaxy S21 Plus: $1000 (minus rebate based on model)
  • Galaxy S21 Ultra: $1200 (minus rebate based on model)

Walmart

When you purchase your phone on Walmart’s 24-month installment plan, you get a discount of up to $200 (that’s $100, $150 or $200 off, depending on which phone you choose). Likewise, you get up to a $200 Samsung credit (again, $100, $150 or $200 depending upon model) and a Samsung SmartTag.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Kuwait bans ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ video game, likely over it featuring Saddam Hussein in 1990s

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.

There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.

Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.

“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.

“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.

But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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