When school opened a few weeks ago, Apple's offer to students was very disappointing. The U.S. number-one supplier of hipster laptops to college kids barely has any good discounts on MacBooks, and the only deal worth talking about is free Beats headphones.

However, there is hope yet. Money saving month is not yet over. B&H has just unveiled its back-to-school deal, and there's some killer deals on every version of the MacBook Pro.

B&H has offers on the 2015, 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, with and without the Touch Bar. Critics think that the 2016 entry-level Pro without Touch Bar, currently on sale for US$ 1,299 through B&H, is the best value. For that, buyers are getting a laptop that's nearly identical to the 2017 model that runs $1,500. It has the last generation of Intel's Core i5 processor, but the difference will be indistinguishable for 95 percent of tasks.

For a more cheaper item, there is the 2015 13-inch Pro with a 2.7GHz processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD for US$ 1,199. It's not such a great deal, though — 2015 is before Apple completely redesigned the internals of the MacBook Pro and updated to a USB-C focused design, so buyers are getting a very different machine. The corresponding 128GB isn't a ton of storage on a modern laptop, either.

It is also worth mentioning that B&H doesn't collect sales tax on items that are being shipped outside of NY or NJ, although buyers may still be individually liable for paying that sales tax on their income tax statement every year.

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Last February, Finnish manufacturer HMD Global publicly released the first Android phones designed under the Nokia name. They actually look a lot like something that peak Nokia would've designed itself, but all the models were distinctly mid-range.

A few months later, it looks like HMD is setting up for the launch of the first Nokia flagship in years. The Nokia 8, seen here in leaked images from the ever-reliable Evan Blass, looks perfectly set up to take on the big boys.

The design is classic Nokia: simple front, although a front sporting the kind of thick bezels that are rapidly going out of style. The back is some kind of colored finish, likely using the same unibody aluminum design found on Nokia’s midrange phones. Blass says it will come in blue, steel, gold/blue and gold/copper.

Inside is where things get interesting. Likely specs are a 5.3-inch screen with QHD resolution, Qualcomm’s top-end 835 Snapdragon processor, 4GB or 6GB of RAM, and dual 13MP Zeiss cameras. The final phones produced by Nokia (under Microsoft ownership) stressed big, fancy cameras above all else, so it’s logical that HMD has the same focus.

Overall, it’s a serious set of specs that could go a long way to attracting Nokia loyalists back to the brand. It’s certainly not groundbreaking compared to big players like the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8, but for a simple, powerful device that takes great pictures in a reasonably pleasant body, it could be perfect.

Blass reports that it will launch on 31 July 2017 for around US$ 675, based on a pre-listing from a Scandanavian website. The price should hopefully be a little lower stateside, and if it comes in around US$ 600.

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When it comes to smartphones, most American consumers either look to Apple's iPhone or Samsung’'s Galaxy handsets. However, there is another one trying to break the party of two by slowly creeping from behind the iron walls of China.

Companies ranging from OnePlus to Xiaomi to Huawei and more are producing handsets powered by Google's Android that are every bit as attractive, powerful and feature-rich as their more mainstream competitors for far lower prices.

There is one catch, though. The majority of these devices only work on AT&T or T-Mobile's networks. This means that Sprint or Verizon users are largely out of luck.

Many of China’'s smartphones have their own promotional gimmicks that help them stand out from the crowd. The OnePlus 3T, for example, is a high-powered device with a ridiculous 6GB of RAM and a gorgeous 5.5-inch AMOLED screen.

The Huawei P9, meanwhile, has a dual-camera setup with both monochrome and color sensors designed to capture a greater amount of light in poor lighting conditions.

Meanwhile, the LeEco Pro 3 is a flat-out beautiful smartphone thanks to its clean lines and metal design.

Then there's the Motorola G5 Plus. The company that brought you the Razr is now owned by China’s Lenovo and has some seriously impressive handsets. The G5 Plus is just US$ 229 and features a 5.2-inch display, an 8-core processor and 12-MP camera.

For those who are in the market for a smartphone and don’t want to stick with Apple or Samsung, there are more than enough options available from Chinese handset makers at seriously low prices.

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Change was supposed to be good ... sometimes. As the cliché goes, it is the only thing that is constant in this world. However, one of the hardest thing to change nowadays is the kind of smartphone to use.

It is not about an old iPhone changing to a new iPhone, but a change from an old iPhone to a new Android device and vice versa.

It’s almost as if Apple and Google don’t want their users to leave their respective device ecosystems. And many consumers just stick with their current operating system, because they either don't know how to change or are worried they'll lose out on features.

But there is a way to jump between these two types of smartphones.

Moving from Android to iPhone
First, the use will need to download Apple’s Move to iOS app through the Google Play Store. The app, which is made by Apple, will copy all messages, photos and contacts from the Android device to the new iPhone.

To get started, turn on the new iPhone and run through the setup process for the iPhone until it gets to the Apps & Data screen.

From there, select, "Move Data from Android." The iPhone will then prompt the user to download the Move to iOS app, which they have already done. Tap "Continue," and the users should receive a series of numbers.

Now, there is a need to open the Move to iOS app on Android phone. A screen will appear that says Find your Code. Tap "Next" in the top right corner of the screen.

The user will now be asked to enter either the six-digit or 10-digit series of numbers displayed on iPhone. The Android phone will then automatically connect to the new iPhone.

From there users will have to choose if they want to carry over their Google Account, Messages, Contacts, Calendar and Camera Roll. Tap "Next" and everything is all set.

Moving from iPhone to Android – Part I
First, there is a need to download the Google Drive app on the iPhone. Next go to the app’s options page and select "Settings".

Tap "Backup" and then "Start Backup." All contacts, calendar and photos and videos will then be uploaded to the new Google Drive account.

Next, users have to take their fancy new Android device, and run through the setup process until they get to the page asking if they would like to "Copy your data" or "Start up as new." Select "Start up as new."

They will then have to enter their Gmail address and password to log into their Google account. After that, they can continue the setup and their phone will automatically pull the information they have backed up from the cloud down to their phone.

They won’t, however, be able to carry over their apps. Instead, users will only get their photos, contacts and calendar information.

Moving from iPhone to Android – Part II
If they want to get nearly everything off of from their old phone, user will need to select "Copy your data" back on the original Welcome setup screen. they will also need to have the appropriate cables and adapters available.

For instance, if they are copying their data from an iPhone to a Pixel, they will need their iPhone’s Lightning cable and a USB to USB C adapter to plug the cable into connect the phones.

Their Android phone will then tell them to check their iPhone and tap "Trust" in the dialogue box asking if they should trust the device they have just connected.

After that, users will need to enter their Gmail address and password. Their Android device will then connect to their iPhone and find Android apps that match all of the iPhone apps they have downloaded.

Not everything will carry over, though. Photos stored in iCloud, for example, won’t transfer, but photos stored on the iPhone will.

Users will need to tap "Copy" let the Android phone copy their data, finish up the setup and everything is done.

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Official statement from Apple stated that their iOS 11 operating system will overhaul the use of iPads and will ­deliver many value-adds for ­iPhones as well.

The iPad finds itself at a kind of crossroads. It's great as a media consumption device, for watching movies, listening to music, reading, and browsing, and for ­creating on the go: drawing, doodling, writing, as well as photo and basic movie editing.

But it’s not the powerhouse that laptops are and, with iOS, doesn’t offer the versatility and flexibility of Mac OS or Microsoft Windows.

But with iOS 11, Apple has sought to vastly improve the iPad user experience. This starts with the extended dock. Having just four apps along the bottom of the screen is gone. Now up to 13 apps can be added, and Apple has included three more frequently used ones.

The dock is easy to access: it slides up from the bottom. Anybody can quickly access and switch between the apps and use it regularly.

With the new dock comes new gestures and accessibility. Continuing to slide up from the bottom uncovers a redesigned control center.

There's no need to double-press the home button on iPad. In one sliding action the current app can be minimized and it's possible to switch to another. Music controls are accessible along with a range of settings, and HomeKit devices. Extra functions can be added in control center settings.

iOS9 offered "split view" with two apps opened side-by-side. There's now an additional variation called slide-over, where a column view of an app floats above another app.

While viewing one app, it’s possible to flick up from the bottom and select another from the dock. Drag it upwards and to the left or right edges for split view, or release it just short of the edges to float it.

In control center, apps are no longer dragged to close. Instead, press down on one of the apps (the RHS bottom of an app worked best), wait for the little "x" to appear on each, and then touch to close. These gestures take practice to get right and persistence is important. But there are keyboard shortcuts, too. Hold down the Cmd key for a list. They include Cmd/Option/D for the dock and Cmd/Tab to switch apps.

iOS 11 also features drag-and-drop within and between apps, but its implementation is limited for now. With Photos open on the left side, and a Note on the right. But this didn’t work for Pages. There’s work to be done to make these features more universal.

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The newly-released iOS 11 offers a better way to know what apps are active, which will hopefully lead to apps that are better suited to the user's lifestyle. This is seemingly an outcome from Uber (and potentially other apps) gathering information from users when the app isn't in use (although in Uber's case, they may not have crossed a line).

Apple’s guidelines for background location services allow for updates of specific needs, such as with navigation or fitness apps. But there’s no realistic way for Apple to know precisely how apps are tracking data, so the company has to rely on outside reports.

A couple of academic efforts to let users track in-app information flow revealed that location (and other private data) may be sent without appropriate disclosure. While Apple provides a small visual cue in the status bar, users have to be paying attention to spot it and might not know what the tiny arrow that appears and disappears means.

The new sophistication and user-interface elements in iOS 11 should make this all a lot clearer. Apple is offering a carrot and stick and cudgel to move the ecosystem further along.

In iOS 8, Apple added an option for developers to offer users more choices about tracking. Instead of providing a stark trade-off between always being tracked and never — users readily choose never — Apple added "While Using the App," which includes the app continuing in the background on a task users started.

An app could present a user with the clear message that tracking would only be used while a user had the app active and in the foreground, along with the purpose for such tracking. Apple also added the selection to app-based location permissions in Settings > Privacy > Location Services for apps that included it as a choice, whether an alternative to Always or as the only option besides Never.

That worked well, but apparently didn't go as far as Apple wanted. In a WWDC 2017 presentation, an Apple software engineer said that about 80 percent of apps that request location chose to only invoke While Using. But he said Apple found many of the 20 percent of remaining apps don’t actually make use of background location. The rest may not truly need it, but ask for Always and users may turn them down.

In iOS 11, Apple has made a change that will affect all apps old and new. Every app that asks for Always also has to provide an option for While Using. And Apple’s presentation suggested a better practice: a developer should ask first for While Using permission, which, if granted, allows them to later ask for Always authorization if needed.

That’s important because Apple will now allow asking for permission just once for Always. If a user turns it down, they have to use Settings to change their mind later. By staging the request, Apple believes developers would get a higher success rate for in-app-only tracking while also reducing the scope of what apps get from us.

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