MashTalk: Coping with America through Snapchat Spectacles and new MacBook Pros

As reality slowly sinks in that Trump will become president of the United States of America, many of us are turning to other things — anything — for comfort.

For us at Mashable, it was Snapchat's Spectacles, the $130 camera glasses it started selling last week, the new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar and pointing fingers at Facebook's fake news problem for influencing election results.Because next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and we'll be off spending times with our families, we've got an extra long MashTalk for you guys this week.Joining me on this week's podcast is Mashable chief correspondent Lance Ulanoff and tech editor Pete Pachal.

After getting the Spectacles overnighted from LA (thanks Saba!), I spent last weekend using them in New York City. If you haven't read it, you can read my Spectacles review here.I snapped videos of myself eating pizza, flying a drone, taking photos with my phone — all hands-free.

Though the camera-equipped sunglasses are only being sold through a "Snapbot" vending machine, which appears to be making its way across the country, and most people have yet to try them, I was really wowed by its simplicity. While not perfect (importing snaps to your phone is a slow process), Spectacles are shaping up to be one of the hottest "toys" of the year (along with the NES Classic Edition, of course).

Amazon is ready for Alexa owners to stay home for the holiday shopping season

When Amazon announced its slate of Black Friday specials (or at least the big time "Turkey 5" deals that weren't part of the two-month-long sales celebration that started Nov. 1), it teased the debut of a cool wrinkle within the online shopping experience. 

Owners of Alexa-enabled devices connected to Amazon Prime accounts will soon have access to exclusive deals — if they ask for them. 

From Nov. 18-21, Amazon is holding the first ever "voice shopping weekend." It's simple: just say "Alexa, what are your deals?" within range of a connected device (or if you're boring just visit the Voice Shopping Weekend page) to find out what's on sale. 

Initially, shoppers were promised 70 Alexa-exclusive discounts without any details. As the sale is underway, some of them have come to light, along with exactly how to ask for them:

Save $50 on an Amazon Tap – say, “Alexa, order an Amazon Tap.”

Save $80 on a 32-inch Samsung 1080p LED TV – say, “Alexa, order a Samsung TV.”

Save $30 on a Sphero Star Wars BB-8 App controlled robot – say, “Alexa, order a Star Wars robot.”

Save $15 on a Philips Hue LED Starter Kit with 2 Bulbs & Hue Bridge Hub – say, “Alexa, order a Hue Starter Kit.” 

Save $80 on Beyerdynamic Limited Edition Headphones – say, “Alexa, order studio headphones.”

Save $130 on a 10-piece All-Clad stainless steel cookware set – say, “Alexa, order an All-Clad cookware set.”

Save $10 on LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box – say, “Alexa, order a Lego Classic Brick Box.”

Save 30% on a 48-pack of Amazon Basics AA batteries – say, “Alexa, order AA batteries.”

Save 35% on Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles – say, “Alexa, order Lindor truffles.”

“This is the first holiday that Prime members will be able to use their voice to shop and we’re excited to offer exclusive deals they won’t find anywhere else,” Amazon Vice President of Voice Shopping Assaf Ronen said in the announcement. "And, the fun doesn’t stop after this weekend. Make sure to ask ‘Alexa, what are your deals?’ every day because we’ll have exciting deals throughout the holiday season and beyond.”

With the need for a full cabinet of voice shopping officials and plans for a big splash in the holiday season, asking for your deals is sure to become a seasonal tradition. Just don't use your Echo to order a Tap — Alexa might get jealous. 

Apple has disbanded its wireless router team, report says

The iPhone and Mac maker has reportedly shut down its wireless router team, which builds its AirPort wireless routers, and shifted them over to work on other products such as the Apple TV, according to Bloomberg.

Apple currently sells three AirPort models: AirPort Express ($99), AirPort Extreme ($199) and AirPort Time Capsule ($299 with 2TB of storage, $399 with 3TB). 

With the division disbanded, it seems unlikely Apple will release another AirPort again. The closure of the wireless router division follows Apple's exit from selling its own external monitors (Apple promoted an LG 5K display on stage during its new MacBook Pro announcement last month instead).

Dependence on Wi-Fi chipmaker advancements is cited as one possible reason why Apple is reportedly getting out of the router business. However, ending development of routers could "make Apple's product ecosystem less sticky."

Apple introduced the AirPort in 1999 as a means to help popularize Wi-Fi and transform the Mac into the center of its media hub strategy.

Today, Wi-Fi is ubiquitous and most people have it set up with their internet installation (either renting equipment or buying their own cheaper alternatives). Moreover, speedy LTE connections are also readily available.

Simply put: Most consumers have no reason to buy an Apple-branded wireless router anymore. It's no surprise wireless routers are lumped into Apple's "other" product category (Apple TV, iPod and Apple Watch, accessories, etc.), which makes up only about 5 percent of the the company's total annual sales.

Don't have Wi-Fi? That's no a problem anymore, either. Whether it's Starbucks, McDonald's or public parks, there are tons of ways to get online wirelessly now.

What's most interesting, however, is folding some of those engineers to work on the Apple TV. Will we see a beefed-up version with more powerful wireless specs? Or, perhaps, maybe the Siri-powered Amazon Echo "killer" that has been rumored for some time? It's certainly a possibility given how much Apple has been positioning the Apple TV as a home hub.

Don't think of Apple disbanding the AirPort team as a bad thing, but more of a refocusing. In the '80s and into the '90s before Steve Jobs returned, the company produced a long list of its own inkjet and laser printers. After Jobs returned and cleaned house, dumping printers and all the other stuff the company wasn't very good at making, Apple was able to refocus on its core products, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Five ways Wi-Fi rules the world

We’ve come a long way from the early days where internet was all about information and entertainment — the new mantra is all about speed and quality of connectivity. We now expect instant and reliable connection to the internet, for a reasonable price. While mobile data services have improved for the AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) model for the TV streaming and first-person shooter binges, there is no cost-effective replacement for good old Wi-Fi.

But, sufficient Wi-Fi speed has been challenging as our devices get faster and our HD/Ultra-HD video streaming subscriptions take over TV; and as broadband speeds have zoomed up to 100-1000 Mbps, the need for a reliable Wi-Fi has never been so important. If your phone or laptop lags or connection lags in certain areas of the house or you see your 200 Mbps Internet service going down to a trickle in that new TV room with the 65 inch 4K screen, hit the pause button before upgrading your speed (and shelling out cash to your internet service provider). Your router has a lot to do with your Wi-Fi experience, so make sure yours is up for the movie/gaming night challenge. 

New tech, such as the NETGEAR Orbi a tri-band Wi-Fi system that delivers consistent speeds through concrete walls and canvases up to 4,000 square feet, is the gold standard of dependability and coverage. The NETGEAR Orbi Wi-Fi system uses an Orbi Router and Orbi Satellite to provide you whole home Wi-Fi coverage and speed. Better Wi-Fi benefits us all, in more ways than we might realize. We’ve got five reasons Wi-Fi is already ruling the world.

Everyone is searching for Narendra Modi app in India

You don’t have to step out of the house to see the panic among Indians in the aftermath of country’s big demonetization push. Just go to your smartphone’s app store. 

A day after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wants to know people’s opinion on the surprise demonetization move through his app, he is trending on the Indian App Store, and the Google Play. His app is incidentally called Narendra Modi as well. 

Narendra Modi, or a variation of his name, is all over trending section on both Apple’s and Google’s app stores. So much so that at the time of writing, every search suggestion on App Store, and Trending section on Google Play was about Modi, in India. 

Are LED sneakers going to be the new Yeezys?

Light up Sketchers were fun, Heelys were cool, and Nike's self-lacing sneakers are insane. What could possibly top them? Well, a new Indiegogo campaign by Vixole wants to bring you customizable LED sneakers. They're controlled through an app that allows you to upload photos, illustrations or GIFs to illuminate the back of your kicks.

The sneakers can also sync up to your favorite song so that you can wear your favorite sound waves on your feet. Calling all sneaker-heads: These are for you.

Fitbit Charge 2 review: The best fitness tracker for all your workouts 503 SHARES Share on Facebook Share on Twitter The Fitbit Charge 2. The Fitbit Charge 2.IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE 2016%2f09%2f16%2f8f%2fhttpsd2mhye01h4nj2n.cloudfront.netmediazgkymde1lza3.c1888 BY KARISSA BELL 1 DAY AGO Mashable Choice highlights the best of everything we cover, have experienced first-hand and would recommend to others. When it comes to wearables, your choices primarily fall into two buckets: smartwatches that have fitness tracking features and fitness trackers that also have smartwatch-style notifications. Fitbit's new Charge 2 falls squarely in the latter group. It's all about fitness, though its notifications are a useful addition. While few wearables manage to do both well, the Charge 2 strikes the right balance, if fitness-first features are what you're after. SEE ALSO: 60 heavily discounted Best Buy Black Friday deals you don't want to miss Less is more IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE One of the $149.95 Charge 2's most noticeable changes, compared with previous generations of the Charge line, is the slimmed-down design. Though the display itself is bigger and has a slightly higher profile than some smartwatches, the band is thinner and feels less bulky overall. I've never been a big fan of wrist-worn wearables — I've worn a Fitbit Ultra almost daily for years — so getting used to a slightly chunkier band was a bit of an adjustment, though not as cumbersome as some other trackers I've tried. Still, if you prefer a more minimalist fitness tracker, the Charge 2 may not be the one for you — at least, not for everyday use. Charging up the Fitbit Charge 2. Charging up the Fitbit Charge 2. IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE The extra bulk does come with a few nice tradeoffs though, including a heart-rate monitor and spectacular battery life. Fitbit says its tracker is rated for up to seven days, and I've managed to squeeze a few extra days on top of that. Your mileage may vary, of course, but considering most smartwatches will barely last a day, it's still quite impressive. The Charge 2 is also more customizable than previous Fitbits: its bands are swappable and you can change out the standard blue, black, teal or purple plastic band for one of Fitbit's new leather bands, which should dress it up a bit more for when you want to wear it outside of the gym. All about workouts Fitbit's Charge 2 tracker with the company's updated app. Fitbit's Charge 2 tracker with the company's updated app. IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE Fitbit has also given some serious upgrades to its actual workout-tracking features, which is undoubtedly where the Charge 2 excels most. In addition to the standard metrics like steps, flights and heart rate, Fitbit has added the ability to track 19 different types of activities. These cover your standard gym routines (treadmill running, elliptical and weight lifting) to interval workouts, circuit training and yoga, as well as outdoor activities like tennis and hiking. One that's notably absent is swimming. The Charge 2 is not waterproof so, naturally, swimming is not one of the activities you can track. Though Fitbit's other new wearable, the more minimalist Flex 2, is waterproof, it feels like a feature that should have also been included in the more high-end Charge 2. Fitbit has added the ability to track 19 different types of activities Of the 19 types of workouts you can track, you're able to keep shortcuts for seven of these on the band itself (you can choose which ones in the Fitbit app) and tap through your saved activities on the display. Then, when you're ready to start a workout, you just hold down the button on the side of the tracker. Some activities will provide additional contextual information relevant to what you're doing, interval workout mode will keep track of activity and rest times and hikes will keep track of your steps and elevation gain, and at the end you can view all your stats in the Fitbit app on your phone. IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE Fitbit also added GPS-tracking to its app so when you go on a run or a hike you can see a map view of your route when you finished, along with your pace. It doesn't have as many features as a dedicated running app like Strava, but it's a handy feature to have built into the app. Workouts aside, the Charge 2 also has a new "relax" mode that will guide you through 2- or 5-minute long guided breathing sessions to help you unwind at the end of the day or after a workout. The feature uses the device's sensors to track your breathing and then uses an on-screen graphic to guide your breaths in an exercise that is surprisingly calming. IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE But perhaps one of the coolest features for fitness buffs is the ability to analyze your overall fitness level by estimating your VO2 max score. The metric, typically used by professional athletes, measures how much oxygen you use during cardio activity to gauge your fitness level. (At a basic level, the more oxygen you can consume during a workout, the more in shape you are.) A truly accurate VO2 max measurement requires specialized equipment in a highly controlled lab setting. Fitbit, however, uses information from your profile, including your gender, age height and weight, and heart rate information to estimate this score. (Experts agree that it is possible to estimate a VO2 max using these indicators, by the way.) Fitbit's estimate was very close to the score I was given in the lab. I actually completed a VO2 max test at a local university a few months back so I was especially curious to see how Fitbit's assessment stacked up. (The company advises you to first sleep with your tracker so it can gauge your resting heart rate and go on a run for at least 10 minutes in order for its assessment to be most accurate — both of which I did.) And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Fitbit's estimate was very close to the score I was given in the lab. Fitbit gave me a score of 37 while my lab test came out at 34 (this, by the way, is only an "average" score for my age, according to the Fitbit app's helpful, if blunt, explanation.) IMAGE: KARISSA BELL/MASHABLE In the past, we criticized Fitbit for not providing much analysis when it comes to the stats it's actually tracking, so it's nice to see the company adding more features that help explain what everything means. Even though I already know I'm not working out consistently enough, it's helpful to have a quantifiable metric beyond steps and calories to keep track of. If you're not a big gym-goer and are more interested in the basics — tracking steps, calories and notifications from your phone — then the Charge 2 is likely not the device for you. But if you're looking to make your workouts more efficient and keep tabs on your heart rate, the Charge 2 offers the best of both worlds in a tracker that still looks good enough to wear every day. Fitbit Charge 2 The Good Tracks everything • Excellent battery life • Swappable bands and customizable display The Bad A little bulky for small wrists • Not waterproof • App can be difficult to navigate The Bottom Line Fitbit's Charge 2 is the best tracker for all your workouts. BONUS: The 3 best things about the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar TOPICS: CHARGE 2, FITBIT, FITBIT CHARGE 2, HEALTH & FITNESS, FITNESS TRACKERS, GADGETS, MASHABLE CHOICE, REVIEWS, TECH Sponsored Content For Retail Businesses, Addition Of Augmented And Virtual Reality Can Mean A Real Opportunity For Retail Businesses, Addition Of Augmented And Virtual Reality Can Mean A Real Opportunity COGNIZANT Over 1 million people have fallen in love with this language learning app! Over 1 million people have fallen in love with this language learning app! 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When it comes to wearables, your choices primarily fall into two buckets: smartwatches that have fitness tracking features and fitness trackers that also have smartwatch-style notifications. Fitbit's new Charge 2 falls squarely in the latter group. It's all about fitness, though its notifications are a useful addition. While few wearables manage to do both well, the Charge 2 strikes the right balance, if fitness-first features are what you're after.

One of the $149.95 Charge 2's most noticeable changes, compared with previous generations of the Charge line, is the slimmed-down design. Though the display itself is bigger and has a slightly higher profile than some smartwatches, the band is thinner and feels less bulky overall. I've never been a big fan of wrist-worn wearables — I've worn a Fitbit Ultra almost daily for years — so getting used to a slightly chunkier band was a bit of an adjustment, though not as cumbersome as some other trackers I've tried. 

Still, if you prefer a more minimalist fitness tracker, the Charge 2 may not be the one for you — at least, not for everyday use.