Matt Jancer, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Apple TV Is the Way To Go for Privacy While Streaming

2 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Good news for what I call one of the verybest streaming devices you can buy. The Apple TV 4K picked up a pat on the head from a consumer protection nonprofit for being more friendly to users’ data privacy than most of the competition. (opens in a new window) why would it be safer?
Remember Skullcandy? They're Back, in a Big Way.

2 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Everyone either had Skullcandy headphones or had a friend with Skullcandy headphones. They were everywhere, and while they didn’t exactly go away, they seem to have lost a bit of their market dominance ever since Apple, Google, JLabs, Bose, Sony, and Beats all solidified their strangleholds on the crowded headphones market. Now Skullcandy has brought back one of its oldest product nameplates, the Aviators, as a premium-priced pair of over-the-ear headphones with active noise cancellation.
Save Hundreds on the Best Samsung Phone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra

4 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Samsung makes no secret of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s standing in the Galaxy family. It’s the top dog, the head honcho, the best of the bunch. With the fastest processors, the most RAM, and the sharpest cameras, it’s the premium tier in what’s already a premium product lineup. And it’s priced like it, too. Nearing $1.3k for a smartphone is about as expensive as a volume-seller like Samsung gets, so when a deal comes along that chops more than 20% off the price tag, my ears and eyes perk up.
Buy One Sony 4K TV, Get Another One Free

4 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

There’s an old saying that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but that phrase was coined back in the day by some geezer who wasn’t around by the time 4K TVs came out. This is definitely a deal for a free 4K TV, which (checks notes) is better than a free lunch. Now, Sony is running a deal (which you can also find at Amazon) that if you buy a Sony Bravia 8 II 65″ QD-OLED TV, they’ll throw in a Sony X77L 55″ 4K HDR LED TV for free. I don’t often see BOGO (buy one, get one) TV deals. Not at all.
There's a Camp Snap Camera Shortage. Here's Where You Can Still Find 'Em.

4 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

“Due to unexpected demand, stock is extremely limited. We have a few colors available to ship now. Thanks for your support.” Who’d have thought the Camp Snap, the low-tech, point-and-shoot camera that’s all over Instagram, would be the target of a store run in 2025? Yet here we are.
Legendary Amp Maker Marshall's First Soundbar Lets You Rock Out via Your TV

4 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Nothing fills me with such warm, fuzzy, caramelized nostalgia for my college days as seeing a full stack of Marshall amps, whether it’s on stage at a live music gig or in a photo of a classic rock god or goddess on stage at the Fillmore or Woodstock or take your pick. Marshall Amplification has built the landscape of popular music ever since the late 1960s.
Apple's New iPad Air M3 Is Back to Its Lowest Sale Price

4 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

It used to be that you had to shop the older models to grab a deal on an Apple device. I don’t know what’s going on in Apple’s head these days, but now even brand-new devices are going on sale mere months after they release to the public. The iPad Air M3 is the newest model in the iPad Air family, the middle-of-the-road range between the expensive Pro and the pedestrian “vanilla” iPad. And right now it’s back to its $100-off deal.
Hey Android User, Instagram Is Killing Your Battery Life

6 days ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Chalk this up to keeping a lid on bad news until there’s a fix ready to go. So, Google (owner and developer of the Android operating system) did the stand-up thing (eventually) and admitted that the Instagram app was sucking the life out of Android devices’ batteries at a rate way higher than normal. There’s now a fix that should return Instagram’s battery usage back to normal levels. You just have to go into your Android device’s settings to manually update the Instagram app.
Apple's Best Headphones, the AirPods Max, Are $69 Off

1 week ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Think or say “AirPods,” and you probably envision the white earbuds that Apple made so famous, even most of the knockoffs mimic their truncated toothbrush-in-the-ear-canal looks. And they’re a very good option for earbuds. Those AirPods Pro 2s that are always on “sale?” Very nice, indeed.
The Best Roku Streaming Device Is on Sale for Its Pre-Tariff Price

1 week ago | vice.com | Matt Jancer

Back in January when I reviewed the Roku Ultra 4K streaming device (and crowned it best overall in my guide to the best streaming devices), it was reasonably common to find the Ultra 4K on one of those “Hey, look! It’s on sale but not really, because it’s always on sale!” deals. Its retail price of $100 was just for show. Finding it for “sale” for $80 was normal. If it was higher for some reason, you just had to wait a few days.