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UMi rebranding as UMIDIGI for 2017; will kick off new year with Z PRO

AndroidGuys
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The most awaited UMi device of 2016, the UMi Z finally has an official pre-sale date: January 4th.  Previously expected today, December 26, some internal rumors indicated it had been postponed to launch simultaneously with another variant, the UMIDIGI Z PRO. The latter phone is rumored to have a 13-megapixel dual-lens camera.

According to an official statement at UMi’s website, the company is changing its branding from UMi to UMIDIGI in 2017 as part of an expansion. This explains the different name used for the smartphones.

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Our insiders mentioned that UMIDIGI Z PRO shares the same CPU with UMi Z, so it should perform the same as UMi Z in this department. Let’s take a first look at the the top tier of the X20 family, the powerful Helio X27 Deca-Core processor clocked at 2.6GHz, on the AnTuTu Benchmark in video below.

The overall AnTuTu Score of the UMi Z hits an impressive 116.486 points, which is high-end territory and makes it the most powerful device ever released by UMi. The 3D Score, the most important indicator about gaming performances, gives a score of 18.581 points, which is enough power to run the latest games from the Play Store more than adequately.

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Besides the powerful Helio X27, the UMi Z packs 4GB of RAM, 32GB of Storage (with SD support up to 256GB), two 13-megapixel Samsung camera (one rear, one front), a full metal body, 5.5-inch display made by Sharp, and a 3,780mAh Battery made by Sony. The UMIDIGI Z PRO should share the same hardware but with the addition of a dual rear camera.

As it appears, the UMi Z will be the last smartphone sold under the UMi name; From the Z PRO onward, its smartphones will be sold under the UMIDIGI label.

 

4441The listing price of UMi Z figures to be $279.99, but you can visit UMi’s website and obtain a $60 discount – that is if you are fast enough and among the first 10,000 people.

Cyanogen services and OS to become obsolete on December 31

Alexandra Arici
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While most of us are enjoying spending the holidays with our friends and family, Cyanogen has made a sketchy announcement revealing all services and Cyanogen-supported nightly builds will be discontinued come December 31.

We don’t know what this means for phones running CyanogenOS exactly, but until we do, users might want to to start considering new phone options.

cyanogenmod-launches-android-7-1-based-nightlies

It seems Cyanogen Inc. – the company behind CyanogenOS wants to wipe the slate clean before 2017 comes upon us. Last month, new appointed CEO Lior Tal announced Cyanogen Inc. was cutting tied with co-founder Steve Kondik and is moving its offices to Palo Alto, California.

For his part Kondik voiced his willingness to continue the CyanogenMod saga, although referring to a possible re-brand.

cyanogenmod-is-a-popular-rom

Well in turns out this is what’s going to happen. CyanogenMod just proclaimed the existing brand dead and announced a new initiative called LineageOS – designed to maintain the legacy of CyanogenMod and continue its development.

As of December 25, CyanogenMod has been proclaimed dead, as you can see in the Tweet below. People are now rushing to download copies of flashable ROM builds for various devices before the CyanogenMod project website goes offline for good. RIP CyanogenMod.

Note that despite, CyanogenMod being a separate and independent project, it still relied heavily on Cyanogen Inc’s development infrastructures and resources. With this support gone, it will take some time to return to a healthy development pace again.

As for Cyanogen Inc, the company has apparently abandoned plans of developing an alternative to Google’s Android and will focus on developing Modular OS instead – a more customizable (so called modular) version of Android for OEMs.

Evie Launcher 2.0 brings the best of Apple, Android and Nova

Donovan Jeska
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Evie launched version 2.0 of its launcher earlier this week – I’ve been using it for a couple days now, and thought you all might be interested in giving it a try, yourselves. What follows are my thoughts, and my thoughts alone:

The first thing that comes to mind when using Evie is iOS – and by that, I mean it’s clean, snappy and uses a similar aesthetic to Apple’s OS.

searchThere are a couple basic features in Evie that set it apart from the stock Android launcher: universal search (with automatically populating Google search results and content cards, detailed later), icon pack support, notification count badges, swipe to search, and customizable column/row configurations. A pretty standard set of options, to be sure, but the universal search function deserves a bit of focus.

When you tap the search bar (or swipe down on the screen), Evie seamlessly enters search mode, complete with a tasteful blurring effect on your wallpaper. Typing into this field instantly generates results from Google, as well as pulling media, restaurant and contacts from your phone and internet. This content generates ‘cards’ similar to Google Now, that contains relevant information about the item searched. For example, searching Rogue One brings up the following card…

screenshot_20161223-072551

…With Tomatometer, Fandango, IMDB and reviews cooked right in. Searching Ariana Grande (puke) brings up Listen Now (with the ability to favorite your preferred method of listening), Watch Now, Social Media, and Learn More. Searching for a restaurant offers Directions, Get a Ride (using Uber or Lyft), and Reviews. It should also be noted that searching a term also looks in the Google Play Store, saving you the hassle of having to go into the app to search. It’s not perfect, but it is really cool.

Evie is both lightweight and buttery smooth (like that hasn’t been said before, right?), with a clean, simple interface and menu system. While its customization is nowhere near the likes of Nova or Apex, it does offer more than the standard Google offering. When it comes down to it, Evie straddles a the line between customization and usability, and strikes a nice balance of both.

With aesthetic and features of both Android and iOS, and customization features to set it apart from both, Evie 2.0 is definitely worth a look. Check it out.

Evie Launcher – Google Play Store

5 stunning Android icon packs to spruce up your phone (December 2016)

AndroidGuys
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We love to play around with our Android phones, adjusting the wallpapers, widgets, themes, and icons. To us, at least, the level of customization and control we have over our phones is one of the best reasons to own an Android.

If you’ve got a custom launcher on your phone, and you should, we’ve got some icon packs you’ll want to check out. What follows are some of our favorites for the month of December. While they may not be brand new to the Play Store, this might be the first time you’ve seen them.

Our aim with these sort of posts is to give you new ingredients for you to explore and play with. There are myriad ways of configuring your phone and coming up with new layouts; we hope you enjoy the discovery of new apps.

Moonrise Icon Pack (FREE)

moonrise2

With more than 800 icons and growing, this pack employs a color scheme that is meant to portray the mix between moon and night. In other words, they have a distinct grey gradient look to them that pops with just the right amounts of color. Additionally, Moonrise comes with dozens of wallpapers and its own cloud-based wallpaper picker. This one supports some 24 custom launchers so it should play nice with anything you’ve got.

Cornie Icons ($1.49)

cornie_1

One of the more well-rounded icon bundles we’ve seen in some time, Cornie gives you 2,000+ handcrafted vector designs. The attention to detail is incredible but the icons still manage to stay within Google’s Material Design principles. The entire pack offers up an excellent mix of colors that fit just about any wallpaper you’ve got. Should you need some inspiration there, Cornie comes with access to more than 100 wallpapers via the cloud. Also plays nice with Muzei Live Wallpaper and Zooper Widget, both big notches on the belt.

Frosty Icon Pack Theme ($1.69)

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How about an icon pack that’s home to more than 3,700 icons and growing? Moreover, they’re designed at 192×192 pixels to they’ve got an incredible amount of detail to them. What you’ll find here is a theme that features circular icons with a semi-transparent frosted border. These look right at home on pretty much any background you’ll put in place as the colors and frosted trim really stand out. The Frosty stuff is just slightly different enough from the basic, original icons to be instantly recognizable yet they feel brand new, too.

ANTIMO ICON PACK ($1.49)

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Another massive bundle of icons and wallpapers, this one offers up 3,650 designs made with love and attention. The color palette might be a little darker than the others, but it’s consistent across the entire collection. The dynamic calendar support means your icons will change with the day; the Muzei integration allows for automatic configuration and adjustment from the 40+ wallpapers. It’s hard to get more for your money than what you’ll get out of ANTIMO.

Pixie – Icon Pack $.99

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Although it’s one of the smaller packs on this list, Pixie is no less deserving of your attention. With roughly 1,300 icons to choose from, there’s an excellent chance that your apps and games are represented. At 220×200 pixels each, these look amazing at any resolution or magnification. Heck, they’re essentially future-proofed for QHD and 4K displays. Toss in cloud wallpapers, dynamic calendars, and support for Muzei and you’ve got a great value in Pixie. Did we mention that there’s also alternative icons for many of the designs?

10 geeky gift ideas for your tech loving daughter

Alexandra Arici
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Do you have a daughter that just loves technology as much as you do? Then you better call Santa Klaus quickly, because we have some splendid ideas on what to get your girl this Christmas.

Sure it might be a little late now, but a gift is a gift no matter how late it arrives. And even if you don’t end up putting in practice this ideas this holiday season, you might save them up for other special occasion like her birthday. So there they go:

Stitch Samsung Galaxy S4 Phone Case

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If your daughter has a Galaxy S4 smartphones, you can get her one of these amusing Lilo and Stitch phone cases. Most little girls love the Walt Disney science fiction comedy drama depicting the adventures of chaos bringing experiment, Stitch and his human companion, Lilo, so she should be thrilled.

The case is made of durable silicone and provides protection against scratches and dirt. You can buy it for $8.99, down from the original price of $15.99.

Wired Cat Ear Headphones

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Girls love to pretend they are kitty cats, so these headphones will provide the perfect disguise. On top of that they will allow your child to listen to their favorite music. The headphones feature colorful LED lights which makes them stand out even more. What’s more, every kitty ear houses a speaker, so if your daughter wants friends to hear what she is listening too, she can turn them on.

Grab a pair of Wired Cat Ear Headphones for $99 in several colors (LED lights) including Red, Green, Blue or Purple.

Dottie Bluetooth Speakers

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Girls enjoy listening to music, so this lineup of Dottie Bluetooth Speakers should be appreciated by any teen. The portable speakers easily connected to the phone’s Bluetooth, so users can stream music anytime, anywhere. On top of that, they look cute and stylish and they will fit right in any girl’s bedroom.

Luckily, the Dottie Bluetooth speaker is currently on sale, so you can grab one for only $39.99 instead of $119. It’s available in multiple colors, including Black, Red and Light Blue.

Kawaii Cartoon Selfie Stick

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Everybody loves taking selfies these days, especially girls. If your little lady is fan of kawaii cartoons, then why not get her a selfie stick inspired by the Japanese manga? The selfie stick is going to make a great gift for Sailor Moon fans and you can get one for $23.

Jewelbots

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Maybe your girl is really good with math and computers. Consider getting her the Jewelbots bracelet. Jewelbots are colorful, programmable, smart bracelets that want to get girls excited about coding.

Girls can start programing these bracelets immediately without writing code, using simple if-ten statements from the linked mobile app. The bracelets will light up, vibrate or flash in order to let friends communicate between each other in Morse code. You can get one for $69. It seems to us the Jewelbots is quite a good investment for the future of your daughter.

Hello Kitty Laptop Messenger Bag

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Help your daughter carry her laptop more easily with this uber cute Hello Kitty laptop messenger bag. The shoulder bag features the world’s most famous kitty and fits laptop up to 15.4-inch in size. The bag is made of nylon and is super practical. You can purchase one for only $25 a pop. Your little lady will surely be excited about the fun, pink bag adorned with Hello Kitty inspired motives.

Unihorn Power Bank

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Make sure your daughter’s smartphone is always charged, so you can reach her at any time. With the Unihorn Power Bank your girl can get magical with this adorably shaped portable power bank featuring outlets for both iPhone and Android charging cables. The Power Bank can infuse up to 8 hours of extra battery life. Get one for $40 a pop.

Kaleidosphere Projector Lamp

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This projector lamp can bring an aurora in your daughter’s room. It features a rotating spherical construction that reflects trippy, magical LED lights onto the ceiling for a stunning atmosphere. The lamp costs only $30.

Polaroid Cube Camera

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For girls who are into video blogging, the Polaroid Cube Camera can be an awesome gift. The life-logging camera can record high quality video at up to 1440p HD and can easily stick to any metal surface.

A Polaroid Cube fitted with a 6MP sensor and capable of capturing 1080p video can be yours for $99.

Molang Sticker Set

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Everyone loves to customize their phones these days, so stickers are in really high demand. Also if you’re on a budget this year, consider buying this super cute sticker set from Etsy. It can be yours for only $2,60 (+shipping) but we bet your child will still be thrilled.

HTC might not launch another flagship in the US, analyst predicts

Alexandra Arici
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2

Rumors related to the upcoming HTC 11 have already started popping up online, giving us a glimpse of what to expect from HTC next year. However, according to one analyst, US customers won’t see the HTC 11 launch in the country.

Recently HTC teased an upcoming product launch post CES 2017, which raised speculations the Taiwanese device maker might be looking to unveil its next-gen flagship ahead of schedule (the HTC 10 was released in April 2016). Given that HTC has scheduled an independent non-CES event to ensure it gets all the attention, it makes sense to assume the company is looking to unveil a major product like a flagship device.

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Not according to analyst Cliff Maldonado from BayStreet Research. He predicts HTC won’t be launching the HTC 11 on the US market, because it simply does not have the resources to pull it off anymore.

HTC is currently going through a major restructuring process and the majority of field sales employees were laid off. Maldonado says that from now on, the company will most likely adopt an ODM (original design manufacturer) business model, meaning it will continue to design and manufacture handsets. As you may as well known, Google’s Pixels phone were actually made by HTC.

htc-10-in-real-life

The HTC Bolt is another example of how the ODM model works. The Taiwanese device maker partnered up with US carrier Sprint in order to bring this phone to life. But if Maldonado’s predictions turn out to be correct, the HTC Bolt might be the last HTC flagship we’ll see in a while.

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Maldonado’s analysis seems to be in league with a recent statement made by the company’s CFO, Chialin Chang. She explained that recent products such as the Under Armour products are an good example depicting the company’s “powered by HTC” strategy.

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Which is why we’re really looking forward towards the January 12, 2017 announcement. In a recent piece we speculated the company might unveil the HTC X10 powerful mid-ranger or maybe a smartwatch with Android Wear 2.0. But what if HTC announces a new partnership like the Under Armour one?

Huawei Honor 8 will get Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0 in February 2017

Alexandra Arici
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Are you the owner of a Huawei Honor 8 smartphone? Then we have pretty good news for you. We’ve just received word that the phone is scheduled to get Android 7.0 Nougat in February 2017.

The new build will also bring about the new EMUI 5.0 interface which has been fine-tuned to allow users to cut down on the number of steps they need to take in order to get things done. The fresh interface will offer more screen real states and gives users a choice between a standard layout and an app drawer.

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What’s more, after installing the Android 7.0 Nougat update, Honor 8 users will be able to run different profiles in parallel, thus having the option to separate professional and personal lives. New algorithms will allow the Honor 8 to learn from your behavior and prioritize the apps you need the most.

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Huawei knows that certain apps would benefit from extra security and that’s why it has embedded the App Lock feat into its new interface. EMUI 5.0 also offers an intelligent power management system which makes available a selection of power saving modes.

Icons everywhere!

In case you don’t remember, we’ll refresh your memory about its specs. The phone features a 5.2-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution (423 ppi) and is kept alive by a Kirin 950 processor working in combination with 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of internal storage. The phone ships with a 12MP/8MP camera combo and has a fingerprint scanner on the back.

Here at AndroidGuys we really big fans of the Huawei Honor 8. The phone is truly a mid-range jewel and now with the Android 7.0 Nougat update in the pipeline, it’s bound to get even better.

Google confirms its two Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches are coming in Q1 2017

Alexandra Arici
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Earlier this year we told you Google was rumored to be working on its own pair of Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches. Back then it was believed the wearables might be launched with Google or Pixel branding, but as it turns out this will not be the case.

In an interview with The Verge, Google confirmed two Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches are indeed coming in Q1 2017, but they will carry the brand of the company that will be making them. Pretty much like the Nexus family. aw-play-store

Once the new devices will be out and about, other existing smartwatches will be upgraded to Android Wear 2.0. Not all wearables will receive it, but most will. Here’s the complete list:

  • Moto 360 Gen 2
  • Moto 360 Sport
  • LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE
  • LG Watch Urbane
  • LG G Watch R
  • Polar M600
  • Casio Smart Outdoor Watch
  • Nixon Mission
  • Tag Heuer Connected
  • Fossil Q Wander
  • Fossil Q Marshal
  • Fossil Q Founder
  • Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch
  • Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch
  • Huawei Watch
  • Huawei Watch Ladies
  • Asus ZenWatch 2
  • Asus ZenWatch 3

Android Wear 2.0 is expected to bring novelties such as new stand alone apps availability, Google Assistant support and Android Pay (for supported devices). Google also said it will announce new Android Wear 2.0 hardware partners during the CES 2017 conference.

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HTC recently teased a big announcement post CES 2017 and we speculated the company might be looking to unveil the long-rumored Halfbeak smartwatch. And who knows, the wearable might turn out to be an Android Wear 2.0 device.

Interest in the smartwatch niche is slowly fading, but Google is striving to prove that intelligent timepieces are still worth your money.

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While Android Wear products don’t seem to be selling too well, Apple claims its Apple Watch is super popular with consumers. But Google won’t let it go without a fight.

Recently, the search giant purchased smartwatch OS maker, Cronologics – a move which suggests Google is trying to bring new vitality to Android Wear. Cronologics’ operating system was special because it included Amazon Alexa support, so we speculated Google is looking to make Android Wear more voice-enabled. Which is exactly what’s happening – since Android Wear 2.0 will bring Google Assistant support.

Setting up PayPal is just as easy as using it [How-To]

AndroidGuys
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If you have purchased anything on the internet in the last 5 years, it is likely that you have seen an icon for PayPal at least once. In case you don’t know, PayPal is an app that allows you to purchase securely online, without having to shell out your credit card information to a number of different sites. Just in time for your online Christmas shopping extravaganza, we are here to show you how to set up a PayPal account and protect yourself from some of the inherent risks of shopping online.

Prerequisites:

There are a couple things we assume are completed before starting this process

  1. You must have the PayPal app installed on your device.
  2. You must have some banking information you would like to add to your profile
    • Debit/Credit card or
    • Bank account information

Setup:

In my walkthroughs, I typically like to give you some screenshots to help you follow along. This one will unfortunately be lacking these images because PayPal has disabled screenshots due to the sensitive nature of the information the app houses. I count this as a positive since i am prone to accidentally sharing information i wasn’t intending to. That being said, the below steps will get you setup and securely spending money.

  1. Launch the PayPal app from your app tray
  2. Tap the “Sign Up” option in the lower left hand corner
  3. The app will ask you a few access questions, answer however you see fit for your personal use
    1. Can PayPal access your contact list
    2. Can PayPal access your location services
  4. Fill out the form with all your information. Make sure the email address you use is one that friends and family will recognize in case you are planning on sending or receiving money
  5. Once your account is created, it will ask you if you would like to add a bank account/Credit/Debit card.
    1. Adding Bank accounts will require the bank routing number and your account number
    2. Adding cards will require card number, exp date, and CVV number as well as billing address.

Once you successfully add some sort of financial information you are set to do your online shopping, worry free.

What apps do you use for money management/sharing? Any unique ways you like to use PayPal? Share your experiences below.

Homeopathy Remedy Finder – A quick and easy way to cure what ails you

AndroidGuys
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10

Homeopathic remedies are increasing in popularity as people are becoming more health conscious. My wife jumped on the bandwagon recently, which of course means I’m not far behind, and while I was not excited about it at first, it has improved my quality of life quite a bit and I’m totally on board now. One of the problems we have, however, is that since this is all new to us, there’s a whole new set of foods, herbs, and a whole new lifestyle to get adjusted to. Fortunately, Incredicure has come out with a great new app that helps out with finding remedies if you’re feeling under the weather. Let’s take a look at its features.

Developer: Incredicure
Cost: Free
Download: Google Play

Overview

A clean and straightforward design make this app a breeze to use
A clean and straightforward design make this app a breeze to use

Homeopathic Remedy Finder by Incredicure boasts itself as a quick and easy way to find natural remedies for a number of ailments, and it upholds that claim very well. There is no login procedure or sign up form to fill out. As you tap to open the app, you are brought to the main screen with a list of symptoms for you select. There are only 6 broad categories to choose from so you won’t be overwhelmed by hundreds of choices, and the categories do seem to cover most common problems. In my time using this app, I’ve suffered from cold symptoms and have had a lingering cough that’s been plaguing me. Fortunately, cold and cough are two of the six categories.

Homeosymptoms-part-2After you select your symptoms, the app asks you for some more information to further narrow down what your problems are. It’s this two-step approach that I found to be very inviting as I wasn’t overwhelmed by 18 different options for symptoms right off the bat. The clarifying options include pain in the throat, types of coughs, fever intensity, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, and digestive upset. Each of these options has three or four different common symptoms to choose from, such as a dry cough, wheezing, or a loose, rattling cough. The thoroughness of the breakdown provides a great sense of comfort as you are able to pinpoint exactly what problem you are having so that you can get the best treatment.

Your remedy is listed in a clear way with simple dosage and instructions on use. Some of the remedies do come with warnings which are listed in the instructions, so you will need to read carefully before taking anything, but the descriptions are not long or wordy and are written very clearly. I found the solution to my problems in just a matter of minutes with instructions I was able to understand and was on my way to feeling better in no time at all.

Any Questions?

Incredicure also has built an FAQ right into the app that answers a lot of questions that someone might have when starting homeopathic remedies for the first time. It covers basics such as what is homeopathy, are treatments safe, and even things like if homeopathy is so effective, why isn’t it popular. It’s a great reference if you are new to the world of homeopathic treatments or if you need clarification on anything. At the bottom of the app is also a contact button and a link to Incredicure website with even more information about homeopathy, so you have answers at your fingertips.

You've got questions? We've got answers.
You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers.

The Only Downside

The only thing I can really fault this app for is that it could include a few more symptoms, and perhaps a locator for a nearby homeopathy store or web links to a supplier. As I stated, I tried this out for my cough and cold symptoms, and I found exactly what I was looking for, but when my wife was complaining of a headache and I tried to input that, I found there was no headache option.

Also, since my wife is big into homeopathy these days, we have a few things around our house already, but when I was trying to find some of the remedies listed for certain ailments, I was at a loss because certain things are harder to come by in regular stores around us. A way to see stores nearby that carry homeopathy products would be helpful. Finding the remedies isn’t yet within the scope of the app, so I can’t really fault it for that, but I did find myself wondering what to do with my newly found information, so a point in the right direction, even if it was to their own online store or a partner site, would be a big step forward

Conclusion

Homeopathy can be a fantastic clean living treatment options for a number of ailments, and Homeopathy Remedy Finder by Incredicure provides a slick and easy way to quickly discover remedies for a number of common symptoms. In a matter of three or four taps, you’ll immediately have remedies available to you so you can be on your way to feeling better. While it doesn’t have everything that may ail you and you may have to hunt for a store that actually sells what’s recommended to you, this is a very good starting point for those who are interested in a more natural approach to treatments.

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