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What will happen to Cyanogen OS phones?

Alexandra Arici
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Over the weekend Cyanogen Inc. announced it will shut down all its services and OS by the end of the year. Which raised a serious question: what are Cyanogen OS smartphone users going to do from now on?

No official answer was provided by Cyanogen and most of smartphone makers that offer Cyanogen OS infused smartphones have remained silent until now. Except for one.

We’ll detail the solution offered by this particular device maker soon enough, but before that we want to hint at two other possible alternatives. The most obvious one would be to start looking for a new smartphone. Yes, it implies additional costs but at least you’ll put the Cyanogen disappointment behind you.

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Another alternative would be to start learning how to switch to a CyanogenMod ROM (now called LineageOS). You see the team behind CyanogenMod hopes the transition to LineagesOS will be a smooth one, with users being allowed to update without having to reformat.

However, you need to keep in mind that LineageOS is not a commercial product and is managed by a community of developers revolving around co-founder Steve Kondik.

A third alternative has been provided by Cyanogen OS smartphone maker, Wileyfox. The company already announced its strategy following Cyanogen’s collapse.

wiley-fox-cyanogenos-phones

The device maker says it plans to bring their entire handset portfolio onto Android Nougat, the latest version of Android available on the market. Wileyfox promises a smooth transition where they will continue to deliver constant and consistent software and OS updates. More information on matter is going to be shared with users soon enough.

This strategy might be taken up by other companies offering Cyanogen OS smartphones such as ZUK or Micromax, but we are yet to see an official statement from them. We’ll update you as they become available.

Xiaomi accused of trying to cover up incident involving burning Redmi phone

Alexandra Arici
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One of the biggest stories in tech this year was undoubtedly the Samsung Galaxy Note7 disaster. We all know what happened, Samsung released a potentially dangerous phablet into the world and some units ended up catching fire and exploding.

What followed next was an unprecedented move from Samsung which issued a global recall of the device. Finally, the company had no choice but to kill off the device altogether. However, the Galaxy Note7 is not the first or the last phone to catch fire. In recent days a user reported on Reddit that their Galaxy S6 edge+ caught on fire.

At first glance it might seem only Samsung phones seem to be afflicted by this fiery bug. But that’s certainly not the case. For example, according to information coming out of China, a Xiaomi Redmi phone allegedly caught on fire without warning.

burned-xiaomi-redmi

The handset was purchased as a fit on March 1, but on December 21 the device inexplicably started overheating while charging and burned up although the charger was immediately removed.The phone is said to have been charged via the original phone charger.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 buttons computer

The original Chinese report claims the phone in question is the Redmi Note 3.

The owner of the Redmi phone contacted Xiaomi and managed to get a full refund plus an additional $84 compensation. But here’s where it gets interesting. According to the report, Xiaomi had the owner sign a confidentiality agreement (which forbade the customer from revealing the incident to the media) to access said compensation. The agreement was later deemed invalid by the owner’s legal representatives.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 face computer

It’s quite suspicious that Xiaomi would try and cover up such an important matter. However we should take this report with a grain of salt, although the Chinese publication shares an image of a burned Xiaomi phones with us.

While the burned Redmi report may or may not be true, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your phone doesn’t overheat like using the right charger, unplugging the device once its charged, charging the phone in a safe place (not on the mattress or such) or removing the case when you charge.

CES 2017 is coming, so what new phones can we expect?

Alexandra Arici
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CES is one of the biggest electronics tradeshows in the world which takes places each year in January in Las Vegas. The most important names in tech make an appearance at the event to unveil their latest products and give us a glimpse of what’s to come. A few years ago, top device makers used to save their best devices for CES, but in recent years the spotlight has gravitated towards smaller manufacturers.

Now most Android OEMs prefer to launch their flagships at MWC. Samsung for example, usually hosts an Unpacked event in Barcelona, during which it pulls off the veil its latest generation Galaxy S flagship, while reserving CES for some more undistinguished announcements. Nevertheless, CES remains an event to watch out for. After all, smaller device makers might surprise us with interesting announcements and experimental technologies. And it’s not all about smartphones anyway.

While the rumor mill hasn’t revealed all that much about what to expect at CES 2017, we managed able to put together a list of what we think might be the most interesting smartphone launches during the event.

ASUS

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Yes, most phone makers usually prefer to unveil their new flagships during MWC, but some companies do come to CES ready to unleash new handset products. It’s the case of ASUS. The company has already sent out invites for its “Zennovation” media event in Las Vegas and we expect at least two phones to make an appearance into the wild.

According to previous rumors, ASUS is gearing up to launch a new Project Tango phone. Following Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro, ASUS also wants to get onboard of the AR bandwagon. AR will be very hot next year, so ASUS wants to make sure it offers something along these lines. Hopefully the device dubbed ZenFone AR will offer better specs than Lenovo’s average handset.

On top of the ZenFone AR, ASUS might also unveil the ZenFone 3 Zoom – a photo-centric Zhandset. According to the rumor mill, the device will bundle a Snapdragon 625 processor, an 13MP frontal snapper and a main dual-camera setup plus a hefty 4,850 mAh battery.

LG

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LG has dispersed some of the mystery surrounding its CES event. The company already announced a lineup of mid-range phones which will be put on display on the grounds in Las Vegas.

While the K10, K8, K4 and K3 handsets don’t offer anything spectacular in terms of specs they are decent phones that will probably come with affordable price-tags. As for the K10 and K8 they can be considered the first budget-friendly phones to be launched with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. LG has also prepared the LG Stylus 3, a middle-range phablet coming with a smart stylus.

Apart from these not-so-exciting phones, LG has also teased something more futuristic headed for CES 2017 – the new PJ9 Bluetooth speakers which can “hover in midair”.

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The floating capabilities are due to the so-called Levitation Station which houses a powerful set of electromagnets. But what’s even more interesting is that when the PJ9 battery starts to wear off, the speaker will automatically descend towards the Levitation Station and charge itself. We’re pretty excited to see this piece of technology in action at CES 2017.

Huawei

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Remember that at CES 2016, Huawei announced the Mate 8 flagship. According to the rumor mill, in a few days the Chinese device maker is expected to go on stage again at CES 2017 and unveil something under the Honor banner.

It’s just a speculation at this point, but maybe the world’s third smartphone manufacturer is looking to introduce its latest phone concept, the Honor Magic which was unveiled in China not so long ago.

The phone features a unique curved design and comes bundled with a host of AI features that will make using the phone extremely intuitive. Huawei is looking to make an impression on the US market and the Honor Magic can easily attract the attention of the pickiest customers.

ZTE

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Remember ZTE’s Project CSX – the eye-tracking, self-adhesive handset? Well it’s very likely ZTE will put it on display at CES 2017.

The company has been hosting a competition asking fans to help name the device. The winner will be announced during the tradeshow, so it makes sense to assume the phone will also be showcased for the first time.

The device should feature premium specifications like a QHD display, Snapdragon 835, 6GB of RAM and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

ZTE has been trying to impress the US crowd for some time now, so maybe with the Project CSX it will manage to get everyone’s attention. ZTE might also showcase an alternative to the defunct Nexus smartphone featuring a clean Android version. Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see.

BlackBerry

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BlackBerry might be done manufacturing smartphones, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see new phones bearing the Canadian company’s logo soon enough. TCL has taken over device production and will be coming at CES 2017 to launch a new BlackBerry device.

In all possibility, TCL will probably unveil the so-called “Mercury” device, which has leaked a few times. The phone should feature a touchscreen and also the iconic QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry’s popularity has been decreasing steadily in the past few years, so it will be interesting to see how the new TCL-made model is received.

Sony

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Sony has been pretty quiet lately, but the company has scheduled a press event at CES 2017 on January 4. And according to a rumor dating back from November, it might be possible the company will unveil a new phone, quite possibly the much anticipated Xperia X2?

Of course, Sony might limit itself to just unveiling a bunch of new 4K TVs or share some PlayStation novelties with us. We’ll see in a few days.

Controlling your new WiFi thermostat with Google Home [How-To]

AndroidGuys
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We are well established in the age of technology at this point. Many of us, myself included, want technology to work for us an ultimately make our lives less complicated so that we can spend time doing the things we want to do instead of the things we have to do. With this how-to we take one giant step in that direction.

Controlling your WiFi enabled thermostat with Google Home is a great way to manage your household without having to pick up a device or even leave the room. Saving time and not taking you away from the family time, or videogame you may be enjoying

Prerequisites:

There are a few important things that you must have for this to work

  1. You must have a Google Home
  2. You must have a Nest thermostat or other Smart Things enabled wireless thermostat
  3. You must have a Google account

Setup:

  1. Open the Google Home app
  2. Tap the menu button in the top left corner of the screen
  3. Tap Home Control
  4. Tap the + sign in the bottom right corner to add a new thermostat
  5. Tap the name of the provider you will use to connect your thermostat (Nest or Smart Things)
  6. Nest
    1. Read and tap continue screen on the permissions
    2. Sign in to your Nest account, tap continue
    3. Choose which Nest Home you would like connected to Google Home. You may only have one Home connected to a singel Google Home account (sorry for those people that are lucky enough to have more than one house)
  7. Smart Things
    1. Enter your account information and tap Log In
    2. Select the Thermostat you would like to connect to your Google Home and tap Authorize

Thermostat Identification:

As always, organization is key. You can name your rooms/thermostats to help better control your temperature.

  1. In the Devices tab, find your thermostats that are connected to your Google Home
  2. Select the thermostat you would like to set a name for
  3. Tap the Set a nickname option
  4. Type in your desired nickname (i.e. downstairs)
  5. Tap OK.

In the Device details option you can now see that the thermostat has a new nickname. This is the easy way to identify your device with Google Home. Google has a list of simple commands you can say to adjust your temperature quickly with your voice, and additional setup instructions.

We hope you enjoy making your life easier and spending your new free time doing what you want.

Loving your new tech toy? Integrated it into Google Home or Amazon Echo/Dot? Leave a comment below on what your new toy is.

Tabata: A great exercise app for anyone looking to get in better shape

AndroidGuys
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In today’s fast-paced world, many don’t have time to stay fit. In the struggle to find time to work out, many turn to fitness classes and gym memberships. This may be effective, but is expensive and you have to go to the gym to participate in these types of workouts. The Tabata app has a solution for anyone looking for a cheap, effective solution to fitness by offering an effective workout that takes less time to complete than brewing a cup of coffee.

TabataInstallation and Setup

The Tabata app can be downloaded for free in the Google Play Store. After downloading and opening the app, you are ready to go. There is no complex set-ups, logins, or installations. The app simply works.

App Use and Exercise

Before we get too far into this app review, let me explain what a Tabata is. Tabata is a type of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) exercise routine. In a Tabata, exercises are grouped into twenty-second intervals of high-intensity exercises followed byTabata ten seconds of rest. The cycle of exercise followed by rest is repeated eight times for a total workout lasting only four minutes.

To get a taste of what this app and workout style is about, I did two fourteen minute exercise sets a day. These sets consisted of three workouts, each followed by one minute of rest. After doing the exercises every day for two weeks, I feel like a new human. While I live a somewhat active lifestyle, these workouts quickly showed me how out of shape I was. After only two weeks of the workouts, I have more energy, I feel stronger, and friends have commented about my improved posture. I feel the urge to inform/warn everyone, these four-minute workouts will make a huge change in your life, but these short workouts are very difficult.

App Design

The design of this Tabata app is very simple and easy to use. The app comes with six preloaded workouts, all aimed at a different part of the body and all four minutes in length. Within each of the workouts, you can track your workout stats, set a schedule that will remind you to workout, and edit the exercises to maximize your repetitions.

In addition to allowing you to edit the preset Tabatas, the app allows you to create and name your own workouts. You can set the number of repetitions, the length of repetitions and breaks in between. The only thing you cannot do is add exercises. While that restriction is significant, the app still offers users a lot of control over their exercise routine.

Conclusion

Tabata is an easy to use app that anyone can pick up. The intense four-minute intervals in the Tabata workout provide workouts that can be done at any time during the day while the variety of preloaded workouts allows users to strengthen and tone all parts of the body. The Tabata app also offers users a lot of control when designing workouts, while the apps scheduling capabilities and statistics keep track of your progress and make sure you don’t miss a day. I would strongly suggest this app to all looking for a little help getting in shape, but be ready for the hardest four minutes of your life.

Predictions in tech: What will the 2017 smartphone be like?

Alexandra Arici
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We’re a few days away from stepping into 2017 and naturally we’re quite excited to think what the New Year might bring about in terms of new technologies. We already outlined a few questions we would like to address top Android OEMs in 2017. Will tablets die out for good? Will wearables become interesting again?

But how about the smartphone of 2017? Throughout 2016, we caught a few glimpses of next year’s major trends in smartphones. Some you probably noticed yourselves, but if that’s not the case we have prepared a list of some of the top features you can expect future handsets to focus on. So let us imagine together how the smartphone of 2017 will look like.

Edge-to-edge displays everywhere

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Smartphone makers will continue to focus on making bezeless phones. The Xiaomi Mi MIX is an apt example of where the industry is going. The device has caught everyone’s attention due to its stunning design and insane 91.4% screen-to-body ratio (on paper, in real life the story is a bit different).

But Xiaomi was not alone in its quest of delivering the perfect bezeless display phone. Other Chinese manufacturers also produced similar models like the Nubia Z11, Elephone S3, Ulefone Future and recently launched ZUK Edge which features an equally impressive 86.4% screen-to-body ratio. In 2017, we expect more and more phone makers to follow the trend and launch an edge-to-edge handset.

But everyone loves curved displays too

samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-curve

When Samsung launched the Galaxy Edge everyone was a bit taken a back and didn’t quite know what to make of the device. But Samsung followed up the device with the Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S7 edge and slowly but surely, more and more Samsung customers became fans of the lineup.

Next year Samsung is rumored to launch two version of the Galaxy S8 flagship and both will have curved displays. There haven’t been a lot of similar devices launched on the market until now, although we’ve seen plenty leak. LG showcased a Galaxy S7 edge-like phone a few years back and Xiaomi was also rumored to have such a product in the pipeline, but we are yet to see a real life device make a debut.

For next year, we’re hearing that the Huawei P10 and iPhone 8 might both come with dual edge screens. One of Meizu’s upcoming flagships and Samsung’s A series (2017) are also expected to make the transition into dual curved display territory.

Concept phones are going to be a thing

huawei-honor-magic-view

Chinese smartphone makers have been setting some trends this year and quite possibly in 2017 too. Xiaomi took everyone by surprise when it unveiled the Mi MIX concept, which was immediately available for purchase.

Usually when you say concept, your mind thinks of a hypothetical device that has been graphically rendered for viewers’ pleasure. Most concepts don’t end up being real life devices, but it’s was not the case of the Xiaomi Mi MIX.

Following Xiaomi, Huawei also unveiled the Honor Magic concept, a curvaceous phone blessed with AR capabilities. ZTE has a concept phone in the works, as well. The company asked fans to come up with an idea for an atypical handset design. Thus came to be the ZTE’s eye-tracking, self-adhesive smartphone idea. The phone will probably be unveiled at CES 2017.

We expect other device makers to unveil phone concepts in 2017. Customers will surely love such phones, due to their unique status.

AR beats VR

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Speaking of the Huawei Honor Magic, AR smartphones represents a budding niche we should all be looking towards next year. Google Project Tango phones have also started to make an appearance on the market. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is currently on sale and more are coming. ASUS will probably unveil an AR-equipped Tango phone at CES 2017 and Motorola will probably launch an AR Moto Mod sometime next year. And this is only the beginning.

An AR enabled device can do lots of things. For example, the Huawei Honor Magic can detect when you and your friend are having a conversation about Cannes movies and provide its own set of recommendations.

With the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro users can turn their living room into a scaled-down version of the Solar System which they can explore via an app. The AR ecosystem is growing fast and in 2017 the options are going to be much more varied.

Dreams of modularity go on

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Even if Project Ara being put on hold, some device makers won’t give up on their modular smartphone dreams. Like Motorola. The company has pledge to launch 12 new Moto Mods in 2017, one of which is rumored to be a Tango-enabled Mod.

LG has also experimented with modularity with its LG G5 flagship, but customers didn’t seem to be too taken with the phone. However, they do seem to like the Moto Z a lot. Our take is that in 2017, we’re going to see other Android OEMs jump in the modularity bandwagon. Maybe it’s going to be Huawei or another Chinese handset maker that’s going to try and produce something akin to the Moto Z lineup.

Dual-cameras could become the norm

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Huawei is one of the major Android OEMs that loves putting dual cameras on its handsets. The high-end P9, the Mate9 and the lower-range Honor 6X all sport one.

But Huawei is not the only one. LG, Xiaomi, HTC and a bunch of obscure Chinese companies like Oukitel all sell products featuring main dual camera setups.

However, the trend might soon extend to the selfie camera as well. For example, BLUBOO is expected to unveil the first Android pone with dual front and rear cameras. Talk about an intense selfie experience.

More power: 8GB of RAM

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This year we’ve seen smartphones with 6GB of RAM and naturally 2017 should mark the advent of the first 8GB of RAM smartphones. Even if premium phones like the Galaxy S7 edge can manage multi-tasking just fine with 4GB of RAM, some handset makers might be looking to push the boundaries of technology and add a whopping 8GB of RAM onboard of their products.

10nm FinFet-based chips come with support for 8GB of RAM, so it’s only natural to assume that phones launched with chipsets like the Snapdragon 835 could in theory boast 8GB of RAM. Actually, the rumor mill claims the Galaxy S8 will feature 8GB of RAM. The OnePlus 4 due next summer and the HTC 11 are also expected to come packing the same RAM capacity.

Bye-bye 3.5mm headphone jack

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The iPhone 7 was the first phone to make a debut without a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the trend soon extended to the Android world, when the HTC Bolt was made available at Sprint.

It appears device makers are trying to save up more internal space, which they want to fill up with additional parts or bigger batteries. Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy S8 is one of the products expected to make it out without the 3.5mm headphone jack and we expect other Android flagships to follow the same footsteps.

This means in 2017, you’ll need to use an USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter to make the phone compatible with your older headphones.

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)

antimo1

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?

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