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Google reminds users Android Wear is fun with the Magic Minute Project

Alexandra Arici
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Android Wear was released by Google in 2014, as a platform meant to foster the development of wearables. Two years later we’re still waiting for smartwatches and fitness trackers to really take off.

Sure the Moto 360 managed to spike some interest, but it’s been a while since Motorola released anything new and exciting. By the look of things, Motorola is going to take a step back from the wearable market and concentrate on making phones and Mod accessories instead.

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Well, Google is trying to keep Android Wear present in users’ awareness, especially since it’s the holiday season and all,  so this week the search giant has unleashed the new Magic Minute Project upon us.

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For this initiative, Google has teamed up with 30 creative makers and doers to create a series of one-minute videos that showcase “what time means to each of us”. Google asks: What can you do in one minute?

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For example, music and video producer Andrew Huang can perform a 300-word rap in under a minute, while using is Android Wear watch to time it all. Kiteboarder ad Word Champion Bruna Kajiya shows us some kiteboarding tricks, while model and creative diector Zanita Whittington completes her look by personalizing her Android Wear wearable with a chic watch face.

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The watches included in Magic Minute Project are the ASUS ZenWatch 3, Moto 360 Sport, second-gen Moto 360, Huawei Watch, Fossil Q Wander and Fossil Q Marshal.

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If you think you could pull off a Magic Minute challenge, you’ll be glad to know the Project is open to everyone with a good idea. So you can go ahead and submit you’re creative idea. If Google likes it, it might end up being featured on the project’s website.

Now if you still haven’t purchased an Android Wear smartwatch, Google reminds you it has plenty for sale in the Google Store.

Two Mountains One Goat: Some quick, bleating fun (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Flappy Bird paved the way for one-tap control games. It’s simplistic, fast paced gameplay kept people coming back for more with goals that were obtainable yet difficult enough to that you had to keep trying before you could succeed. Taking it’s cues from Flappy Bird, Two Mountains One Goat is a game with a very similar style, but will it’s tweaked gameplay hold it’s own? Let’s take a look.

Gameplay

Two Mountains jumpGetting started with the game is quick an easy. Connect to Google Play Games if you want Achievements and Leaderboard functionality, then hit the big start button. Your goat starts off at the bottom of screen with two mountain walls going up both sides of the screen. When you tap, your goat jumps from the right wall to the left or vice versa, gaining altitude with each leap. Your first few jumps are pretty straight forward. Then the birds start.

Oh, the birds. These birds have it in for your poor goat. Some hover in the middle of the screen and might trip you up if you’re not focused, but can usually be avoided. Some move slowly back and forth and again can be pretty easily maneuvered around. Then there are some that move so quick it seems nearly impossible to make it past.

It’s at this point that these games get fun if you’re up for the challenge. There’s no greater feeling than when you successfully time it and make it past that one bird that moves at lightning speed… but that high is quickly squashed when the next bird is equally as fast and you jump right into it. It’s that small victory of making it past your nemesis bird that drives you to hit play again and try to beat you score because that fourth bird isn’t going to stand in your way again!

Graphics

I swear Bird #4 has it out for me.

Similar to games like Flappy Bird, Two Mountains has a retro, pixel look to it which doesn’t get old as you watch your cute little goat leap from wall to wall or plummet to his death for the hundredth time. The beautiful mountain scenery helps make this game even prettier. Animations are smooth and beautifully simplistic.

Longevity

The game is a lot fun. If you’re someone who’s driven by trying to beat your best score, then you may love this game for a long time. Likewise, if you can get a group of friends to download it, then competing with them on the leaderboard may provide some fun too. Just on its own, however, once you’ve played about 10 rounds, it does start to get stale. There is only one game mode and nothing to unlock apart from achievement. I find myself opening it up to tap a few quick rounds while waiting around at the bus stop or if I’m in a long line at a store, so it’s a great time waster, but it lacks depth beyond this.

Conclusion

Two Mountains One Goat is a pretty solid game, with its cute pixel graphics, easy one-tap controls, and fast gameplay. It’s best played in short burst or if you have a few buddies who you can compete against on the leaderboards. If you’re someone who likes to play a game for a minute or two just to pass time throughout your day and you like games that will challenge your muscle memory like Flappy Bird, then Two Mountains One Goat is for you.

UMi Z leak confirms Helio X27 CPU, reveals first look at new flagship

AndroidGuys
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As some of you might recall, we recently discovered that Mediatek was launching a new flagship SoC for its Helio X20 series, the Helio X27. This new deca-Core processor takes over the X25 as the currently highest-end SoC in the X20 Series, and it’s aimed for high end smartphones.

At the time, there was a rumor floating about that the rising Chinese company UMi may  have had secured a deal for the usage of this processor, It was, however, able to secure the Helio P20 for its Plus E, the first ever P20 smartphone to hit the market.

Today we can confirm that those rumors are indeed true as an insider of the company just leaked some pictures of the upcoming UMi Z, confirming also the most awaited detail: it will really feature the impressive Helio X27.

From what we know, Mediatek has a deal in place with both LeEco and UMI for the usage of this brand new chipset: LeEco got the green light to use it before the others inside the Chinese market, thanks to the success of their previous Mediatek models on the domestic market. In the meanwhile UMi has been appointed as the first company to use it for foreign markets thanks to the huge success of their last streak of products (UMi Super, UMi Max, UMi Plus and UMi Plus E presale) abroad.

Official press release date expected on Dec.12th

Our leaker also told us that all the specifications will be unveiled on the 12th of December, so we will know more within a week.

What do you think about this new upcoming product? After the appreciated Helio X25, we are really excited to see this new chipset in action!

 

Daydream View VR gets new apps from HBO, Netflix, LEGO, EA, and more

AndroidGuys
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Today is a big day in the word of virtual reality, at least as it pertains to Google’s Daydream View VR. Indeed, there are are more than a half dozen titles being introduced today, coming from names such as HBO, Netflix, LEGO, EA, and more.

A mixture of paid and free selections, it’s also a blend of streaming content and games. Moreover, two of them aren’t quite here yet and will debut later this month.

In addition to the new apps, Dadyream View VR is also getting new color options. Now, you can also find it in limited edition Crimson and Snow Daydream versions in the United States.

Don’t forget, it’s not just the Pixel and Pixel XL which are certified for the Daydream View VR now; last month, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force joined party. If you have either of those phones, or are considering them, you can pair it up with the Daydream View VR!

New titles

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LEGO BrickHeadz Builder VR: Design your own LEGO BrickHeadz characters and bring them to life. Unlock new characters and items with special combinations, and enjoy free play with virtual LEGO bricks.

Wands: Take on the role as a mysterious Wielder in an alternate 1880’s London. Equip your wand with a wide variety of spells and battle other Wielders for fame, power and glory.

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HBO NOW and HBO GO: Enjoy every episode of every season of original series such as Game of Thrones and Westworld, plus iconic favorites such as The Sopranos and The Wire on a virtual big screen with your HBO subscription.

NextVR: Be courtside, behind the goal or center stage. From NBA and NFL games and the US Open, to the Daytona 500 and Live Nation concerts, experience your favorite events live or revisit them through highlights.

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Underworld Overlord: Be the bad guy and defend your dungeon realm from an onslaught of so-called “heroes” who attempt to rob your treasures and slay your precious monsters. Direct your monsters into the fray, place deadly traps and defenses, and cast spells that help or hinder.

Gunjack 2: End of Shift: Immerse yourself in an epic sci-fi space shooter set in a cinematic VR world. As a turret operator charged with destroying waves of attackers, you stand united with your crew mates in the defense of the rig.

Layers of Fear: Solitude: Delve deep into the mind of an insane painter by exploring his Victorian-era mansion where visions, fears, and horror awaits.

Coming This Month

Netflix: Experience thousands of TV episodes and movies—including award-winning Netflix original series, movies, and documentaries—anytime, anywhere with your Netflix subscription.

Need for Speed No Limits VR: The first Need for Speed title in virtual reality, feel the ultimate thrill as you strap into the driver’s seat and launch yourself into an unparalleled, visceral ride. Choose your car, choose your track, and enter a new realm of white-knuckle racing reality.

Stretch your Netflix subscription by downloading videos to your mobile device [How-To]

AndroidGuys
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Netflix has recently announced that they are going to offer users the ability to download videos for offline viewing. In light of this amazing new feature the video streaming company has blessed us with, we are here to show you how to download and play your next binge session, offline.

Prerequisites:

There are a few things you must do before you can take your videos to go.

  1. You must have a Netflix account ($7.99 per month subscription)
  2. You must have the Netflix app installed on your mobile device

How-To:

There are two parts to this that we are going to cover; how to download and how to play the videos respectively.

Download:

  1. Launch the Netflix app
  2. Tap on the show you would like to download for offline use
  3. Tap on the Download button to begin the process
    1. If this is a movie, you will see the icon below the movie description
    2. If it is a TV show, you will see the download icon next to each episode
  4. To check the status of your downloads, tap the hamburger menu on the home screen
  5. Tap “My Downloads” and you will see all your downloaded videos and their progress

Play:

  1. Launch the Netflix app
  2. Tap the hamburger menu in the upper left hand corner
  3. Tap “My Downloads” (you could alternatively navigate to the video through standard means)
  4. Tap on the blue phone icon
  5. Tap the play option

Keep in mind that not all videos on Netflix are available for download.

Do you think this feature is useful? Let us know how you like this feature in the comments below.

Pokémon/Starbucks partnership turns over 7,800 coffee shops into PokéStops

Alexandra Arici
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Love to play Pokémon GO and you’re also a big fan of Starbucks’ yummy coffee? Then you’ll be thrilled to know that the Pokémon Company and the hot beverage giant are teaming up to transform over 7,800 coffee shops across US into PokéStops and Gyms.

Winter is coming so the Pokémon Company and Niantic are worried players won’t be so keen to go for long walks outside in the hopes of catching a Pokémon anymore. So they have come up with an ingenious solution.

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To honor the partnership, Starbucks has created a new Pokémon Go Frapuccino drink, both in game and in real life, so customers can treat themselves with a thematic hot beverage while they play.

Nantic CEO John Hanke explains in the official statement they choose Starbucks to encourage exploration, exercise and real world social interaction and the coffee shop giant’s footprint throughout the country provide a great platform to do so. It sounds good, but we don’t know how much exercising you can get done in a Starbucks coffeshop.

Starbucks

Starbucks coffee shops are scheduled to magically transform themselves into PokéStops on December 8 at 11 am PT / 2pm ET, so if you have one on your route you might as well go check it out.

Recently the Pokémon Company announced a partnership with Sprint, making the carrier the exclusive US wireless partner of the popular game maker.

Bluetooth 5 more than doubles 4.2’s performance

Donovan Jeska
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As of yesterday (December 7th, 2016), Bluetooth 5 (not 5.0, mind you) is officially available to hardware developers. Bluetooth is one of those transformative technologies that enables us to use things like smartwatches and wireless headphones quickly and (usually) easily. According to Mark Powell of Bluetooth SIG:

“Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT [Dono’s Note: “Internet of Things”]. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience…With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core: the global wireless standard for simple, secure, connectivity.”

What’s new in Bluetooth 5? According to Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group), 5 has twice the transfer speed (2Mbps), four times the range (200m), and eight times the payload capacity (255 bytes) when compared to Bluetooth 4.2. these improvements have the capability of changing the way we fundamentally use Bluetooth.

As the transfer capacity and range continue to increase, the utility of Bluetooth expands. This is going to be very important in the coming years, as the Internet of Things (home automation, wireless enabled appliances, and the like) becomes more popular.

A caveat, though; all of these statistics are purely theoretical and tested in a laboratory setting. So real-world numbers will be less and your personal mileage may vary. We should start seeing devices with Bluetooth 5 on-board in two-to-six months. 

Sleek Jet Black Oukitel U20 Plus version coming soon

Alexandra Arici
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Remember Oukitel’s affordable dual camera phone, the U20 Plus? The device was launched not so long ago for a super affordable price-tag.

Oukitel is trying to diversify its U20 Plus with the addition of new color versions. The company announced a new Campaign Gold version on December 7 which is currently available on Gearbest for only $99 through a Flash Sale.

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Now Oukitel says new U20 Plus is coming in Jet Black color. Interestingly enough, Samsung also announced the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge with 128GB in “glossy” Black Pearl.

The Jet Black version of the U20 Plus will be available for pre-sale online by the end of the month.

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As for the spec, the Oukitel U20 Plus has a 5.5-inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution with 401 ppi. The handset takes advantage of an octa-core MTK6737T processor clocked at 1.3GHz in combination with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (that can be expanded to 32GB).

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In the photo department, the U20 Plus features a 13MP+2MP main dual camera with LED flash plus an 8MP selfie shooter. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

So what do you think? It’s certainly a lot cheaper than the Galaxy S7 edge Black Pearl.

Swappa will no longer sell gadgets on international market, only in the US

Alexandra Arici
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Have an older Android phone you want to sell or want to purchase a really cheap phone? Chances are you’ll go on Swappa to check out the available options.

So far the website has been curating transactions in different markets across the globe including the US, UK, Canada and Europe. But as it turns out, Swappa is in the process of phasing out international markets.

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A Canadian user asked on Twitter why the Swappa Canadian website was display contradicting information, only to receive the answer that Swappa is withdrawing from non-US markets. So only US residents will be able to buy and sell gently used gadgetry from now on.

Swappa made a name for itself as a marketplace which doesn’t sell junk, only qualitative refurbished devices. What’s more, users can choose to sell their phone rooted or flashed with a custom ROM like Cyanogen.

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It works the other way around too. If you’re not exactly a pro when it comes to tinkering, you can opt to buy a pre-rooted or flashed device. Swappa is known for being more secure than eBay and focused on delivering quality products to their users. Surely a lot of international users will be sad to see Swappa go. The company hasn’t given an official reason for why it has chosen to phase out international markets.

 

AsteroidOS wants to breathe new life into your Android Wear smartwatch

Alexandra Arici
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2016 hasn’t been too kind to wearables. Customers are slowly but surely losing interest in this category, which showed so much promise a few years back.

But not everyone is ready to give up on wearables. Like French computer science student, Florent Revest who seems to have a passion for Android Wear devices. So he developed an alternative wearable open source operating system called AsteroidOS.

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Revest released the 1.0 alpha version for AsteroidOS today for the LG G Watch, the Watch Urbane, ASUS ZenWatch 2 and Sony Smartwatch 3.

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Interested parties can download the Linux-based AsteroidOS on their device after unlocking them flashing the custom ROM onboard. However, note that for the time being only the LG G Watch features full support. The other watches currently lack Bluetooth support – which is kind of essential if you want to have a functional smartwatch.

But what can you except from AsteroidOS? Nothing too advanced at the moment. The OS bestows basic functions on your smartwatches like alarm clock, calculator, weather app and Settings menu. There’s another app which allows the syncing of notifications and music control via Bluetooth with any Android phone. But AsteroidOS will indeed refresh the feel of your wearable.

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We can’t help but notice that AsteroidOS doesn’t support any Samsung wearables so far, but maybe in time they will be added to the list. Revest was aided in his quest to build AsteroidOS by members of GitHub and xda communities and the project will most likely attract more helpers in the near future.

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AsteroidOS is still in its infancy, but the project looks quite promising. With major players like Motorola distancing themselves from the smartwatch ecosystem, the future seems uncertain for wearables. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try and improve existing models and that’s exactly what Revest is doing.

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