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Inspirational Daily Quotes: Exactly what the name implies (app review)

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Today we will be taking a look at an app that is crazy simple. Do you ever need inspiration? What gets you inspired? The Bible, A speech from Martin Luther King Jr., Proverbs from around the world? If so, then you need to check out Inspirational Daily Quotes in the Google Play Store. This app has over 1200 inspirational quotes from all over history, From Jesus to Edgar Allen Poe to Conrad Hilton, this app is full of inspiration.

How it works

Now let’s dive into how it works. The first thing that I noticed is that the app did not request any permissions. This is great, as we will see once we get into the app there is really nothing that it would need to access. I am always leery of simple one-trick apps that are asking for location, read SMS, access phone or other odd permissions. I always deny these request until I can confirm that it is really needed for the app to function.

Next, you will see a quote. This is the meat and potatoes of this app. Let’s move to the top of the app for now, though. At the top right there are two buttons. The first is the share button, this will allow you to share the quote that is currently on the screen, via practically any app that allows that sort of thing. So whether you want to text you mom or share this quote with Facebook or Instagram you can do it. To the right of that is the three dot button that indicates settings. Once clicked the app keeps the simple theme going by displaying only four Daily_Quotes_NOtification_settingsoptions, Notification settings, Copy quote, Rate app and More apps.

Inside the notification settings, there are two options, time and show daily. The picture to the right shows what those do. The other three options, Copy Quote, Rate App and More Apps are self-explanatory and do exactly what you think they would do.

Let’s move to the bottom of the app. Just above the two buttons at the bottom, you see an ad banner. I don’t think this gets in the way and I much prefer this type of ad over a big full-pager that I have to close, which by the way, you will see when you click the all quotes button. Under that banner are the Show all Quotes and Random Quote buttons, I’ll let you take a guess at what these do. The last thing that happens takes place outside of the app in the notification shade. When you see the lightbulb in the notification tray, pull it down to see the new quote that is waiting for you. You can also click the notification and it will take you to the full app. That’s all she wrote on this simple little app to keep you inspired.

No app is perfect

2016-11-21-16_23_00-inspirational-quotes-daily

I do have a few small things that bug me about this app. The First is I seem to get notified more that once a day at 7:05am like I set the notifications to. I’m not sure why this is happening. Two, when scrolling through the quotes by clicking the random quote button I saw a lot of duplication, with 1200 quote in the library I should be able to click for an hour and not see the same one twice. And the third thing is when clicking on the all quotes button they are too far apart and it takes a lot of scrolling to get to a few quotes in this mode. Number 4 is the full page ad that I have to close to see all the quotes. I dislike these types of ads and think app developers should do away with them.

Six open source Android games – Offering flexibility to users (PROMOTED)

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With the invention and gaining momentum of smartphones, Android users have a huge variety of apps and games almost at our fingertips. However, something that is very irritating for the users is that some games have too many advertisements, in-app purchases and various other features which diminish the stellar experience of the games.

Although the world of open source games isn’t exactly well-known for its good quality games, there is always a wide array of Android games which you would get at F-Droid repository and which are almost new and playable. A majority of these games are actually duplicates of their computer-playable counterparts but can still be enjoyed in every form.

Here in this article, we will offer you the names and descriptions of some of your most-liked and played games straight from the F-Droid repository. The games which are listed here are released with open source licenses and they don’t contain any in-app issues or other shady features which can annoy mobile gamers. Each game offers a single player mode which doesn’t require access to the network and hence they’re ideal for a flight, bus ride, or few minutes waiting in line. Check out some such games which are played both on your Android smartphone and on your computer.

#1: Wormax.io

Wormax.io is a thrilling multiplayer action game hugely inspired by Slither.io and gamers seem entirely satisfied with the way this one has been shaped. Both games have a very similar look but if you start playing the game, you will see that Wormax.io is packed with enough extra features. The main goal of the game is ‘Eat or be eaten’! You can check out the homepage to view more games like Color Switch as well.

#2: 2048

This can be said to be a rejuvenated version of the 2048 puzzle game. The game entails moving of tiles which have numbers assigned, through a 4×4 grid. The tiles, when they start arriving, will have a 2 written and whenever two tiles match with each other, they join. A tile with number 2 matches another with the same number and becomes a tile of 4, and similarly two tiles with 4 touching each other will become 8. The objective is to continue with joining tiles in order to successfully make a tile of 2048. When the grid is totally filled up with tiles and there’s no more space with valid moves, you’re done.

#3: Blokish

Blokish is an online version of the board game called Blokus. This game occurs on a 20X20 grid where 4 players can play in a computer game with 3 opponents. They take their own turns by placing pieces on the grid. Every player has got 21 pieces which comprise of different sizes and shapes which range from pieces to single squares and may even have 5 squares kept in different formations. The very first piece which the player puts on the board has to be touched at the right corner of the board but it can’t touch the same side of another piece which dons similar color.

#4: Blockinger

Blockinger is a clone of Tetris. The standard pieces of Tetris fall from the top portion of the screen and the gamer has to rotate and move the pieces in order to create full rows of squares. A line disappears once it is completed. Game continues and the speed increases as the player continues completing the lines. When the blocks reach the top portion of the screen, the game is over.

#5: Crosswords

Crosswords, as the name suggests, is a clone of Scrabble which involves a computer player with whom you can play with; it also lets gamers play with real people who can take turns on the phone or remotely via internet and Bluetooth connections. The player follows the game using the basic rules of Scrabble and must use a specific combination of tiles to forms words. You can earn points according to the letters that are used and some letters are worth more than regular points with bonuses.

#6: Frozen Bubble

This is yet another famous open source game of Linux with a similar app in the Play Store. The player has to make bubbles disappear from the computer or phone screen by shooting more bubbles towards them. When three or more bubbles of similar color touch, they get removed from the screen and those connected also disappear. A level is completed as soon as all the bubbles are shot at and removed.

Apart from the above mentioned open source games, there are other games too which Android owners may want to look into. If you’re an avid gamer who loves to explore new games, make sure you keep a close track on the brand new games which are developed by the expert developers. You might be surprised at how compelling some of them are and yet still don’t have advertisements or purchases.

Disclaimer: This article is a guest contributed or sponsored post; AndroidGuys does not claim any responsibility for it beyond the pre-approved links and content.

Samsung Pay on the Gear S3 not available for Pixel users

Alexandra Arici
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A few days ago we told you that Samsung Pay will work Gear S3 smartwatches which aren’t paired with Galaxy smartphones. In a Tweet, Samsung (Pay) said that Gear S3 users will be able to make payments with Samsung Pay if they have an Android 4.4 KitKat or older connected device.

Well it turns out, things aren’t as rosy as initially announced. While phones like the LG V20 have been proved to be Samsung Pay compatible, when paired with a S3 Gear, it now appears other flagships won’t enjoy the same perk. Like the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.

A Pixel XL user took to Twitter to enquirer about the availability of the service on his phone. He says he tried installing Samsung Pay on the handset, only to receive the “Installation Failed” error. Samsung Pay responded to the inquiry by saying the service is not available on Pixel phones.

https://twitter.com/SamsungPay/status/802077661799575552

It’s unclear why this is the case, given that a few days back the same Twitter account confirmed the availability of the service on all Android 4.4 KitKat and above phones. Even so, we like to hope given that Samsung Pay is constantly expanding its availability (their own words), so who knows maybe the Pixels will be next.

two-samsung-gear-s3-watchesFor those of you who aren’t using a Pixel phone, but another Android device, the HTC 10 for instance, chances are the service could work for you. Just check the Gear S3 app on your phone to see if the Samsung Pay option has been added for you and install the updates.

Interested customers can get the Gear S3 (available in Classic and Frontier models) AT&T, T-Mobile or Samsung itself.

Some Pixel phones unable to display iPhone 7 Plus screenshots properly

Alexandra Arici
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The Google Pixel and Pixel XL have been hailed as some of the best smartphones in 2016. However, the phones have been plagued with a few issues.

For example, some owners have been complaining their phones have problems with LTE band 4 connectivity. You’ve probably also heard of the camera flare issue, which Google said would be fixed by a software update. Well, the latest Pixel related issue seems to involve the iPhone.

According to people discussing the problem on the Google Product Forum, the Pixels seem to unable to display screenshots captured and sent via an iPhone 7 Plus.

pixel-and-pixel-xlThis issue is very specific. The screenshot has to be captured from within an app and not from the device’s home screen. It also has to be sent via Hangouts or SMS/MMS to Google’s Pixel phones. Pixel owners will see a severely distorted image.

The problem does not pop up when the reverse happens – meaning when someone sends a screenshot from the Pixel to the iPhone 7 Plus.

There’s some indication the problem might be caused by an incongruity in the latest Android 7.1 update which doesn’t allow for apt image processing. A Nexus 6 user reported the same happening after he updated to Nougat (most likely via a ROM).

Google has apparently been made aware of the situation, but didn’t comment on the situation. If you are holding on to a Pixel or Pixel XL, is this happening to you too?

Snapdragon 830 still happening, coming in second half of 2017

Alexandra Arici
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Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 835 not so long ago. The high-end chipset which is based on Samsung’s 10nm FinFET processes, is expected to be making it out on devices next year.

But what about the Snapdragon 830 you might wonder? With the announcement of the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm seemed all too willing to skip over it. But now a report coming out of China claims the Snapdragon 830 is still going to happen.

The processor is said to be making a debut in H2 2017, so a bit later than the Snapdragon 835. A few of the chipset’s specifications also leaked. We’re told the SoC will take advantage of either six or eight Kyro 200 cores.

snapdragon-835-10-nm-finfet-announcement-pictureIt will also bundle the Adreno 519 GPU and akin to the Snapdragon 835 will be manufactured using the 10nm process. Last but not least, the new silicon piece will come bundled with Cat.12 baseband support.

It appears that in 2017, Qualcomm will continue on its strategy of launching two flagships processor. This year we’ve seen the Snapdragon 820 and Snapdragon 821, and if the rumors are true next year we’re going to see the Snapdragon 835 appear first and then the Snapdragon 830.

It does seem a bit unusual, but bear in mind the Snapdragon 830 is yet to be officially confirmed, so take this info with a hefty dose of salt.

the-powerful-snapdragonThe rumor mill has been whispering that the OnePlus 4, which is reportedly due out in June/July will be among the first to sport a Snapdragon 830 under the hood. If this will indeed be the case, it remains to be seen.

As for the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm didn’t share too much info about it. Luckily a recent leak shed some light on the matter. The silicone piece is expected to be based on an altered Kyro 200 architecture which takes advantage of four big and four small cores.

The SoC will take advantage of Adreno 540 GPU, an X16 LTE modem and Quick Charge 4.0. Qualcomm also said the new chip will bring a 30% boost in area efficiency and possible 27% increase in performance and 40% decrease in power consumption.

The first devices expected to roll out with a Snapdragon 835 include the Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Mi 6.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge found to be safest phone among flagships

Alexandra Arici
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There’s no doubt smartphones have changed the way we live. We can connect with friends around the world, stream video and music and do just about anything with a couple of taps.

But are smartphones all about the benefits of living in an interconnected world? Some don’t think so. Many studies have been published claiming that smartphone overuse can have some potentially life-threatening consequences. According to select research, handsets can damage your brain, your eyesight and even your skin.

However, it’s a matter of debate (to put it mildly) whether that’s really the case, but organizations like the FCC / Federal Communications Commission) are keeping an eye out.

samsung-galaxy-s7-duoAccording to World Health Organization, cell phones are capable of emitting electromagnetic waves that can damage the human body, so the FCC monitors electromagnetic radiation emission levels produced by smartphones available on the market in order to help maintain the safe limits.

The unit by which this is measured is called the Specific Absorb ion Rate (SAR) – which evaluates how much energy is absorbed by the human body when it is exposed to a radio frequency electromagnetic field. Prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation is said to lead to a heighten cancer risk.

electromagnetic-emissionWant to know which smartphone on the market is the safest in terms of electromagnetic radiation according to the FCC? Well, according to a report coming from Business Korea, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

The maximum amount of emission allowed by the SAR scale is 1.6w/kg, but the Galaxy S7 edge SAR stands at only 0.264w/kg.

Here’s the top 10 safest smartphones:

  • ASUS ZenFone 3 – SAR 0.278w/kg
  • Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) – SAR 0.290 w/kg
  • Lenovo Moto Z – SAR 0.304 w/kg
  • OnePlus 3 – SAR 0.394 w/kg
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 – SAR 0.406 w/kg
  • HTC 10 – SAR 0.417 w/kg
  • Sony Xperia XA – SAR 0.473 w/kg
  • Huawei Honor 5X – SAR 0.560 w/kg
  • Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) – SAR 0.621 w/kg

At the other side of the spectrum here’s the top worst SAR phones:

  • Huawei Honor 8 – SAR 1.5 w/kg
  • Huawei P9 – SAR 1.43 w/kg
  • iPhone 7 – SAR 1.38 w/kg
  • iPhone 7 Plus – SAR 1.24 w/kg
  • Huawei Honor 5C – SAR 1.14 w/kg
  • Sony Xperia X Compact – SAR 1.08 w/kg
  • Sony Xperia XZ – SAR 0.870 w/kg
  • LG G5 – SAR 0.737 w/kg
  • Sony Xperia X – SAR 0.720 w/kg

As you can see Apple’s iPhones don’t fear out so well in terms of SAR, so if you’re worried about electromagnetic radiation you best go with Samsung instead.

While the World Health Organization and government agencies like FCC want to keep electromagnetic radiation emission in check, we’d like to note that in 2015 the European Commission Scientific Committee on the Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks concluded that, overall, epidemiologic studies on cell phone radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation exposure do not show an increased risk of brain tumors or other cancers of the head and neck.

As you can see, experts and clinical studies tend to disagree, but it’s better to be safe (with a Galaxy S7 edge) than sorry.

The best promotions you’ll find for wireless service providers (November 27)

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Don’t look now, but we’ve got little more than one month left in the year. As such, this is one of the best times to switch carriers or pick up a new phone. Just about everywhere you look you will find some sort of promotion or discount. Not just phones, but rate plans and accessories, too! Here’s a list of what each of the top five carriers are doing this week.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge vs. LG V20 (Smartphone Showdown)

Donovan Jeska
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Something a bit different this time around, AndroidGuys – rather than comparing last year’s model to this year’s, I’m going to pit two high-end juggernauts against one another.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m biased in this particular Showdown. I think the Edge’s curved screen and edge gestures are over hyped and faddy, like 3DTV and Pogs, and will pass as swiftly as it arrived. I like the V20’s adorable little second screen, despite it being ill-placed and underutilized.

I mean, wouldn’t it be more useful at the bottom of the screen, where it can be easily reached with even the Megan Foxiest of thumbs? Wouldn’t a long, thin bar of a screen be better utilized if it doubled as the navbar for Android? When the main screen is off, it could be used a notification ticker. When on, it could be used as the navbar, or a horizontal swipe could take you to the app dock. Hell, they could even have made it AMOLED to make it more battery efficient.

BUT. THEY. DIDN’T.

And I’ve gotten sidetracked again. Anyway. Here’s the Showdown.

Build

5.54oz vs 6.14oz

Glass Body vs Aluminum Body

Not exactly Apples to Apples, here; the S7 Edge is smaller and lighter with a glass body and aluminum frame, while the V20 is larger and heavier with an aluminum body. Rest assured, being flagships of two of the biggest, baddest manufacturers around, both are gof solid build quality.

Screen

s7edge
Gotta admit – it sure is pretty.

5.5″ vs 5.7″ (with a 2.1″ secondary LCD)

534ppi vs 513ppi

Super AMOLED Curved vs IPS LCD

This is kind of a toss-up for me. On the one hand, I love AMOLED screens. Those deep blacks are gorgeous, and the battery life is really improved. On the other, I deeply dislike the Edge’s curved screen and love the V20’s secondary display; so I’m gonna call this a draw, because I’m indecisive. Objectively, however, the S7 Edge has a denser screen with a more unique technology associated with it – it’s also a bit smaller, for those of you with smaller hands.

Internals

Exynos 8890 (2.3GHz) vs Snapdragon 820 (2.15GHz)

4GB RAM

32GB vs 64GB Internal Storage (Expandable)

Relatively comparable, here; though the S7 Edge technically has an advantage in the processor department, the V20 actually comes in with a slightly higher AnTuTu score (135k vs the Edge’s 128k). The V20 comes with 64GB stock internal storage, though both devices have a microSD slot – so storage should never be a problem.

Internal Features

Bluetooth 4.2

802.11ac WiFi

MicroUSB vs USB-C

Curved Display vs Second Screen

v201Let’s be honest – that last one is the one that matters. Both features use a gimmicky technology to display relevant information with the primary display off, though they use very different functionalities to deliver said information. The Edge makes great use of its AMOLED screen by ensuring that only the pixels that are being used are turned on, and the curved screen means that even if the phone is face down, the notification will be visible. In addition, Edge gestures allow a variety of functionalities – that, honestly, can be accomplished with a traditional flat display.

LG’s solution is a little more…hamfisted. It uses a secondary display to show relevant information and notifications when the primary display is off, as well as providing a place for app shortcuts – kinda like a permanent App Dock you’d find on your homescreen. This second screen, however, is not AMOLED, meaning that whenever it’s on, it’s draining battery – even with a solid black background. In addition, it’s not viewable when the phone is face down.

It really comes down to technology preference – I prefer the second display over the gimmicky, hyped-up curved screen, but I wouldn’t fault you for reversing the adjectives there if you so wished.

Battery Life

3600mAh vs 3200mAh

While PhoneArena doesn’t have specific talk times for the S7 Edge – the V20 is rated for 8 hours of talk time – I’m inclined to believe that with a smaller, more efficient screen and a more diversified CPU, the Edge is likely to get more out of a comparable size battery – let alone one that’s 400mAh larger. It should also be noted that the S7 Edge supports Wireless Charging (including the Qi standard), while the V20 does not.

Camera

As I noted in my last Showdown, the V20’s camera is (well, are) a beast. Even at first glance (12mp vs 16mp, 1.7 vs 1.8/2.4 aperture) the V20 tramples all over the S7 Edge, and that’s without taking into account that the V20 has two separate lenses, a near-human FoV, and a camcorder that’s specifically intended to record crystal clear video and sound. LG really outdid itself here (to be fair, the S7 Edge also came out 6 months earlier than did the V20).

Value

$608 vs $799

I was honestly a bit surprised by this; I thought for sure that after six months the S7 Edge would be a bit cheaper, but I guess I should have expected that it’d retain value well – and probably will continue to do so until the S8 is released. Given the obvious camera advantage, larger stock storage, Type C charging port, and second display, I actually think the V20 might be worth a buy over the S7 Edge – at least for the next few months.

Verdict

Pull the trigger.

Save big with these promos and discounts for T-Mobile

AndroidGuys
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Time to purchase a new smartphone? Is this an upgrade from an existing device? We want to help you out either way.

To save you money, we’ve gathered up all of the promotions we could find from T-Mobile. Regardless of where you’re thinking of going for service, or what phone you are looking to pick up, you owe it to yourself to check below.

What follows is a mix of phone, rate plan, and accessory promotions worth checking out. It might not be an exhaustive list, but it’s a good collection of what’s currently offered through T-Mobile.

Although we’ve listed known expiration dates, we have no idea how long some of these other deals will last.

The following start on November 24

  • FREE Samsung Galaxy S7 after 24 monthly bill credits when you trade in a Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 5 or other eligible device.
  • FREE Gear VR and $50 Oculus app store gift card when you get a Samsung Galaxy S7 (including the free one above) or Galaxy S7 edge.
  • FREE Samsung Tab E or LG Gpad X after 24 monthly bill credits with a T-Mobile ONE tablet plan. You pay only the sales tax!
  • $70 off the UE BOOM 2 wireless speaker (now just $129.99)
  • $30 off the LG Tone Pro 760 Bluetooth headset (now just $39.99)
  • $50 (>80%!) off the mophie Powerstation Mini (now just $9.99)

Save big with these promos and discounts for AT&T

AndroidGuys
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Time to purchase a new smartphone? Is this an upgrade from an existing device? We want to help you out either way.

To save you money, we’ve gathered up all of the promotions we could find from AT&T. Regardless of where you’re thinking of going for service, or what phone you are looking to pick up, you owe it to yourself to check below.

What follows is a mix of phone, rate plan, and accessory promotions worth checking out. It might not be an exhaustive list, but it’s a good collection of what’s currently offered through AT&T.

Although we’ve listed known expiration dates, we have no idea how long some of these other deals will last.

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