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Huawei Fit is a smartwatch/fitness tracker with a monochrome display

News

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November 3, 2016

Huawei made its first dive into the world at smartwatches at MWC 2015 with the Huawei Watch and now it’s continuing the legacy. The company just unveiled the fitness-centric Huawei Fit smartwatch with a monochrome display. It looks a lot like the Pebble Time Round.

The Huawei Fit will be already available for purchase online from retailers like BestBuy, Newegg and Amazon for $129.99.

The wearable is pretty affordable, but let’s see what you will be getting for this amount of money. Yes, we know the display isn’t as exciting as the colorful ones, but on the bright side the Huawei Fit will be able to last you for days on end – up to 30 days on standby mode according to Huawei.

The circular tracker features a 1.04-inch round always-on LCD black and white touchscreen with 208 x 208 pixel resolution. The watch’s body is molded from a single aluminum component, so it should feel pretty premium.

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The fitness tracker/smartwatch comes packing precise heart rate sensors that are capable of gathering data all-day long and a multi-axis motion sensor.

When a user is training the watch will display five heart rate zones in real-time. These zones correspond to different types of activities: warm up, fat burning, aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance and maximum effort. The watch can alert the user via vibration when heart rate is too elevated and a break is needed.

The Huawei Fit can be used to track sleep cycles, steps, distance walked and calories. Additionally, Huawei has embedded a training guidance feature which offers tips when you’re out running or engaged in other types of physical activities.

Planning to buy a smartwatch? Here are things you need to know

The wearable doesn’t have GPS embedded, but pair it with your Android or iOS device via the Wear app and you’ll receive the GPS coordinates on your wrist.

Now for the smartwatch part of the Huawei Fit, the device can also deliver notifications for calls and messages.

The device is sold in silver/grey body options which you can combine with black/orange/blue straps. The Huawei Fit is currently available in the US, but it’s unclear whether the fitness tracker will be made available in other markets too.

Google security chief says the Pixels are as secure as the iPhone

News

Alexandra Arici

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November 3, 2016

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It seems to be common knowledge today that if you want a secure device in your life you should buy an iPhone and not an Android device. But, Google Security Director – Adrian Ludwig has a very different view of things.

In a recent interview with Motherboard during the O’Reilly Security Conference, Mister Ludwig assured mobile users that Android is very safe. What’s more, he went on to say that Google’s latest Pixel phones should be considered as safe as the iPhone. He tells the interviewer:

“For almost all threat models, they are nearly identical in terms of their platform-level capabilities.”

Another reason for that is that Google can update the Pixels directly, pretty much like Apple does with its iPhone. But in the case of OEMs things are bit more complicated.

Ludwig also talked about an Android security product called Safety Net which scans up to 400 million devices per day, while checking 6 billion apps for potential malware threads at the same time. These scans plus a host of other security products, makes sure Android is a very secure platform.

Is Google getting a bit cocky? A recent report claimed over 400 instances of Dresscode malware were found right in Google’s back garden – the Google Play store.

Anyway, Google isn’t stopping here and Ludwig promises things will get even better in the future. One thing the search giant is focusing on is making improvements in the OEM and carrier software updates department. We know all too well that in certain cases, security patches from Google take too long to arrive on respective devices.

But if we are to listen to Ludwig the future is bright for Android security. He even sees Android becoming safer than iOS.

“In the long term, the open ecosystem of Android is going to put it in a much better place.”

Ludwig also tackled the topic of misunderstood security issues. Last year the media went crazy over Stagefright, but Ludwig points out that despite the vulnerability’s potential dangers, they have yet to see the exploit happen in real-life.

However, if you’re still worried – know that Android is currently safe enough so that a mass exploitation is very unlikely to happen at this point.

Make your Android Wear watch look gorgeous with these analog watch faces

News

Alexandra Arici

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November 3, 2016

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Own an Android Wear or Samsung Gear S2/S3 watch? Then you probably know there’s a myriad of downloadable watch faces for you to choose from when you feel like revamping your wearable’s day-to-day look.

But diehard analog wristwatch fans continue to be pretty skittish about purchasing a smartwatch. And who can blame them really, it’s not easy to find the same sophistication of a Patek Phillipe or Cartier in a smartwatch. Still some companies are trying to port the luxurious look and feel of mechanical watches to their smart counterparts.

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Smartwatches have been called less than stylish before, but Ghost Studio aims to change that perception. The startup has designed a series of extremely fancy looking Ghost Watch Faces for Android Wear devices and the Samsung Gear S2/Gear S3.

Ghost Studio employs the help of professional watch designers to produce this high-end watch faces that will leave your smartwatch looking like a million bucks.

The company offers products like the Gemini Watch Face – a zodiac inspired lady theme that takes advantage of diamonds and precious stones to give a kingly vibe. It reminds us of a few luxury watches like the Piaget Diamond Pave Garnet.

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The Gemini Watch face is available in three color schemes including Sapphire Blue, Emerald Green and Ruby Red.

This is just an example as Ghost Faces is offering lots of other options and more are coming. All users have to do to take advantage of these gorgeous watch faces is head on to the Amazon App Store or Galaxy App Store (depending on what kind of watch they have) and downloaded the one suited to their preferences.

The Gemini Watch Face will cost you $1.50.

The company leads by the motto “Tech meets fashion” and we can see what that is. The watch faces offered are quite gorgeous and analog watch fans and smartwatch owners alike are invited to take a look.

New Verizon customers can get the Moto Z Play Droid for $10/month

News

Alexandra Arici

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November 3, 2016

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Are you considering moving to Verizon? If that’s the case, we have some good news those of you who are looking to do business with Big Red. The carrier is now welcoming newcomers with an exciting promotion for the Moto Z Play Droid.

The Moto Z Play Droid might not be a top of the line device, but the smartphone does offer a very solid battery life and rock-hard specs. And you are a new customer at Verizon looking to add a new line, the carrier will allow you to jump onboard an installment plan for the Moto Z Play that asks for only $10/month for two years.

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Otherwise, Verizon is asking customers to pay $17/a month for 24 month or $408 outright. The promotion however, slashes the price of the Moto Z Play in half, making the total price users have to pay only $240.

A 49% discount on the Moto Z Play Droid does indeed sound good. However, if you are an existing Verizon customer looking to add a new line, you won’t be eligible to be included in the promo.

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We don’t know how long the deal will last, so if you are looking to jump onboard with a carrier right now, you might want to take Verizon’s offer into consideration.

The Moto Z Play Droid is a smartphone that was released in September 2016. It comes with a 5.5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. Keeping the device alive is a Snapdragon 625 paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card-slot up to 256GB).

Moto Mods Carousel_Verizon

Photography enthusiasts will be glad to know the Moto Z Play Droid offers the services of a 16MP main camera with f/2.0 phase detection and laser autofocus plus a 5MP selfie snapper.

The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box, but the Android 7.0 Nougat update is also in the cards. However, given the Moto Z Play is sold by Verizon, the update might take a while to arrive.

The phone boasts a hefty 3,510 mAh battery with Turbo Charging. The Moto Z Play is also compatible with modular Moto Mods accessories that snap on the phone’s back.

ZTE launches the Cymbal-T clamshell phone for $99

News

Alexandra Arici

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November 3, 2016

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Chinese device maker, ZTE is really taking the US by storm in recent times. Not so long ago the company introduced the 6-inch Axon 7 Max and T-Mobile started offering the budget ZMAX Pro. This week, ZTE has pulled the veil off another product – this time a flip phone called the Cymbal-T, designed to remind you of the good days of old.

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The Cymbal-T clamshell offers basic specs, but it’s the form factor that will attract the attention of users. The handset arrives with a 3.5-inch touchscreen display which is powered by a Snapdragon 210 processor in combination with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD).

The flipper also features a 5MP/2MP camera combo, alongside LTE, Wi-Fi and GPS. Quite interestingly, the phone features a secondary screen on the back which showcases notifications.

The phone comes with pre-installed with Android 5.1 Lollipop, but don’t get your hopes up – the Cymbal-T will probably be never updated to another version of the OS. Android Nougat is pretty much out of the question.

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Given the specs, the phone is pretty affordable. Interested parties can pick it up from TracFone (via BestBuy) for $99.99 a pop. You’d be making quite a decent deal given that the price includes 1 year of service with 1200MB of data, 1200 minutes talk-time and 1200 messages throughout the period.

There are other options as well, if for some reason you don’t like TracFone. The Cymbal-T is also available at ZTE, Home Shopping Network and Walmart brick and mortar stores.

Clamshell phones might be considered yesterday’s news by some, but in some countries like Japan these phones are very much appreciated still.

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Earlier this year, Samsung was rumored to be working on a high-end clamshell dubbed Veyron. The phone was supposed to arrive with a 4.2-inch primary screen plus a venerable Snapdragon 820 under the hood. Other rumored specs included 4GB of RAM and either a 12MP or 16MP main camera.

However, Samsung is yet to launch this premium flip phone on the market.

While the ZTE Cymbal-T is anything but premium, it’s still a phone clamshell enthusiasts will love to have.

AXGIO Roadbooster QC deluxe dual-port Quick Charge 3.0 car charger (review)

Derrick Miyao

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November 3, 2016

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There’s a very good chance that you have upgraded your smartphone in 2016. With an almost record setting number of Android smartphones released this year, almost none of you could resist the newest builds and features.

With that upgrade came several updates to charging speeds, with the latest Quick Charge 3.0 from Qualcomm allowing you to charge your device faster speeds than ever. One of the drawbacks of that change is the need to replace your chargers. However there are a wide variety of great options to choose from at great prices, and the AXGIO Roadbooster QC deluxe dual-port Quick Charge 3.0 car charger is one worthy of an upgrade too.

Build & Usage

The AXGIO dual-port car charger is made with high-quality plastic with a matte finish. It’s compact and barely sticks out of your automobile’s DC port, or what I still call a cigarette lighter.

It’s one of a few chargers that offers maximum charge output with Quick Charge 3.0 in both USB ports. Many other car chargers might have a single port for Quick Charge speeds, but this one is designed to charge two devices simultaneously at maximum output. In more technical terms, Quick Charge 3.0 supports voltages from 3.6V to 20V. It’s compatible with microUSB and USB Type-C which is the latest charging standard manufacturers are moving to.

Devices that run the Snapdragon processors, 820, 620, 618, 617, and 430 can recharge up to 50% in less than 30 minutes if you’re using compatible chargers like the AXGIO Roadbooster. I tested the AXGIO with several devices over the past month: LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Note 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPad Pro 12.9.

The AXGIO Roadbooster charged all of the devices at their maximum allowed speed, with the G5 charging up to 50% from dead in about 25 minutes several times. The Note 7 and S7 edge went from 15% to 100% in about an hour. While iOS devices don’t charge at Quick Charge speeds like Androids, they still are compatible with the AXGIO charger and charge at high speeds too.

If you’ve upgraded your phones like I have, the car charger is probably more important than a wall charger for home use. You have less time to recharge your device in your car, and sometimes need the extra boost of energy to get you through the next event in your day. I’m someone who has several devices that need charging while I’m on the road – smartphones, dash camera and sometimes accessories. Having the AXGIO Roadbooster offers the most compatibility with the latest devices and works as advertised.

I really appreciated AXGIO’s inclusion of two microUSB cables in the box, which normally would cost $3-7 on their own. I grabbed my charger from Amazon for just $13.99 with the current discount code EJXL5AAN to save an extra $4 off the $17.99 retail price.

Summary

If you’ve upgraded your smartphone, or plan on it in the near future, then upgrade your car charger too. Many old chargers don’t even have enough output to keep your phone going while you use it, especially with demanding processes like GPS navigation. Take advantage of the latest technology in your devices.

The AXGIO Roadbooster QC deluxe dual-port Quick Charge 3.0 car charger is a bargain at $13.99 (with discount code EJXL5AAN), and even comes with two microUSB cables and a two-year warranty. It’s small, well-built and backwards compatible with all of your USB devices. It’s one of the better deals on mobile accessories we’ve tested in a long time and is highly recommended.

The Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker is a cheap, waterproof, shockproof option

Matt Adams

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November 2, 2016

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If you’re looking for a brand new Bluetooth speaker, you may have missed the newest offering from Leeron, but you may want to look again. Leeron isn’t the biggest name in electronics here in the States and that hurts them in search results, but when you compare the quality of its build, they stand up to anyone else on the market.

Build and function

The Leeron Bluetooth Speaker is cylindrical in shape, but also sports some very modern and stylish straight lights. The front grill is tapered near the center and remains wide on the ends, almost appearing like a cynical grin. The soft plastic and TPU adorn the outside and give the speaker a tough exterior that won’t get beat up, but also adds some grip. I really enjoy holding the speaker in my hands due to the texture and feel comfortable knowing that when I put it down, it won’t slide off a slightly inclined surface.

On top of the speaker sits four buttons, M, Play, Minus, and Plus. The M (which stands for “mode” is not only the power button but also switches it between Bluetooth and Aux mode. The plus and minus buttons, as you might expect, raise and lower the volume with a short press and skip tracks with a long press. The play button pauses and resumes music as well as answers calls.

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Around back is a flap that covers the power port, aux bus, and a micro SD card slot. The slot MUST stay closed to keep your speaker waterproof (IPX7) so make sure that you’ve taken a look at it whenever you’re around water. The inclusion of the micro SD card slot is a nice one that you don’t normally find on speakers.

The internal battery is rated at 1800mAh and Leeron claims that gives you about 16 hours of battery life. The company must have tested this at very low volumes because I only got about eight hours of battery life out of mine. I do leave room for error here, though. I believe that the battery was completely charged, but since it charges so slow there is a possibility that even after hours on the charger it wasn’t completely full. Still, eight hours is a pretty decent battery life for a Bluetooth speaker and should definitely get you through whatever party you’re hosting.

Sound

So, what does a $30 waterproof Bluetooth speaker get you in terms of audio quality? Well, as long as you aren’t expecting top tier performance, you won’t be disappointed. After roughly 20 hours of listening to Leeron Sport speaker, I can honestly say I enjoy the sound signature.

First, let’s start off with the negatives. The Bass isn’t the greatest in the world. This will, by no means, start rattling around or vibrate itself off a table due to an abundance of bass. You will get some of those sharp kicks you get in the lows, but that deep rattling bass is absent. Listening to electronic and rap can still be enjoyable experiences, but you will make a sacrifice in the lows.

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The highs can feel a bit muddy, too. It’s not horrible and certainly not enough to take me out of the experience, but I have heard other (much more expensive) Bluetooth speakers that offer better highs.

Where the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker really shines is first and foremost in overall loudness. When I pair my phone to the speaker and leave the volume on my phone at 100%, I have to turn the speaker all the way down to get it at a sane volume. If you’re looking to bring a speaker to an outdoor party where there are no walls for the music to bounce off of, this is a really good option due to how loud it can get.

I’d rate the audio quality about average speakers in this price range. You’re not going to be blown away by the audio quality, but you certainly will be by how loud this thing can get.

Summary

So, what sets the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker out from its competitors? I think the fact that it’s the complete package really makes it stand out from other speakers. Sure, the audio quality isn’t the best, but I don’t think it holds the speaker back in any way. When you’re tubing down a river, you don’t care about hearing each individual instrument or how much the bass kicks.

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Leeron added some nice features like the ability to use the speaker as a speaker for calls, which is great for conference call situations. I love the included carabiner for hooking onto a backpack too. Due to the construction of the speaker, I would have no qualms about carrying it around in this manner. You certainly don’t need to baby it.

And, you can’t say enough about the waterproofing. That opens up such a huge world of opportunity to use this speaker. I found the speaker clipped to our shower caddy one morning because my wife took a bath the night before and wanted to listen to some music.

If you’re interested in picking up the Leeron Sport Bluetooth Speaker, head over to Amazon (Amazon UK too!) where it can be had for $29.99 with free Prime shipping.

Verizon kills off low-end prepaid rate plan

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AndroidGuys

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November 2, 2016

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Verizon this week adjusted its prepaid rate plans to no longer offer the $30 option. As of now there are only two choices for customers looking to bring a smartphone to Verizon, the $45 and $60 plans.

Prior to the adjustment, Verizon offered a low-end plan that didn’t come with any high speed data. Relying on Wi-Fi for data needs, it’s likely the option simply didn’t sell all that much. Who wants a smartphone that’s essentially dumb when it gets outside of a home or office? Moreover, Verizon’s CEO has previously indicated that the company has no interest in messing around with the low-end where the margins are slim.

The $45 and $60 plans remain untouched; they offer 2GB and 5GB per month, respectively. Both include unlimited talk and text in the US, unlimited texting to Canada and Mexico, and mobile hotspots. The more expensive plan also picks up unlimited talk to Mexico and Canada.

Check out our Buyer’s Guide to prepaid phones for more on Verizon and other carriers and their respective offerings.

AT&T tweaks its GoPhone add-on data plans with more data for the money

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AndroidGuys

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November 2, 2016

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Who doesn’t love getting more value for their hard-earned money? AT&T, recognizing this, has adjusted options for its prepaid GoPhone plans. Either that, or it just wants to keep pace with what other prepaid carriers are doing.

Effective immediately, customers can purchase more data for their money should they need to add on something extra. In other words, if you hit your threshold of data, there are options to add more as somewhat of a stop-gap measure.

The $30 rate plan, which does not come with any 4G LTE data, now allows for purchase of 250MB at the rate of $5; previously it was 100MB for the same price. Those who opt for the $45 and $60 plans can add-on 1GB for a one-time $10 charge. Further, the $60 plan also allows for a 3GB data bucket for $30.

Check out our Buyer’s Guide to prepaid phones for more on AT&T and other carriers and their respective offerings.

Amazon’s countdown to Black Friday sales are live. Here are some of the best deals

News

Matt Adams

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November 2, 2016

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One of the biggest shopping days is fast approaching. Yes, it’s November (crazy how fast this year has gone!) and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. Amazon decided to jump the gun a little bit and offer some excellent deals during its Countdown to Black Friday sale going on now. The sale is going on all week, but we’ve collected some of our favorite deals you can pick up right now.