Are you on the hunt for a new smartphone? Have you considered T-Mobile as your potential service provider? If you’ve answered yes to those questions, you’re definitely in the right place. We’re here to make the task of buying a handset easier on you.
Nexus 6P owners complain of acute battery drain on Android 7.0 Nougat
- The Nexus 6P was launched in September 2015, so it’s over a year old. And like it’s the case of most handsets, over time users start to notice their device isn’t working as great as it did when it was first purchased.
Performance might start to dwindle and batter life might decrease dramatically. It’s seems the latter problem applies to the Nexus 6P. A bunch of users have taken to Reddit to complain that the phone’s battery is dying out excessively fast.
The topic was started by user TheRedyTedy who uploaded a video showcasing the problem. It displays the Nexus 6P (running Android 7.0 Nougat) in the process of taking a few photographs via the Google Camera app. Immediately after the deed, the device powers off without warning. The phone in the clip is a RMA and has been put through a factory reset.
TheRedyTedy shows users that pressing the power button has no effect on the device, the only option to wake up the “sleeping beauty” being to connect the Nexus 6P to a charger.
The post has attracted numerous users who seem to be dealing with the same issue. Some report solving the problem through a factory reset or by flashing Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Another Nexus 6P owner claims his device was plagued by battery issues too, but he contacted Google and got a RMA which works just fine.
So if happen to find yourself in the same boat as these Nexus 6P owners you have three options you can try. The first one would be to perform a factory reset. Granted, it won’t be fun since all your data will be deleted, so if you choose to go with this option remember to back up all your information.
The second option would be to try and flash Android 7.1.1 Nougat on the device – there’s a whole thread devoted to that. In the case the fixes suggested above don’t work, you can always contact Google and ask for a replacement phone.
Is your Nexus 6P experiencing similar issues?
Google adds more U.S banks support to Android Pay [Update]
Recently we told you that Google partnered with Visa and MasterCard in order to expand the reach of Android Pay.
It seems that Google is actively working to make its mobile website transaction app more useful. This week the tech giant announced it has added more US based and credit unions support to Android Pay. Check out the complete list below:
- Alpine Bank
- Anheuser Busch Employees CU
- Bristol County Savings Bank
- Capital One
- CinFed Credit Union
- City & County CU
- City National Bank
- cPort Credit Union
- Eaton Family Credit Union
- First Flight FCU
- First New York FCU
- Fremont Bank
- Georgia’s Own Credit Union
- HomeTrust Bank
- Hudson Valley Federal CU
- LCNB National Bank
- Leyden CU
- Michigan Educational CU
- Neighbors Credit Union
- North Dallas Bank & Trust
- Pacific Service Credit Union
- Philadelphia FCU
- Rainbow Federal Credit Union
- Redwood Capital Bank
- Seaboard Federal Credit Union
- Seacoast Bank
- SELCO Community Credit Union
- Settlers Bank
- ShareFax Credit Union
- Siouxland FCU
- Southside Bank
- Texas First Bank
- Three Rivers Federal Credit Union
- United Community Bank
- United Savings CU
- University of Toledo FCU
- WEOKIE Credit Union
- York County FCU
As you can see one of the biggest banks in the US, Capital One is on the list, but we’re still waiting on an official confirmation from the bank.
Back in May, Google updated its Android Pay list to include Capital One, but it removed it from the list afterwards. Hopefully this time, Google’s announcement will be backed up by the bank itself.
It’s worth mentioning that Capital One has added support for rival Samsung Pay back in September, so it seems it’s only a matter of time before Android Pay will offer the same option.
Google is focusing quite a lot on Android Pay in recent days, so if you can’t find your bank in the above list you can be confident the company will add it in the next batch.
This form of tap-to-pay payment system is slowly gaining more traction with consumers, so it is expected to become even bigger once internationally availability slips into the picture.
Update: It seems Google has removed the list of supported banks. It might be just a glitch though and we’re going to see it back up soon.
The Google Play Store just made its app rating system more reliable
It happened to all of us at some point – positive reviews misleading us into downloading a lousy app from the Google Play Store. But Google wants to put a stop to developers boosting their apps’ rankings through such shady means.
The tech giant has announced it is debuting a new technology that will help detect and filter out the bad weeds, meaning apps that use illicit means like fake installs, to advance their position in charts.
Google is a merciful god, so if an app developer is caught bending the rules once, the search giant will give him/her another chance. However, for those who have made of habit of going to the dark side, there will be no quarter and Google will eliminate their app presence from the Store.
Will the new system be able to eradicate fraud? There’s a slim chance we’re going to see that happen. As Google works to harden its Play Store platform, sneaky developers also advance in finding new ways to go around the imposed rules.
But being aware of these issues, will teach users how to protect themselves better from trickery. For example, looking at ratings and reviews is fine, just don’t put your your trust in them 100%, after all they are subjective opinions. To make sure an app is worth being purchased or downloaded, you need to do a bit of research by digging up more info about it online.
Bogus app installs aren’t the only problem for Google . Last month, a report came in claiming that at least 400 apps in the Play Store were infected with malware. So the search giant needs to continue to address these security issues.
ASUS ZenWatch 3 Now Available for $299
Consumer interest for smartwatch products has been dropping considerably, but there are companies that still believe in this device category. ASUS, for example announced the ZenWatch 3 last month and now the product has been made available for intelligent timepiece enthusiasts.
The Android Wear device can be ordered from ASUS’ own web shop or from B&H Photo. Only the dark brown leather band version is currently available with the latter vendor and shipments are expected to begin sometimes in mid-November. Two other options featuring a high quality rubber band in dark brown or beige shades should become available later on.
As for ASUS’ own layer, the ZenWatch 3 appears to be temporarily out of stock, but users can sign up for an “Arrival Notice”.
The ASUS ZenWatch 3 should make it with a 316L stainless steel body and a 1.39-inch round AMOLED display with 400 x 400 resolution. The wearable takes advantage of a Snapdragon Wear 2100’s computing power in combination with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 340 mAh battery. The power source takes advantage of the new Hyper Charge Technology feature which promises to charge 60% of the battery in just 15 minutes.
The watch includes six different watch themes and 50 exclusive designer watch faces that offer support for customizable widgets. It also includes a FaceDesigner app, so users can create their own watch faces.
The ASUS ZenWatch 3 features three physical buttons, designed to allow greater control and give a more traditional watch feel when users are interacting with the smartwatch.
The ZenWatch 3 sells for a $299 a pop. The wearable looks fashionable enough to give the likes of Motorola, Huawei and LG the run for their money. A Zen circular watch anyone?
Google offers $50 Play Store credit to apologize for late Pixel deliveries
Google’s new Pixel duo is currently shipping to customers who pre-ordered the devices. But some are luckier than others. While Pixel phones have made it to some, others are still waiting to get ahold of their devices.
To make matters even more frustrating, Google has apparently misjudged demand for the two phones, so the estimated delivery date got pushed back as a result. Google knows a lot of its customers aren’t happy about the prospect of getting their phones with a delay, so it has come up with the way to ensure waiting times are rendered a bit sweeter.
According to Phandroid, Google is sending out direct email messages to those who have pre-ordered a Pixel or Pixel XL and failed to get it until now. The search giant apologizes for the delay and assures the order has been shipped. It also informs users, that on top of the phone, they should expect to receive $50 Google Play credit via email soon after the package is delivered. We have to admit it’s a pretty sweet way to say “I’m sorry”.
Apart from having to deal with product shipment delays, Google is also busy working on the fix for the Pixel camera. It appears users have been complaining of a persistent halo effect which shows up in the photos taken with the flagship’s camera. The good news is that Google is going to solve the problem with a soon-to-come software update.
Spotlight: The first Nexus smartphone and why it mattered
With the dawn of Google’s latest Pixel phones, the Nexus era has seemingly come to an end in 2016. After partnering up with several device manufacturers over the years to make Nexus devices, Google finally took the reins of not only the software that powered the device, but also the hardware.
It was only six years ago that the search giant unveiled the Nexus One – a smartphone built in partnership with Taiwanese OEM, HTC. Since then a lot has changed in the mobile world. Even though it was considered a flop by many, the Nexus One still exerted a great influence on the evolving Android ecosystem.
The original Nexus One was born out of daring idea – produce a handset meant to give developers and other phone manufacturers an idea of the latest Android version, before making it available to the masses. Still, as the years passed and the Nexus family developed, the brand became more and more consumer facing.
The Nexus One was a very controversial device, some called it a failure while others believed it was ahead of its time. But despite what any of us think, the Nexus One has earned its place in history, being the first smartphone dedicated to delivering the best Android experience possible, devoid of pre-installed apps and skins.
But the Nexus One was also first in many other areas, most of which seem to have been forgotten today. Released in 2010, the phone was a direct competitor to the iPhone 3GS and featured what was at the time considered top of the line specifications.
The phone packed a 3.7-inch 480p AMOLED display with 252 PPI (pixels per inch) and was powered by a Snapdragon S1 chip with 512MB of RAM. The One had a 5MP main camera and ran Android 2.1 Éclair, but was later updated to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread.
While other smartphones with matching specifications and capabilities existed on the market at the time, the Nexus One was still considered above most of the handsets available.
With the Nexus One, Google really wanted to something different in terms of how the device was sold. So with it, also came the advent of the Google phone web store – the only place you could purchase the device (at least in the US).
Initially, a few options were available – buying the unlocked version (unsubsidized) which worked on the T-Mobile and AT&T’s EDGE networks. Verizon was supposed to offer a version too, but the carrier never got around to releasing it. A few months later, an AT&T 3G model was launched by Google.
The on-line store model was uncharted territory and naturally, Google bumped into its fair share of obstacles. Since the phone wasn’t available in stores where customers could actually look at the phone and test it out, a marketing campaign would have been needed to press the Nexus One.
In those early days, customers were very skittish of buying a phone without taking it for a test-spin first and Google didn’t do much in terms of trying to persuade customers the Nexus One was worth taking a leap of faith.
Customer care was another Nexus One related issue which was bounced back and forth between Google, T-Mobile, and HTC before Google finally decided to take the reins. But all the messing around only made purchasing from Google look like a really unreliable affair. All these problems led to Google finally putting a stop to Nexus One sales online. But a precedent had been created.
Sure the model didn’t work out. most customers still wanted to try out the products before pledging their hard earned cash, but the thing is the Nexus One wasn’t actually meant to be a phone for the masses. It was more of a niche phone destined diehard enthusiasts, who would have purchased the phone anyway. And the online store offered an easy way to do that without the hassle of going out to a brick and mortar store.
What else do we have the Nexus One to thank for? Well, how about the advent of the 1GHz era on Android? Sure, the chipset isn’t everything, but it’s not an aspect to be looked over either. The Nexus One was actually the first Android handset to make it on the US market to offer better computing power.
Another interesting feature of the Nexus One was plugless charging (not really wireless charging just yet) which was possible thanks to a series of contacts on the bottom bezel of the phone.
The system hasn’t really caught on (although some think it should have) but it did inspire phone makers to think beyond the conventional features that came on all phones at the time. Google also released two charging docks, one for the car and one for the desktop – both took advantage of the phone’s Bluetooth capability, so users could connect speakers into the dock.
One seemingly revolutionary feature that came with the Nexus One was the trackball. The primary use of the trackball was cursor positioning and text selection and was loved by Android enthusiasts when it was announced. However, with the introduction of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a new text-selection paradigm was introduced which in turn made the trackball redundant.
However, the trackball still proved its usefulness by delivering colorful notifications. Yes, the trackball would blink in different colors when a notification became available.
But most importantly, the Nexus One provided users with a simple way to unlock the bootloader and seamlessly load custom ROMs via the “fastboot OEM unlock” feature. From there on out, the possibilities were never ending. The Nexus One started the custom ROM revolution we see today.
Back in 2010, it might not have seemed like the Nexus One was a big deal, but fast-forward six years ahead and the picture is completely different. Today in order to appreciate what we have, we need to look back from where we came from, and Android phones really started to come into their own when the Nexus line was born.
Starting with the Nexus One by HTC, Google paved the way for a family of competent but relatively affordable devices. Now in 2016, Google is moving forwards and the Pixel will now continue the six-year-old legacy of the Nexus device, despite their massive difference. But if it weren’t for the Nexus One, the Pixel and Pixel XL might have never been made.
Does Elephone’s Galaxy S7 Edge clone offer the best value at $139.99?
The passing of the Galaxy Note7 left a void in the mobile ecosystem and now, lots of device makers are trying really hard to take advantage of the situation by offering alternatives.
But none have been as straightforward as relatively obscure Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Elephone. The company is currently offering a phone for pre-order, called the Elephone S7 that looks like a combination between the dearly departed Galaxy Note7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
The device has obviously been built to be a premium phone. It features a metal frame and has glass on both sides. And the front glass panel is curved pretty much in the vein of the current Galaxy flagship.
Elephone reminds of us Samsung yet again, by advertising the S7 as “explosion-proof”. The company claims that the battery powering the phone has been extensively tested, so customers don’t have to fear for their safety.
Apparently three layers of safety are employed to protect against possible explosions including an explosion-proof membrane and an explosion-proof TPU shell. Honestly it sounds like all this fancy tech has just been made up for marketing purposes. There are tons of non-explosive phones on the market right now and none of them boast such ridiculous “anti-explosion” features.
Anyway moving along, the Elephone S7 might look like a premium Galaxy phone, but its spec sheet isn’t really on par. There are two version of the S7, one coming with a 5-inch display and another with a larger 5.5-inch one. Both displays features only 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution.
As it’s the case with many budget-minded Chinese smartphones, the Elephone S7 takes advantage of a MediaTek chip. In this case we’re dealing with a top of the line chipset, the Helio X20 – a deca-core CPU with ARM Mali T880 GPU.
The silicone piece works in concert with 2GB of RAM/3GB of RAM plus 16GB/32GB of internal storage. For those who want more, Elephone offers a version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
On the imaging front, the S7 takes advantage of a 13MP main camera with 5MP selfie shooter. The phone also has a microSD card slot, dual-SIM, NFC chip, Android 6.0 Marshmallow (don’t expect Android 7.0 Nougat anytime soon) and a 3,000 mAh battery.
As for pricing, the 2GB/16GB version is available in gold and only costs $139.99. So if you want to get a phone with the Galaxy S7/Note7 vibe, the entry-level Elephone S7 is all you need.
The 3GB/32GB variant in gold costs $169, but there are a few other color versions available: midnight blue ($189.99), black ($199.99) and green ($209.99). Last but not least the 4GB/64GB version will be sold in gold ($199), blue ($299), black ($239.99) or green ($249.99). Oddly enough S7 prices vary depending on color for no apparent good reason.
At least visually, the Elephone S7 seems like a very good deal, but what else could you be getting if you had $250 or so laying around? Here’s three alternatives:
- 5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution
- Octa-core MediaTek Helio X10
- 4GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage
- 16MP/5MP camera combo
- Fingerprint sensor
- 16MP camera
- Price starts at $261
- 5-inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution
- Snapdragon 801
- 3GB of RAM
- 16GB of internal storage
- 13MP/8MP camera combo
- Price starts at $239
- 5-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution
- Snapdragon 616
- 3GB of RAM
- 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD to 256GB)
- 13MP/8MP camera combo
- Price starts at $250
The City Traffic: Fun, fast-paced, but shallow (review)
Like it or not, we always have to wait for stuff. We seem to be made to suffer. It’s our lot in life. That’s why it’s always good to have in your phone some games aimed at making your waiting times a bit more fun (or, actually, a bit less annoying). Enter The City Traffic, a game by developer MGDL, which takes one of the biggest inconveniences of our times (traffic) and turns it into a fun game with nice, welcoming graphics and engaging gameplay.
Developer: MGDL
Price: Free (with ads)
Setup
If you’ve ever downloaded a game from the Google Play Store, then you’re probably familiar with The City Traffic’s setup already. Just choose your Google Play Games account and away you go. This will let you upload your high scores to the Play Games platform and compare it with your friends that also have the game installed. Unfortunately, there’s no support for achievements yet.
Overview
The game itself is really simple. You are in control of four traffic lights: two for cars and two for pedestrians. The main objective is to dispatch them as fast as you can without triggering an accident (that is, don’t let cars crash either into each other or into pedestrians). Even though the concept is simple, the game can get hectic very fast, and you have to process a lot of stuff swiftly to avoid provoking a mess. Just ask the families of all the pedestrians I’ve killed while playing this.
Things wouldn’t be that hard (or interesting) without some kind of factor that keeps putting pressure on you. The catch in The City Traffic is that you can only have five cars piled up in both streets, and ten pedestrians fill up the two busy sidewalks of the city. If you let this limits overflow, it’s instant game over. Sure, when you start playing it’s fairly easy to control the limits, but as you keep going on, cars and people just keep coming at you without mercy, making it incredibly hard and requiring a lot of skill, concentration, and even luck to get as far as you can.
Fortunately, controls are responsive and work well enough in order to avoid becoming an inconvenience. The game has a nice pace that keeps getting harder the longer you play. Each successful car and pedestrian that makes it through the crossroad in one piece will give you points. Rack up points and you’ll advance through levels (read: the game will get harder).
When you finish a game, you get the option of returning to the main screen (for some weird reason, since it is nothing more than a way of starting the game again), restart the game, or look at your place on the leaderboard. You can also compare your current score with your highest score.
Sadly, this last part is more important than it should, since it’s the only element of the game that provides replay value. There’s no achievements or progression in the game: it’s just you against your high score.
This means that, after several times playing the game, you already have seen all it has to offer. Make sure you play in short bursts, then. You might start to get a bit bored of it after a while if you do otherwise.
Graphics
Absolutely every asset of the game is done in a pixelated way. You may or may not like the increasing influx of games featuring pixel art, but I think that, as long as it chooses a pattern and sticks with it to the end, it’s fine. Fortunately, The City Traffic has done a good job in making sure that every asset follows the same pattern for the most part. This results in a game with a cohesive appearance and that looks pretty.
My only complaint is that, in my opinion, perfect circles do not belong in a game with pixel art. There are some places where perfect circles are displayed (very apparent in the traffic lights you have to press to control the game), so they look a bit off when you see them against the buildings, cars, and pedestrians.
Sound
There’s one song that plays through each of your rounds. It has a very soothing and relaxing vibe to it (which is a nice contrast to the mayhem that’s happening on screen). There are some other sound effects sprinkled here and there, but nothing to write home about. Everything is appropriate and of a quality decent enough to not disturb the gameplay but enhance it.
Ads
There’s a small, persistent ad at the bottom of the screen at all times. That’s not bad at all, and something that a lot of games and apps do in order to avoid having to charge customers.
However, the big problem comes when you finish a game (and, as you may have figured, that will happen a lot). Sometimes, it will show a full-screen video ad, which is, in my opinion, the most unforgivable sin of mobile advertising. Nobody likes video ads, and even less when they’re full screen on a phone that probably has a limited amount of data. Unfortunately, with each passing day, video ads are becoming the norm rather than the exception.
There’s no way of removing them for now through an in-app purchase, something the developer should consider since there are still people out there who are willing to pay for removing pesky ads.
Conclusion
The City Traffic is a nice game if you want to burn some minutes while waiting for the bus or to avoid making eye contact with the other patients at your doctor’s office. Solid graphics, decent sound, and a frenetic gameplay make this game suitable for short bursts. Don’t expect it to be a deep, story-driven game, though. Apart from improving your high score, there’s no replay value and nothing to bring you back other than your own addiction. If you don’t mind this, then it’s a fun, easy-to-play game that will serve you well.
Unlocked LG V20 coming in November
LG’s premium smartphone, the V20 is already available for purchase in the States, but there’s a caveat. Interested customers can only pick it up from carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular.
This means the LG V20 comes with a locked bootloader – not something a lot of customers resonate with. But luckily, the V20 will soon be available in its unlocked form via retailers like B&H and Newegg.
The phone is already available for pre-order on both websites. In B&H’s case, the phone might be ready to be shipped out as soon as next week. However if you want to get the phone from Newegg you will have to wait a while longer. Initially the retailer announced a November 11 launch, but due to a shipment schedule delay the release has been moved to November 24.
LG’s latest V20 is a pretty capable phone, spec-wise and can be considered a pretty nice Galaxy Note7 replacement. The phone arrives with a 5.7-inch IPS LCD touchscreen display with 2560 x 1440 resolution.
5 alternatives to consider instead of the Samsung Galaxy Note7
The device takes advantage of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 in combination with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage (expandable up to 2TB via microSD card slot).
The LG V20 boasts a dual camera setup with 16MP+8MP rear cameras and a 5MP selfie shooter. The phablet is kept alive by a removable 3,200 mAh battery. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and you can get it unlocked for $799.
At Newgg the phone will be available in Titan and Silver from the get-go. At B&H, users will be able to get the Titan version at the beginning of November, while the Silver version will arrive towards the end.