It’s almost November and you know what that means, don’t you? Black Friday is coming up. It’s the day after Thanksgiving when people can get great deals on electronics and goods that will hopefully make for excellent Christmas gifts.
Most big retailers and carriers are planning lots of discounts and promos for the event scheduled on November 25. If you’re dying to know what to expect the good news is that T-Mobile’s Black Friday ads already leaked online via I4U News.
Take into consideration that the list has not yet been finalized and T-Mobile might update the it in two weeks.
For the time being, we can tell you T-Mobile is planning a few interesting deals for Android lovers. For example the Thanksgiving Phone on Us campaign includes a series of free phones (via Bill Credits). Customers can choose from the Samsung Galaxy J7, LG K10, LG 7, Samsung Galaxy On5 and LG G5.
Those of you looking for something more premium can dab into the Samsung Flagship BOGO which will allow users to buy one Galaxy S7 (not the S7 Edge model), Note5 and get the second one half off (via Bill Credits).
Port In Credit 200 will offer customers $200 bill credit when they activate 4 lines and port in numbers on each, while Port In Credit 50 awards $50 bill credit when one line is activated and one number ported.
Users are also invited to get a free iPad (Mini 4 via Bill Credits) or take advantage of $250 off the iPad Pro 9.7 32GB or iPad Air 2.
T-Mobile might be adding other Android-related deals in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!
Looking for a fine Android flagship phone in the post-Galaxy Note7 era? Well if that’s the case, then you should know Motorola is currently offering an awesome promotion for its premium Moto Z handset.
It’s quite easy to forget about Motorola with the constant wave of Android handsets flowing in, but the company does offer some capable devices like the Moto Z. Now Motorola is tempting users by offering $150 off with the purchase of the Moto Z. The promotion is available until November 18 (or while supplies last) so you better hurry up if you want to take advantage of it.
All you need to do is enter your email address on Motorola’s website and the company will send you a promo code which will bring down the price of the phone to an affordable $550.
In case you don’t remember, the Motorola Moto Z arrives with a 5.5-inch display with 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution (approx. 535 ppi) and a Snapdragon 820 chipset under the hood. Motorola also throws in 4GB or RAM with either 32/64GB of internal storage (expandable to 256GB via microSD card slot).
In the photography department, the Moto Z takes advantage of a 13MP primary camera with f/1.8, laser autofocus, OIS, dual-LED flash plus a 5MP selfie shooter.
The phone ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box, but given Motorola’s decent track record with updates, the Moto Z is expected to get Android Nougat pretty soon.
The Moto Z is one of those phones that can take advantage of Moto Mods or Motorola’s attempt at offering modularity. The Mods are a collection of accessories and covers that attach to the back of the phone to add more function or make the phone look and feel better.
The current promotion is not limited to the Moto Z, the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid are also included. The only caveat being that the two models are Verizon-bound.
With the $150 off promo code applied, the Moto Z Droid now costs $570 while the Moto Z Droid can be purchased for $474.
The Moto Z Droid is a more advanced version of the Moto Z coming in with the same 5.5-inch QHD display and Snapdragon 820 under the hood. The most important difference can be spotted in the photo department, as the Moto Z Force Droid features a 21MP main shooter with f/1.8 laser & phase detection autofocus, OIS, dual-LED flash plus a 5MP front snapper.
Also, the Moto Z features a 2,600 mAh battery while the Moto Z Force Droid comes with a chunkier 3,500 mAh one.
As for the Moto Z Droid, the phone is just like the Moto Z – just created for Verizon. As you can see it’s a pretty great time to go Motorola phone shopping, so if you have been mulling over the Moto Z for quite some time, now it’s your chance to get it.
The ability of electronics to be wireless has become a staple in our lives. I can’t count the number of times I’ve forgotten that my headphones are connected to my laptop, only to suffer minor whiplash while walking away. Talk about first world problems! The Syllable D900 Mini headphones are truly wireless earbuds that won’t leave you broke.
Build
Model: D900 Mini
Color: Black
Bluetooth Version: V4.1
Talk/Listening time: Up to 120 minutes listen or talk
Weight: 5 grams
The package comes with left and right bluetooth earbuds, one extra eartip adapter, a micro-USB charger, a headphone carrying pouch, and a charging station
I was pretty blown away at how small these headphones were given that they are truly wireless headphones. The headphones weigh a minuscule 5g, which is equivalent to a sheet of paper. The diameter is roughly the size of a nickel. I found these headphones to be weightless and pretty comfortable.
The left earpiece is considered the main headset, while the right earpiece is considered the subsidiary headset. This means that the left earpiece must be on for the right earpiece to work. Each earpiece has to be powered on if you want to listen to both headphones, which became a bit tedious. The main left earpiece can be used own its own. It’s a great look if you want to look like a bodyguard.
Syllable keeps it simple with the headphone controls. There is only one button on each headphone to work with, and that button is the outside of the headphone. Due to the small nature of the headphones, having more than one button would complicate the earbuds. Long pressing the left headphone turns it on and makes it discoverable to your phone. The only things you can do are pause and play music and answer phone calls. Double-clicking the left headset will call your most recent contact. Most of your controls will be done through your phone.
Usage
I primarily used these headphones in the gym. I can assure you that these headphones will not fall off your ears. Over several weeks of usage, I did not have them fall out once. I’ve been quite fascinated with Olympic lifting movements and these headphones stayed put during my clean and jerk lifting sessions. They also stayed firmly in place during cardio sessions such as running on the treadmill or using the rower.
These headphones really benefit from being truly wireless. I know from experience that cords get in the way during a squat or bench press session. There have been countless times I’ve pumped myself up for a big lift only to have the wire disconnected from being pulled out. Even bluetooth headphones that connect earbud to earbud still get in the way from time to time.
Hands-free calling works well on this device. The left headphone is the only one that will work with this feature. I called my friends numerous times using the hands-free option and never had a problem with communicating with them. Occasionally the headphones would echo on the other end. There are very few headphones that never go without echoes.
The charging unit is a unique feature of these headphones. The plastic case that comes with the earbuds doubles as a charging unit. Syllable claims that the charging unit can fully charge the headphones four to six times. I personally found that it was closer to four times. The charging unit is charged via micro-USB.
It’s a good thing the charging unit can charge the headphones multiple times because the battery life of these headphones are not great. I got around 90 minutes of use at 75% volume before they died on me. If you hear the indicator go off, you have about five minutes before they completely die on you.
Sound
The most important feature in any headphone is sound quality. With a focus on the mid-range and bass, the Syllable D900 Mini headphones are designed for upbeat music. Genres such as hip-hop and pop will benefit most from these headphones.
Since these headphones are designed for people on the go, it is imperative that they can get loud to drown out background noise. These certainly get quite loud because I never turned them up to 100% and they never got distorted or crackly. I noticed that even with the volume turned high, there is very little sound leaking out of the headphones. This saves me a lot of embarrassment when I have Call Me Maybe on repeat at the gym.
Conclusion
The Syllable D900 Mini headphones are certainly designed for a specific type of user. True wireless headphones are a rarity right now, but are gaining traction with companies like Apple and Samsung joining the mix.
These headphones are designed for those who don’t want to be connected by wires, even if they are connected by earbuds. The Syllable D900 Mini are no larger than a nickel, have a portable charger, and are tuned for upbeat music. They can be found on Amazon for only $49.99 with free shipping. Wireless freedom comes at a cost, and that is battery life. The Syllable D900 Mini headphones only get around 90 minutes per charge, which is on par with Samsung IconX earbuds which cost four times as much.
Over the last month or so, there have been whispers and leaked renders of Lenovo’s next phone, the Moto M. Thanks to a tweet from Krispitech and a report from The Verge, we now know more about the specs of the Moto M. The Moto M will feature Android Marshmallow, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, fingerprint reader, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 5100 mAh battery.
The Moto M looks to be extremely comparable to the Moto Z Play in many ways, and the lack of Moto Mod support hopefully means it will also be more affordable. In addition to the leaked specs, Krispitech hinted at a December release, which would be a timely release for the 2016 holiday season. Between the higher end specs, the full metal body, and the large battery, Lenovo has given us a lot to get excited about.
The use of smartphones has been rapidly and steadily increasing over the past few years. Today smartphones can be considered ubiquitous and everyone, from your work colleagues to your mother seems to be owning one.
You might think that given the prolific trend, the world’s biggest smartphones manufacturer like Samsung and LG are making profits like there’s no tomorrow, but the matter is a bit more delicate than that. Let me elaborate on that.
This week, three key Android OEM players in the smartphones market have posted their financial results for the third quarter of 2016, and the news isn’t good.
To be fair, in Samsung’s case, we were expecting it. Following the Galaxy Note7 demise, the Korean tech giant reported an operating loss of approximately $87.8 million, which amounts to a whopping 96% decrease compared to the same period last year. It’s the lowest the South Korean company has seen in the last eight years.
While the mobile division is dragging Samsung down, other subsidies are doing just fine and are quite profitable. All in all, the company announced an overall operating profit of approximately $4.5 billion.
The overall consensus is that Samsung will bounce back from the Galaxy Note7 disaster and the company is currently hard at work, concentrating its forces on its Messiah product, the Galaxy S8. The smartphone will hopefully wipe the slate clean for Samsung and restore its mobile division to its former glory. Or maybe not.
The same story repeats itself at LG. Despite making tons of cash thanks to its home appliances, air conditioners and TV sales, which amounts for a record $340.4 million profit, LG’s mobile division is slumping.
In Q3 LG’s mobile division posted a loss of $389.4 million, with products like the LG G5 and LV20 not doing much of anything to help the company bounce back. Perhaps it would be time for LG to take a step back and find a way to consider its mobile strategy from a new perspective?
HTC posted its financial results too, which revealed a $57 million loss. There’s not much surprise there, though. Gone are the days of the HTC Evo 4G and the company’s new products aren’t really keeping up with the competition.
HTC has been on a downward trend for years and the arrival of the HTC 10 hasn’t done much to reverse the situation, although the company claims the smartphone “has been embraced by the market”. Apparently not enough.
Now what all these three stories have in common is that three major players in the Android smartphone markers are leaking a lot of money through their mobile division. So, what’s happening?
The uproar of Chinese manufacturers that are offering super affordable smartphones with awesome specifications (just look at the new Xiaomi Mi Note 2) might be part of the explanation. Also, people are less than willing to update their smartphone on a yearly basis, especially if said smartphone sells for around $800.
An overall slowdown in the smartphone market has also been noticed. Since everyone owns a smartphone today, new adopters are slowly becoming a dying breed.
In a saturated market, brands need to go beyond hardware in order to succeed. Over the last few years, smartphones have started to look the same, with technology innovation measured in steps rather than in leaps.
This is why when Samsung launches a new premium phone now, mostly die-hard fans are around to mark the occasion. Relatively small, incremental updates aren’t enough to make the masses really want to get their hands on this particular phones, anymore.
Customers are starting to see that real innovation might not come from the tech titans, but from smaller brands like OnePlus, ZTE or Xiaomi which have unique things to offer, at affordable prices. Smartphone giants would do well to treat this threat seriously.
Are you a current or prospective AT&T customer looking for a new smartphone? You’re in luck as there are nearly two dozen models to choose from at Ma Bell.
While its portfolio doesn’t quite match up to some of the others right now, there’s still plenty to choose from. Regardless of whether you are seeking a new flagship model to get you through the next year, or just something to get your feet wet, you’ll find something great.
If are afraid of being stuck doing business with major carriers when looking for cellphone service, then you should know alternatives exist. One is called prepaid carriers and what’s great about them is they normally offer flexible plans, better pricing offers and pretty nice customer service. Like Cricket Wireless.
The carrier just announced a new rate plan which offers users 8GB of LTE data for $50/month. If you remember T-Mobile’s prepaid branch, MetroPCS also announced a similar offer not so long ago.
If you are already signed up with Cricket on a $50/month plan and want to upgrade to the 8GB option, the carrier says you should visit the nearest Cricket Wireless branded store or its official website via the MyCricket app or by contacting Customer Care.
For those who are interested in jumping onboard the Cricket bandwagon, note that you can take $5 off the bill by enabling AutoPay in your account. This means you’ll be getting 8GB data a month for only $45.
Cricket is offering text, talk and data access plans starting at $30/month depending on your budget. A more expensive data plan for $65/month (after Auto Pay) also exists which offers unlimited text, talk and high-speed data.
Torrents have been available since around 2001, and the main purpose was to facilitate file transfers among different locations. However, since its inception, it’s been mostly used for shady, illegal purposes. For those of you who use torrents for legal transfer, you might know that there are some pretty good clients in the Play Store. Household names such as uTorrent and BitTorrent have extended their offerings to Android after enjoying much success in desktop environments, while other newcomers such as Flud and tTorrent provide Android-focused solutions.
Developer Pirate Cats has now unleashed Cat Torrent to the masses, promising a straightforward, no-nonsense experience with support for SD cards, speed limits, and a nice interface.
Apps that require no setup processes or tedious account creation are always good, and it’s obvious that this developer thinks exactly as I do. Upon launching the app for the first time, you are immediately shown the main screen. No setup needed, no nagging users to create accounts, nothing. Most of the time, if you’re downloading a torrent client, it’s because you know exactly what you’re doing, so Pirate Cats decided to omit a tutorial or other similar introductory views. If you are new to the torrent world, however, then you might want to read something about it first before using this app.
Overview
To start torrenting files, simply press the FAB at the bottom and a file explorer will open. This way, you can navigate to the place you downloaded your .torrent file.
Also, when you download a .torrent file from your browser, Android will detect that Cat Torrent can open this kind of file and will show up a dialog in which you will be able to configure the save path and whether segments should be downloaded in parallel with other segments or sequentially after the current one is over.
Cat Torrent lets you see useful information about your torrents.
Upon starting your download, the app will show in its main interface the list of all of the torrents you’re downloading. This will show essential information, such as download and upload speed, and the progress of your torrent. More detailed data is a click away. Here you will be able to see the files in your torrent, peers, and comments.
You can also check out torrents in different statuses from the side drawer. Hitting the hamburger button at the top left of your screen will open the options to filter your torrents in different categories such as Seeding, Done, Active, and Inactive. I feel like an easier way of filtering your torrents would have been by adding the option to the top bar instead of hiding them under the navigation drawer, but that’s personal preference. It’s easy to navigate the app, nonetheless.
The Android phone I used for testing was midrange at best, and the app did a poor job of adjusting itself to my low screen resolution. Text overlapped in some views, making for a really poor user experience and something that should’ve been tested further. Other than that, the app performed well under different conditions.
Options
There are useful options, but some essential ones are missing.
There’s a decent amount of options available to play with. First and foremost, AMOLED screen users will be happy to know that the app not only supports changing the theme to Dark but also to full-on Black color. This should help in keeping those pixels turned off and conserve battery. Another useful option is the “WiFi only mode,” and I welcome the fact that it is turned on by default. This prevents your data from being slaughtered by the constant upload and download of files.
Other settings that users might appreciate are the default downloading location, download files only when charging, and download/upload speed limits. I’ve seen other torrent clients offering the option of moving torrents when finished (so you can save them to your internal storage and then move them to the SD), maximum permitted downloads/uploads, limits (or shutdown) on torrents after a certain battery percentage has been reached, and scheduled start and shutdown times, but, unfortunately, Cat Torrent still doesn’t have that many options available.
Conclusion
Cat Torrent is a fairly new torrent client in the Android ecosystem, but it’s a really solid one, nevertheless. The main functionality of the app is flawless, the interface adheres well to Material Design, and the options it has work just as advertised. However, some more established clients have a wide range of options (which is actually understandable, since they had a head start). Also, some UI flaws make it look unpolished and more like a beta instead of a real app. On the bright side, with some updates to add some useful options, Cat Torrent can easily become a strong contender in the torrent client segment so it’s worth keeping an eye on for future development.
ZTE has been turning heads with its Axon lineup and has just officially announced the Axon 7 Max. The combination of beautiful design and flagship specs, all at mid-tier price pricing, has made the Axon 7 one of the best values available to consumers today. The Axon 7 Max maintains the build quality of the Axon 7 while offering a bigger screen, bigger battery, 3D capability, and a dual camera setup for $442.
Axon 7 Max
GizmoChina is reporting that the ZTE Axon 7 Max will have a 6″ 1080p 3D-capable display protected by Gorilla Glass 4. The Axon 7 Max will come with a duel camera setup powered by two 13 MP sensors. One sensor will capture full-color images while the second sensor will capture black and white images to add depth to pictures. The primary camera will have a f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, and dual LED flash. Users will have 64GB of expandable storage to store their pictures and movies. Powering the Axon 7 Max will be a 4100 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 4GB of Ram and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Axon 7 Max Camera
ZTE continues to put pressure on the mid-tier phone market by bringing quality at an extremely affordable price. The Axon 7 Max, starting at $442, will see a $50 price bump compared to its smaller relative the Axon 7. While many will scoff at the $50 price bump, ZTE is offering a lot with the Axon 7 Max, and the phone will likely be a great option for anyone looking to get a larger device with a great camera.
Are you looking for an innovative smartphone that offers something more than the current slew of Android handsets? Then you should be looking at Google and Lenovo.
Google has been involved in a bunch of interesting projects over the years like Project Ara or Project Tango. The latter represents Google’s initiative to get mobile phones (and tablets) to “see” the way we see.
Originally announced back in 2014, Google Tango phones are expected to come boasting full spatial awareness and the ability to “understand” the environment and the user’s relation to it. Google teased its first Project Tango phone, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro at MWC 2016 back in February, while promising the device will be making its way into the hands of customers in the summer. Which didn’t exactly turn out to be the case.
However, this week we bring you good news. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro appears to be headed for a November 1 launch, according to the official website.
The device should arrive with a demo software version which will allow users to add virtual overlays and 3D experiences to their environment. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro can be used to measure depth and convey 3D space, while current smartphones and PCs are equipped to “see” only the average 2D picture. An example would be, overlaying to-scale animals on a classroom’s wall and letting students walk among them and study them up-close.
Spec-wise, the Phab 2 Pro comes with a spacious 6.4-inch display with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. Puzzlingly, Lenovo is using a mid-range Snapdragon 652 processor to support the phablet’s processes, although the chipset has been supposedly fine-tuned especially for Tango. There’s also 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage onboard.
In the photo department, the deice takes advantage of a rear 13MP sensor with f/2.0 and a 5MP selfie camera. Lenovo is also teasing the mind-blowing effects of Cinema Dolby Atmos surround sound system. The phablet is also said to be able to record amazing audio with 360-degree immersive quality.
The device will start shipping to customers for $499 a pop, which is relatively affordable for an experimental handset like this.
While we wait for the first Tango smartphone to make an appearance, customers can orient themselves towards the Lenovo Phab 2 which the company is currently selling in unlocked form for $199.99.
While the device sports the same 6.4-inch display, the rest of the spec list is quite different. The Phab 2 is basically a watered down version of the Tango phone, offering only 1280 x 720-pixel resolution, a MediaTek MT8735 quad-core chipset, 3GB of RAM with 3GB of RAM, a 13MP/5MP camera combo and Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.
With the $150 off promo code applied, the Moto Z Droid now costs $570 while the Moto Z Droid can be purchased for $474.
